Fair Dinkum Money

HELP / HECS

HELP repayment calculator

Your compulsory study loan repayment for 2026–27 under the marginal repayment system, and roughly how long until your balance is cleared.

$

Check myGov → ATO → Loan accounts

$/yr

Taxable income, plus reportable fringe benefits, net investment losses and reportable super

% p.a.
% p.a.

Applied each 1 June; your own assumption for future years

Compulsory repayment · FY2026-27

$3,071

Paid off in about 10 years · total repaid $34,280, of which $4,280 is indexation

YearIncomeRepaymentIndexationBalance after
1$90,000$3,071$808$27,737
2$92,700$3,163$737$25,311
3$95,481$3,258$662$22,715
4$98,345$3,356$581$19,940
5$101,296$3,456$495$16,979
6$104,335$3,560$403$13,821
7$107,465$3,667$305$10,459
8$110,689$3,777$200$6,883
9$114,009$3,890$90$3,083
10$117,430$3,083$0$0

Year 1 uses the ATO’s published 2026-27 thresholds. Later years are estimates: income grows at your salary growth rate, thresholds are assumed to rise with indexation, and each year’s repayment is credited before indexation is applied. Actual timing depends on when you lodge and how much your employer withholds. Voluntary repayments aren’t modelled.

How compulsory repayments work

Your employer withholds extra from your pay if you have a HELP debt, and the exact repayment is worked out when you lodge your tax return. In 2026-27, the repayment is 15 cents per dollar of repayment income over $69,528, rising to $9,028 plus 17 cents per dollar over $129,717. Above $186,050 it becomes a flat 10% of your total repayment income.

Repayments stop once the balance is cleared, and the same system covers VET Student Loans, Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans and other study and training loans.

Frequently asked questions

What is the HELP repayment threshold for 2026-27?

$69,528. If your repayment income is at or below that, no compulsory repayment is due for the year.

How much HELP will I repay on $90,000?

$3,071 in 2026-27: 15 cents for each dollar of repayment income above $69,528.

What changed with HELP repayments in 2025?

From 1 July 2025 repayments became marginal. Before, once you crossed a threshold a percentage applied to your whole income, so a small pay rise could cost hundreds of dollars in extra repayments. Now you repay only on the income above the threshold, like income tax.

What counts as repayment income?

Your taxable income plus reportable fringe benefits, net investment losses (including rental losses), reportable super contributions and exempt foreign employment income. For most employees it's close to taxable income.

Does HELP debt charge interest?

Not interest, but indexation. On 1 June each year your balance is increased in line with inflation (the lower of CPI and wage growth). This keeps its real value the same rather than adding a profit margin.

Should I make voluntary HELP repayments?

Voluntary repayments reduce the balance that gets indexed, but that money could instead go to an offset account or non-deductible debt charging a higher rate. With HELP indexed at inflation, paying down a mortgage or credit card first usually saves more.