Student loan repayments are usually taken through payroll when income is above the threshold for the relevant loan plan.
Student loan repayments depend on the plan and earnings above that plan's threshold. In salary planning, the plan type matters because Plan 1, Plan 2, Plan 4, Plan 5, and postgraduate loans can use different thresholds.
On £35,000 a year with a standard 2026/27 tax code, no pension, no student loan, the figures work out like this. Open a calculator to put your own numbers in.
| Tax/source year | 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Region | England/Wales/Northern Ireland |
| Tax code basis | 1257L where the page uses PAYE defaults |
| Pension basis | No pension deduction unless this example says otherwise |
| Student loan basis | No student loan unless selected in this example |
| Calculator setting | The answer is more useful when matched to the same tax year, region, tax code, pension and loan settings used in the calculator. |
|---|---|
| Records to compare | Payslips, HMRC records, student-loan notices and pension scheme documents can explain differences. |
| Tax code | HMRC tax-code changes, K codes, BR/D codes, or emergency markers can change PAYE deductions. |
|---|---|
| Cumulative basis | Week 1, Month 1 or non-cumulative payroll can differ from a smooth annual calculator estimate. |
| Pension method | Relief at source, net pay and salary sacrifice can affect taxable pay and take-home pay differently. |
| Payroll timing | Bonus, overtime, arrears, refunds, cut-off dates and corrections can all move a single payslip. |
| Open the salary calculator with editable assumptions | calculator next step |
|---|---|
| Review calculation sources and methodology | source context |
| What is not decided here | PayBreakdown does not decide payroll correctness, lender approval, benefit entitlement or employer compliance, and does not give regulated financial, mortgage, debt, tax, payroll or legal advice. |
|---|
The figures on this page are worked from student loan repayments, using the values below. Open the calculator if your example salary differs.
Payroll normally checks pay against the plan threshold for the period and deducts a percentage of pay above that threshold. The plan and postgraduate-loan flag matter because they can change the deduction.
Use the payslip deduction as a clue to the plan and pay-period timing, then compare with a calculator using the same plan.
This is educational guidance on how UK pay and tax work. It does not decide payroll correctness, HMRC treatment, lender approval, benefit entitlement or employment rights, and it is not regulated financial advice. Where a figure matters, check it against your payslip, your HMRC account, or the official guidance linked above.
Yes, some borrowers can have a postgraduate loan deduction alongside another student loan plan.
Common reasons include a different pay amount, bonus, overtime, plan setting, postgraduate loan, payroll notice timing or tax-year threshold change.
Last updated 2026-08-27. Checked by Sean Elsmore. Rates last checked against GOV.UK on 2026-08-07. Estimates are for planning and should be checked against official records where the decision matters.