Student Loan Repayment Plans
Student loan repayments are collected automatically through PAYE — your employer deducts them from your gross pay before you see your payslip. Unlike a bank loan, you only repay when your income is above a threshold, and unpaid balances are written off after a fixed number of years.
Which plan are you on?
Started higher education before September 2012, or studied in Northern Ireland.
Written off: 25 years after you first became due to repay, or when you reach age 65 — whichever comes first.
Started higher education between September 2012 and July 2023 (England or Wales).
Written off: 30 years after you first became due to repay.
Studied in Scotland (regardless of when you started).
Written off: 30 years after you first became due to repay, or when you reach age 65 — whichever comes first.
Started higher education from August 2023 onwards (England). Threshold frozen until 2027, then rises with RPI.
Written off: 40 years after you first became due to repay.
Master's, PhD, or PGCE graduates (England or Wales). Repaid separately on top of any undergraduate plan.
Written off: 30 years after you first became due to repay.
Thresholds shown are for 2026/27 and are reviewed annually. Plan 5 threshold is legislated to remain at £25,000 until 2027, then rise annually with RPI.
Can you have more than one plan?
Yes. The most common combination is Plan 2 and a Postgraduate Loan — for example, someone who did an undergraduate degree between 2012 and 2023 and then completed a master's. Both are deducted from your pay simultaneously.
The undergraduate plan deducts 9% above its threshold; the Postgraduate Loan deducts 6% above £21,000. These are independent calculations — both apply if your income exceeds both thresholds, meaning the combined deduction can reach 15% above the higher threshold.
You cannot hold Plan 1 and Plan 2 at the same time (they cover different eras of study). Plan 4 replaces Plan 1 for Scottish students. Plan 5 applies only to new English students from August 2023 onwards.
When does it get written off?
Any balance remaining at the end of the repayment period is cancelled automatically — it does not affect your credit record, and you are not chased for the remainder.
| Plan | Written off after |
|---|---|
| Plan 1 | 25 years, or at age 65 |
| Plan 2 | 30 years |
| Plan 4 | 30 years, or at age 65 |
| Plan 5 | 40 years |
| Postgraduate Loan | 30 years |
The write-off clock starts from the April after you were first due to repay — usually the April after you left or finished your course, not the date you took the loan out.
See your student loan deductions
Select your plan in the student loan calculator to see exactly how much is deducted each month, and how it interacts with income tax and National Insurance.
Open Student Loan Calculator →