What Student Loan Plan Am I On? (Check, Repay, and Write-Off Rules)
Your plan number — 1, 2, 4, 5, or postgraduate — is set by when and where you studied, and it changes everything: the salary threshold repayments start at, the percentage taken, and the date the debt is wiped. Two minutes on the government repayment site tells you which plan you are on.
The Steps
Follow these in order
Each card shows the phase, expected time, and any cost. Data checked against official UK sources(2025-Latest).
0 of 6 steps
- Go 5 min
Log in to the official repayment site
Sign in at gov.uk/student-loan-repayment with your Government Gateway details — the account screen names your plan type(s) and balance. It is free. Ignore "check your student loan balance" ads for paid services; the government tool is the only source you need.
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- Before You Go 10 min
Identify your plan by when and where you studied
Plan 1: English or Welsh students who started before 1 September 2012 (and all pre-1998 mortgages-style loans are separate again). Plan 2: English or Welsh students who started 1 Sept 2012 – 31 July 2023. Plan 4: Scottish students, any time from 1998. Plan 5: English students who started on or after 1 August 2023. Postgraduate: English and Welsh master's or doctoral loans. If you studied in Scotland or NI, or combined study across periods, you can hold more than one plan at once.
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- Fill / Prepare 10 min
Check your plan's threshold and rate
2025/26 thresholds (April 2025): Plan 1 £26,065, Plan 2 £28,470, Plan 4 £32,745, Plan 5 £25,000, postgraduate £21,000. Plans 1, 2, 4 and 5 take 9% of income above the threshold; postgraduate takes 6%. On Plan 2 earning £32,000: (£32,000 − £28,470) × 9% ≈ £26 a month. Thresholds usually rise each April with inflation or policy — recheck yearly.
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- Fill / Prepare 20 min
Fix wrong deductions through your employer
If payroll is deducting when you earn under the threshold or using the wrong plan, tell your employer in writing which plan(s) you hold and ask them to correct it. If they cannot sort it, contact the Student Loans Company with your payslips. Over-deductions are refunded, but only if you notice and claim.
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- Follow Up 10 min
Know when your balance is written off
Plan 1: 25 years after you were first due to repay (loans from 2006 onward; pre-2006 Plan 1 loans run to age 65). Plan 2: 30 years after the first April you were due to repay. Plan 4: 30 years. Plan 5: 40 years. Postgraduate: 30 years. Whatever remains — unpaid interest included — is cancelled automatically; you get a letter, you owe nothing, and it never affects your credit score.
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- Follow Up 15 min
Decide whether to overpay or let it run
For most middle earners, UK student loans behave like a graduate tax, not a debt: many will never clear the balance before write-off, so voluntary overpayments are wasted money. Overpaying only makes sense if you are a high earner on track to repay in full before write-off — the Martin Lewis rule. Money spared is better spent clearing real debt or saving.
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do you have to earn to pay back a student loan?
It depends purely on your plan: 2025/26 repayment starts above £26,065 (Plan 1), £28,470 (Plan 2), £32,745 (Plan 4), £25,000 (Plan 5) or £21,000 (postgraduate). Deductions are 9% of income above the threshold (6% for postgraduate) — deducted automatically through PAYE like tax.
When does my student loan get written off?
Between 25 and 40 years after repayments were first due, depending on plan — 25 years for Plan 1 (2006+ loans), 30 years for Plans 2, 4 and postgraduate, and 40 years for Plan 5. Pre-2006 Plan 1 loans cancel at 65. Anything left is wiped automatically and never touches your credit file.
Can I be on two student loan plans at once?
Yes — for example a Plan 2 undergraduate loan plus a postgraduate master's loan, or Plan 1 plus Plan 4 after studying in Scotland. Each plan has its own threshold: you can be repaying one plan while the other sits below its threshold. Employers get this wrong often, so check payslips against each plan's threshold.
Does my student loan affect my credit score or mortgage application?
No credit-score impact — student loans do not appear on credit files. Mortgage lenders do see the deduction on your payslips and factor it into affordability, which can slightly reduce what you can borrow. That is a cash-flow consideration, not a credit one.
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