Australia HECS-HELP Student Loan Repayment Calculator
Your compulsory HELP repayment for the year, and when the balance is gone.
2026–27 income year HELP, VSL, SSL, ABSTUDY SSL and AASL · ATO thresholds · Sources
When is it repaid?
Enter your HELP balance to see when it is repaid.
| Income year | Repayment income | Indexation | Repaid | Balance |
|---|
Rules used and official sources
Results are estimates for general information and planning, not financial advice. Banks and institutions may calculate differently (rounding, fees, rate changes). Confirm figures with your lender or a qualified adviser before deciding.
About the Australia HECS-HELP Student Loan Repayment Calculator
HECS-HELP and the other Australian study and training loans (VET Student Loans, Student Start-up Loans, ABSTUDY SSL and Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans) are repaid through the tax system once your repayment income passes the minimum threshold. Repayments use a marginal system: 15% of the part of your repayment income above the threshold, 17% of the part above a second threshold, and never more than 10% of your whole repayment income.
This calculator works out the compulsory repayment for the income year from your taxable income and the amounts the ATO adds to it, shows how it was worked out, and — with your balance — projects each year’s indexation and repayments to show when the loan is repaid and what voluntary repayments change. Thresholds and the indexation rate come from the ATO, and every assumption stays editable.
How to use it
- Choose the income year and enter your taxable income for it.
- Open “More income for HELP” and add reportable fringe benefits, net investment losses, reportable super contributions (including salary sacrifice) and exempt foreign employment income from your income statement, if you have them.
- Read the compulsory repayment, the share of your repayment income it takes and how it was worked out.
- Enter your balance from ATO online services to see the year-by-year projection. Open “Assumptions” to change the indexation rate, add yearly income or threshold rises, or add voluntary repayments.
- Copy the summary, or download the projection as a CSV file.
Examples
$86,380 − $69,528 = $16,852 × 15%
$2,527.80 compulsory repayment
15% of $60,189 ($69,528 to $129,717) + 17% of $7,347
$10,277.34 (the ATO page rounds the 15% part to $9,028 and shows $10,276.99)
10% of the whole repayment income: $25,478
$3,070.80 a year; repaid in 8 income years, of which $2,397.35 is indexation. Adding $5,000 a year of voluntary repayments clears it in 3 years with $625.78 of indexation.
Repayment thresholds and rates
For the current income year (ATO):
- Repayment income up to $69,528: nothing
- $69,529 to $129,717: 15 cents for each dollar over $69,528
- $129,718 to $186,050: $9,028 plus 17 cents for each dollar over $129,717
- $186,051 and over: 10% of your whole repayment income
The law sets the repayment as the least of the marginal amount, 10% of repayment income and what you owe, and the thresholds rise each year with average weekly earnings (Higher Education Support Act, sections 154-20 and 154-25). One set of thresholds covers every kind of study and training loan; with more than one, repayments go to HELP first, then VSL, SFSS, SSL, ABSTUDY SSL and AASL.
What counts as repayment income
Repayment income is your taxable income plus reportable fringe benefits, total net investment loss (including net rental losses), reportable super contributions and exempt foreign employment income (ATO). Salary you sacrifice into super is a reportable super contribution, so it does not lower your repayment.
Your employer withholds an amount from each pay when you tell them about the loan, and the ATO credits it against the compulsory repayment when it assesses your return. The Australia Pay Calculator shows the amount per pay.
Indexation
On 1 June each year the ATO adds indexation to the part of your loan that has been unpaid for more than 11 months. The rate is the lower of the Consumer Price Index and the Wage Price Index; the latest rate is 2.8% (ATO indexation rates). The rate for the next 1 June is worked out after the December figures, so the projection lets you change it.
Study and training loan balances that existed before the cut were reduced by 20% under the Universities Accord (Cutting Student Debt by 20 Per Cent) Act; the reduction needed no application.
Limitations
- The projection keeps your income and the thresholds as entered (plus any yearly rises), treats each year’s compulsory repayment as paid when that year ends and voluntary repayments as made at the start of each year, and indexes the whole balance; a debt added in the last 11 months is not indexed yet.
- Compulsory repayments are worked out on your tax return; the amount your employer withholds during the year can be more or less.
- Overseas debtors and people with a deferred or reduced repayment (for example for serious hardship) are not modelled.
- Only the current and previous income years’ thresholds are built in; later years use the threshold rise you choose.
Privacy
Everything happens in your browser. What you enter or open here is not uploaded or stored by MySmartCoPilot.
Frequently asked questions
How much HECS-HELP will I repay?
For the current income year, 15% of your repayment income above $69,528, plus 17% of the part above $129,717, and at most 10% of your whole repayment income. On $90,000 that is 15% of $20,472 = $3,070.80.
Do I repay anything if I earn less than the threshold?
No compulsory repayment is due when your repayment income is $69,528 or less, but indexation is still added on 1 June. Amounts withheld from your pay for the loan are credited on your tax assessment, like other tax withheld.
Does salary sacrifice reduce my HELP repayment?
No. Salary-sacrificed super is a reportable super contribution, which is added back to your taxable income to work out repayment income.
Should I make voluntary repayments?
A voluntary repayment reduces the balance at once, so less is indexed on the next 1 June and the loan ends sooner. Whether that beats saving, investing or paying off a mortgage depends on your situation; the projection shows the years and indexation with and without your extra payments.
Was the 20% reduction applied to my debt?
The law reduced study and training loan debts that existed at the time by 20%, without an application. Enter the balance ATO online services shows now.
Is my information sent anywhere?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing you enter is uploaded or stored on a server.