Which repayment plan am I on?

If you started your undergraduate course between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2023 you are on Plan 2. If you started on or after 1 August 2023 you are on Plan 5. Both repay 9% of income above the threshold. Source: GOV.UK, OGL v3.0.

How are student loan repayments collected?

Repayments are taken automatically — through PAYE if you are employed, or through Self Assessment if you are self-employed. You only repay 9% of what you earn above your plan's threshold, so repayments rise and fall with your income. Source: GOV.UK, OGL v3.0.

When is each plan written off?

Plan 2 loans are written off 30 years after the April you first became due to repay; Plan 5 loans are written off after 40 years. Any balance outstanding at that point is cancelled. Source: GOV.UK, OGL v3.0.

Do I repay more on a higher salary?

Yes — you always repay 9% of income above the threshold, so the more you earn above £29,385 (Plan 2) or £25,000 (Plan 5), the higher your monthly repayment. Use the estimator on the student finance hub to see your figure. Source: GOV.UK / SLC, OGL v3.0.

GeraLearn / UK Student Finance / Repayment plans

Student loan repayment plans — Plan 2 vs Plan 5

Both plans repay 9% of income above the threshold — the difference is the threshold and how long until the loan is written off. Real GOV.UK data (OGL v3.0).

What is the difference between Plan 2 and Plan 5 student loan repayments in England?

Both Plan 2 and Plan 5 repay 9% of income above an annual threshold, but the threshold differs: £29,385 on Plan 2 (courses started 2012–2023) and £25,000 on Plan 5 (courses started from August 2023). Plan 2 is written off after 30 years and Plan 5 after 40 years. Source: GOV.UK / SLC (OGL v3.0).

Source:GOV.UK — Student finance, tuition fees and student support 2026/27 (Student Loans Company)·As of 2026/27 academic year (repayment thresholds from April 2026) · updated annually · last refreshed 25 June 2026

A student loan repayment plan sets the rules for how you pay back your tuition and maintenance loans: the income threshold below which you pay nothing, the percentage you repay on income above it, and how many years until any remaining balance is written off. In England, undergraduates are on either Plan 2 or Plan 5, depending on when their course started. Repayments are income-contingent — they only ever depend on what you earn, not on how much you borrowed.

Plan 2 vs Plan 5

Feature	Plan 2	Plan 5
Annual threshold	£29,385	£25,000
Rate above threshold	9%	9%
Written off after	30 years	40 years
Who is on it	English or Welsh students who started an undergraduate course between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2023.	English students who started an undergraduate course on or after 1 August 2023.

Estimate your repayment

Want to know what you would actually repay each month? The interactive estimator on the student finance hub applies the real 9% rate and your plan’s threshold to your salary.

Open the repayment estimator →

Repayment plans — FAQ

Which repayment plan am I on?: If you started your undergraduate course between 1 September 2012 and 31 July 2023 you are on Plan 2. If you started on or after 1 August 2023 you are on Plan 5. Both repay 9% of income above the threshold. Source: GOV.UK, OGL v3.0.
How are student loan repayments collected?: Repayments are taken automatically — through PAYE if you are employed, or through Self Assessment if you are self-employed. You only repay 9% of what you earn above your plan's threshold, so repayments rise and fall with your income. Source: GOV.UK, OGL v3.0.
When is each plan written off?: Plan 2 loans are written off 30 years after the April you first became due to repay; Plan 5 loans are written off after 40 years. Any balance outstanding at that point is cancelled. Source: GOV.UK, OGL v3.0.
Do I repay more on a higher salary?: Yes — you always repay 9% of income above the threshold, so the more you earn above £29,385 (Plan 2) or £25,000 (Plan 5), the higher your monthly repayment. Use the estimator on the student finance hub to see your figure. Source: GOV.UK / SLC, OGL v3.0.

Keep exploring

Tuition fees — what your fee loan covers
Maintenance loan — funding for living costs

Source: GOV.UK / Student Loans Company. Repayment thresholds 2026/27 academic year (repayment thresholds from April 2026). Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. England, full-time undergraduate. Last refreshed 2026-06-25. No figure is modelled or interpolated.