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HELP / 2026-27 / AUSTRALIA

HELP repayment calculator

Work out your compulsory HELP (HECS) and other study loan repayment for 2026–27 under the marginal system: nothing up to $69,528, then 15 cents per dollar, rising to 17 cents above $129,717.

Last verified: Methodology

Your details

01Income

Salary sacrifice and personal deductible contributions.

02Loan

The repayment can't be more than what you owe. Leave at 0 if you don't know.

Compulsory repayment

$3,071

for 2026–27 ($118 a fortnight from salary)

Repayment income
$90,000
Repayment as % of repayment income
3.4%
Rate on your next dollar
15%
Withheld per fortnight (salary)
$118
Balance left after this year's repayment
$26,929
  • 2026–27 thresholds: no compulsory repayment up to $69,528; 15c per dollar above that to $129,717, then 17c per dollar, but never more than 10% of your whole repayment income.
  • HELP, VET Student Loans, Student Start-up Loans, Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans and the Financial Supplement are repaid together under these rates.
  • The amount withheld from your pay is a prepayment; the actual repayment is worked out when you lodge your tax return.
  • No repayment is due if a Medicare levy family reduction removes or reduces your levy.

Compulsory repayment: $3,071 for 2026–27 ($118 a fortnight from salary)

Your 2026–27 repayment
LinePer year
Taxable income$90,000
Repayment income$90,000
Compulsory repayment$3,071
Balance left after repayment$26,929

2026–27 repayments at different incomes

Repayment income, before any cap at the remaining debt.

Repayment incomeRepayment% of income
$60,000$00%
$70,000$710.1%
$80,000$1,5712%
$90,000$3,0713.4%
$100,000$4,5714.6%
$120,000$7,5716.3%
$130,000$9,0767%
$150,000$12,4768.3%
$180,000$17,5769.8%
$200,000$20,00010%

$3,071

for 2026–27 ($118 a fortnight from salary)

How it's calculated

Since 2025–26, compulsory study loan repayments use a marginal system: you repay a share of the income above the threshold, not a percentage of your whole income. It covers HELP (HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP), VET Student Loans, Student Start-up Loans, Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans and the Financial Supplement.Federal Register of Legislation

  • Thresholds for 2026–27. Nothing is due up to $69,528 of repayment income. Above that you repay 15% of each dollar up to $129,717, and 17% of each dollar above it, but never more than 10% of your whole repayment income.
  • Indexation. The Act sets $67,000 and $125,000 for 2025–26 and indexes both each year by average weekly earnings published by the ABS, rounded down to the dollar. That gives the 2026–27 figures above, which match the ATO's withholding coefficients for study loans.Australian Bureau of Statistics
  • Repayment income is taxable income plus reportable fringe benefits, reportable super contributions (such as salary sacrifice), net investment losses and exempt foreign employment income.
  • From your pay. Your employer withholds an extra amount each pay using Schedule 8 of the ATO's withholding instrument. That is a prepayment: the compulsory repayment is worked out when you lodge your return, and any difference is refunded or added to your bill.Australian Taxation Office

The formula

  1. Repayment income (RI) = taxable income + reportable fringe benefits + reportable super + net investment loss + exempt foreign income.
  2. If RI ≤ $69,528: repayment = 0.
  3. Otherwise: marginal amount = 15% × (min(RI, $129,717) − $69,528) + 17% × max(0, RI − $129,717).
  4. Repayment = the least of the marginal amount, 10% × RI and your remaining loan balance.

Worked example

With repayment income of $90,000 the compulsory repayment is $3,071, which is 3.4% of income. If that is all salary paid fortnightly, about $118 is withheld each fortnight.

$90,000 repayment incomeHELP / 2026-27 / AUSTRALIA
LinePer year
Taxable income$90,000
Repayment income$90,000
Compulsory repayment$3,071
Balance left after repayment$26,929

At $150,000 the repayment rises to $12,476 because the 17% rate applies above the second threshold.

$150,000 repayment income, $50,000 balanceHELP / 2026-27 / AUSTRALIA
LinePer year
Taxable income$150,000
Repayment income$150,000
Compulsory repayment$12,476
Balance left after repayment$37,524

Assumptions and limitations

  • No repayment is due if a Medicare levy family reduction applies to you (for example, a couple on low combined income); the income tax calculator takes this into account; the pay calculator, which has no family inputs, does not.
  • Indexation of your balance on 1 June and voluntary repayments are not modelled.
  • Overseas debtors repay on worldwide income through a separate levy; the calculation here uses Australian repayment income only.
  • The per-fortnight figure assumes all your income is salary from one employer with the tax-free threshold claimed.
FAQ

Questions people ask

What is the HELP repayment threshold for 2026–27?

You make a compulsory repayment once your repayment income is more than $69,528. Below that nothing is due, even if you have a HELP debt. The threshold was $67,000 in 2025–26 and is indexed every year by average weekly earnings. Your employer starts withholding extra for your loan once your pay reaches the equivalent of the threshold, as long as you've told them you have a debt.

How do marginal HELP repayments work?

Since 1 July 2025 you repay a share of only the income above the threshold, not a share of your whole income. For 2026–27 that is 15 cents for each dollar between $69,528 and $129,717, and 17 cents for each dollar above $129,717. The repayment can never be more than 10% of your total repayment income, a cap that applies on very high incomes.

What counts as repayment income?

Repayment income is your taxable income plus reportable fringe benefits shown on your income statement, reportable super contributions such as salary sacrifice and personal deductible contributions, any net investment loss such as negative gearing on a rental property, and exempt foreign employment income. That's why salary sacrificing into super does not reduce your HELP repayment even though it lowers your taxable income.

Is the HELP amount taken from my pay my actual repayment?

No. What your employer withholds is a prepayment worked out from your pay in each period. The actual compulsory repayment is calculated on your full-year repayment income when you lodge your tax return. If too much was withheld, the difference reduces your tax bill or increases your refund; if too little, it is added to the amount you owe.

Do VET Student Loans and Student Start-up Loans use the same rates?

Yes. HELP, VET Student Loans, Student Start-up Loans (including ABSTUDY), Australian Apprenticeship Support Loans and the Financial Supplement are all repaid under the same study and training support loans system, with the same thresholds and rates. If you have more than one, your compulsory repayment is worked out on your repayment income and applied to your debts.

Can I pay off my HELP debt faster?

Yes, you can make voluntary repayments to the ATO at any time, in addition to the compulsory repayment worked out in your tax return. Voluntary repayments reduce your balance straight away. The compulsory repayment for a year can't be more than what you owe, so once your balance is small the calculator caps the repayment at your remaining debt.

Sources

  1. Federal Register of LegislationHigher Education Support Act 2003 (compilation 1 July 2026), Division 154 – compulsory repayments · retrieved 2026-10-17
  2. Australian Bureau of StatisticsAverage Weekly Earnings, Australia (indexation of thresholds and caps) · retrieved 2026-10-17
  3. Australian Taxation OfficeTaxation Administration (Withholding Schedules) Instrument 2026 – Schedule 1 (NAT 1004), Schedules 8 and 15 · retrieved 2026-10-16
  4. Federal Register of LegislationMedicare Levy Act 1986 (compilation 1 July 2026) · retrieved 2026-10-16

Last verified: CalcBloc Editorial Team