What are the UK student loan repayment thresholds from April 2026?

Plan 1: £26,900 a year (9%); Plan 2: £29,385 a year (9%); Plan 4: £33,795 a year (9%); Plan 5: £25,000 a year (9%); Postgraduate Loan: £21,000 a year (6%). Effective 6 April 2026. Source: GOV.UK (OGL v3.0).

How much of my salary do I repay on my student loan?

You repay a fixed percentage of your income above your plan’s threshold, not of your whole salary. For Plan 1, 2, 4 and 5 it is 9%; for the Postgraduate Loan it is 6%. If you earn below the threshold you repay nothing. Source: GOV.UK (OGL v3.0).

What is the difference between the student loan plans?

Your plan depends on where and when you studied. Plan 1 is pre-September-2012 England/Wales and Northern Ireland; Plan 2 is 2012–2023 England/Wales; Plan 4 is Scotland (SAAS); Plan 5 is English undergraduate courses started on or after 1 August 2023; the Postgraduate Loan covers Master’s and Doctoral loans. Each has its own threshold and interest rate.

What interest is charged on UK student loans?

For 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, RPI is 3.2%. Plan 1 and Plan 4 charge the lower of RPI or the base rate plus 1% (3.2%); Plan 5 charges RPI only (3.2%); Plan 2 runs from RPI to RPI plus 3% (6.2%) depending on income; the Postgraduate Loan charges RPI plus 3% (6.2%). Source: GOV.UK (OGL v3.0).

What is the Gera Student Loan Index?

The Gera Student Loan Index is the annual repayment a borrower owes when earning the ONS median full-time salary (£39,039, April 2025 ASHE). For a Plan 5 borrower that is £1,264 a year. It lets you compare what each plan costs a typical UK earner, using only real GOV.UK and ONS figures.

GeraJobs / Student Loan Repayment

UK Student Loan Repayment Thresholds 2026

Every UK student loan repayment threshold and interest rate that applies from 6 April 2026, by plan — with the repayment percentage, the year-on-year change, and the Gera Student Loan Index, computed transparently from real GOV.UK and ONS figures.

What are the UK student loan repayment thresholds by plan in 2026?

From 6 April 2026, you repay 9% of income above the annual threshold for your plan: £26,900 (Plan 1), £29,385 (Plan 2), £33,795 (Plan 4) and £25,000 (Plan 5). The Postgraduate Loan threshold is £21,000, repaid at 6%. Source: GOV.UK Student Loans Company (OGL v3.0). Gera re-dates these annually.

Source:GOV.UK — Repaying your student loan: How much you repay·As of Tax year 2026 to 2027 (from 6 April 2026) · updated annually (thresholds change 6 April) · last refreshed 18 June 2026

Gera Student Loan Index

At the UK median full-time salary (£39,039, April 2025 ASHE), a Plan 5 borrower repays £1,264 a year. The index is each plan's annual repayment for a median earner — see the table below for every plan.

How this is calculated

£1,264 / yr

UK student loan repayment thresholds by plan (from April 2026)

Plan	Annual threshold	Monthly	Rate	Interest	Gera Student Loan Index
Plan 1	£26,900	£2,241	9%	3.2%	£1,093/yr
Plan 2	£29,385	£2,448	9%	3.2%	£869/yr
Plan 4	£33,795	£2,816	9%	3.2%	£472/yr
Plan 5	£25,000	£2,083	9%	3.2%	£1,264/yr
Postgraduate Loan	£21,000	£1,750	6%	6.2%	£1,082/yr

All thresholds and repayment percentages are the official GOV.UK / Student Loans Company figures effective 6 April 2026. Interest rates are for 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026 (RPI = 3.2%); Plan 2 runs on a sliding scale from 3.2% to 6.2%, shown here at its lower bound.

UK Student Loan Repayment Calculator

Pick your plan and enter your pre-tax salary to see your real annual, monthly and weekly repayment, using the official GOV.UK thresholds from April 2026.

Repayment planAnnual salary (before tax)

On Plan 1 you repay 9% of income above £26,900 a year.

On a salary of £39,039, you repay £12,139 above the threshold — about £1,093 a year, £91 a month or £21 a week.

This is repayment only — interest is added separately. Your actual deductions are taken through PAYE or Self Assessment.

Find higher-paying UK jobs on GeraJobs

UK Student Loan Repayment — FAQ

What are the UK student loan repayment thresholds from April 2026?: Plan 1: £26,900 a year (9%); Plan 2: £29,385 a year (9%); Plan 4: £33,795 a year (9%); Plan 5: £25,000 a year (9%); Postgraduate Loan: £21,000 a year (6%). Effective 6 April 2026. Source: GOV.UK (OGL v3.0).
How much of my salary do I repay on my student loan?: You repay a fixed percentage of your income above your plan’s threshold, not of your whole salary. For Plan 1, 2, 4 and 5 it is 9%; for the Postgraduate Loan it is 6%. If you earn below the threshold you repay nothing. Source: GOV.UK (OGL v3.0).
What is the difference between the student loan plans?: Your plan depends on where and when you studied. Plan 1 is pre-September-2012 England/Wales and Northern Ireland; Plan 2 is 2012–2023 England/Wales; Plan 4 is Scotland (SAAS); Plan 5 is English undergraduate courses started on or after 1 August 2023; the Postgraduate Loan covers Master’s and Doctoral loans. Each has its own threshold and interest rate.
What interest is charged on UK student loans?: For 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026, RPI is 3.2%. Plan 1 and Plan 4 charge the lower of RPI or the base rate plus 1% (3.2%); Plan 5 charges RPI only (3.2%); Plan 2 runs from RPI to RPI plus 3% (6.2%) depending on income; the Postgraduate Loan charges RPI plus 3% (6.2%). Source: GOV.UK (OGL v3.0).
What is the Gera Student Loan Index?: The Gera Student Loan Index is the annual repayment a borrower owes when earning the ONS median full-time salary (£39,039, April 2025 ASHE). For a Plan 5 borrower that is £1,264 a year. It lets you compare what each plan costs a typical UK earner, using only real GOV.UK and ONS figures.

How the Gera Student Loan Index is calculated

For a plan with annual threshold T and repayment rate r, the Gera Student Loan Index is round(max(0, M − T) × r), where M is the ONS median gross annual pay for full-time employees (£39,039, April 2025, ASHE 2025, released 23 October 2025). It is the annual student loan repayment a typical UK full-time earner makes on each plan, so the five plans can be compared on one figure. Every input is a real published figure — the GOV.UK threshold and repayment rate, and the ONS median; nothing is modelled or interpolated. For Plan 5 the index is round(max(0, £39,039 − £25,000) × 9%) = £1,264 a year.

Get the new student loan thresholds when they change

UK student loan repayment thresholds change every 6 April. Save your email and we’ll send the new Plan 1, 2, 4, 5 and Postgraduate figures as soon as they’re confirmed.

Related on GeraJobs

Source: GOV.UK / Student Loans Company — student loan repayment thresholds and interest rates, effective 6 April 2026 / 1 September 2025 to 31 August 2026 (Open Government Licence v3.0). Median pay context: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (April 2025 reference period, released 23 October 2025, OGL v3.0). The Gera Student Loan Index is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.