It is not a fixed monthly bill
Student loan deductions in the UK are a percentage of income above a threshold. Earn under the threshold and you pay nothing that period. Earn over it and you pay a percentage of the slice above the line.
GOV.UK explains the rules on how much you repay. HMRC’s employer guidance on student loans lists the same April 2026 thresholds used in payroll software.
Thresholds for 2026/27
From April 2026 the annual thresholds published by GOV.UK / HMRC are: Plan 1 £26,900; Plan 2 £29,385; Plan 4 £33,795; Plan 5 £25,000; Postgraduate Loan £21,000. Undergraduate plans repay 9% above the threshold; postgraduate loans repay 6%.
Those are the figures built into this site’s calculators for 2026/27. If government updates a threshold mid-cycle, treat the official GOV.UK page and your payslip as the authority.
Which plan you are on
Plan type depends on when and where you studied, not which NHS nation employs you today. Many SAAS-funded undergraduates are on Plan 4. English starters from August 2023 onwards are often on Plan 5. Older cohorts may be on Plan 1 or Plan 2.
If you are unsure, check your Student Loans Company or SAAS account. GOV.UK’s repayment pages also explain what happens if you are on more than one plan.
Why Band 5 and Band 6 feel it
Newly registered staff often sit near the thresholds. Full-time Band 5 pay in England can clear Plan 5’s line on basic alone; add HCAS or nights and the deduction is obvious. See England AfC pay scales for 2026/27 for the gross points behind those examples.
On any band calculator here, choose the plan that matches your account. Leave it on “No Student Loan” only if you have finished repayments or never had one.