Two things have to be true before you repay anything on a Plan 5 loan: you must have reached your repayment start date, and your income must be over the threshold. Until both apply, nothing is taken from your pay, although interest is still added to the balance.
GOV.UK says the earliest you will start repaying is the April after you leave your course. That applies whether you finish, drop out or transfer. If you leave in June 2026, your first possible repayment date is April 2027. If you are studying more than one course at once, each can have a separate start date.
Plan 5 applies to courses that started on or after 1 August 2023. So a student who began a three-year degree in autumn 2023 and finished in summer 2026 is first due to repay in April 2027.
| Course | Leave | First due to repay | Written off (if not repaid) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-year degree from September 2023 | June 2026 | April 2027 | April 2067 |
| 4-year degree from September 2024 | June 2028 | April 2029 | April 2069 |
| Left a course part-way through, December 2025 | December 2025 | April 2026 | April 2066 |
The write-off date is 40 years after the April you were first due to repay. These timelines assume a full-time course and that the loan is not repaid in full first.
If you are studying part-time on a course that is longer than four years and started before 1 January 2027, you start repaying in the April that falls four years after the course started, even if you are still studying.
Once you reach your start date, you repay only when your income is over £25,000 a year, £2,083 a month or £480 a week (2026/27 figures). Income means earnings before tax and other deductions, including bonuses and overtime. The thresholds change on 6 April every year.
| If you earn | What happens on Plan 5 |
|---|---|
| £25,000 a year or less | Nothing is taken. Interest is still added to your balance. |
| £28,000 a year | £270.00 a year, about £22.50 a month |
| £32,000 a year | £630.00 a year, about £52.50 a month |
| £40,000 a year | £1,350.00 a year, about £112.50 a month |
You do not have to set up payments yourself. When you start a job, the starter checklist asks whether you have a student loan and which plan. HMRC also sends employers a start notice (form SL1) telling them to begin deductions and which plan to use. HMRC's employer guidance says employers should start from the next available payday and must not take deductions in arrears for earlier months.
If you change jobs, your P45 tells your new employer whether student loan deductions should continue.
Repayments stop automatically if you stop working or your income falls below the threshold. They restart when your income goes back over it. You do not need to apply to pause them. The 40-year write-off clock keeps running throughout.
If money is taken from your salary before you were due to start repaying, for example while you are still on your course, GOV.UK says you can ask for a refund. Contact the Student Loans Company with your customer reference number. See getting a student loan refund.
If you leave the UK for more than three months, you must tell the SLC by updating your employment details. Overseas repayments are collected by the SLC directly, using thresholds for the country you live in. See Plan 5 if you move abroad.
To see what you will repay from your first April, enter your salary and start year in the calculator.
Sources: GOV.UK: when you start repaying · HMRC: student loan guidance for employers · GOV.UK: getting a refund · GOV.UK: update your employment details. Checked 29 October 2026.
Last checked: 29 October 2026. Estimates only, not financial advice.
The earliest is the April after you leave your course, and only when your income is over £25,000 a year (£2,083 a month).
Usually not. The exception is a part-time course longer than four years that started before 1 January 2027, where repayments can start four years after the course began.
Repayments stop automatically if you stop working or your income falls below the threshold.