Financial year 2026-27
HECS-HELP repayment calculator
In 2026-27, compulsory study loan repayments start once your repayment income passes $69,528, and you repay only on the income above that threshold. On $85,000 the compulsory repayment is $2,320.80 a year — about $89.26 a fortnight.
Compulsory repayment
$2,320.80
per year · $89.26 per fortnight
| Rate on income above threshold | 15% |
|---|---|
| Method | marginal |
| Effective share of income | 2.73% |
The system changed, and old calculators are now wrong
Until 2024-25, crossing a threshold meant a percentage of your entire income was taken. Earning one dollar more could cost you hundreds. From 2025-26 that cliff edge is gone: repayments are marginal, applying only to income above the threshold, exactly like income tax brackets.
On $85,000, the old whole-of-income approach at 4.5% would have taken $3,825.00. Under the marginal system it is $2,320.80. Any calculator still showing the old figure is out of date.
The 2026-27 repayment scale
| Repayment income | You repay |
|---|---|
| Up to $69,528 | Nothing |
| $69,528 – $129,717 | 15c for each $1 over $69,528 |
| $129,717 – $186,050 | $9,028 + 17c for each $1 over $129,717 |
| Above $186,050 | 10% of your total repayment income |
Repayments at different incomes
| Repayment income | Per year | Per fortnight | Share of income |
|---|---|---|---|
| $65,000 | $0.00 | $0.00 | 0.00% |
| $70,000 | $70.80 | $2.72 | 0.10% |
| $85,000 | $2,320.80 | $89.26 | 2.73% |
| $100,000 | $4,570.80 | $175.80 | 4.57% |
| $120,000 | $7,570.80 | $291.18 | 6.31% |
| $150,000 | $12,476.11 | $479.85 | 8.32% |
| $190,000 | $19,000.00 | $730.77 | 10.00% |
Indexation is a separate thing
Two different things get called "HECS indexation" and they are easy to confuse:
- Your loan balance is indexed on 1 June each year, at the lower of CPI and the wage price index. The 1 June 2026 rate was 2.8%.
- The repayment thresholds move on 1 July, which is why the minimum rose from $67,000 in 2025-26 to $69,528 now.
A one-off 20% reduction was also applied to outstanding balances as they stood on 1 June 2025, before that year's indexation.
Assumptions and limitations
- Applies to HECS-HELP, VET Student Loans, SFSS, SSL, ABSTUDY SSL and Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans as a single combined repayment.
- Uses repayment income, not salary. If you salary sacrifice or have investment losses, your repayment income is higher than your take-home suggests.
- This is your compulsory repayment. Voluntary repayments are extra.
- What your employer withholds each pay is calculated under a separate schedule that annualises each pay period, so it rarely matches this figure exactly.
Estimate only, not financial or tax advice. See our methodology for sources.