Student Loan Refund Checker

Your loan and the year you want to check

Grab the P60 or payslips for the tax year you think went wrong - any year back to 1998 counts, there's no time limit.

Your correct plan Threshold /yr · above it Total income that tax year

All jobs added together, before tax (P60 figure) Student loan deducted that year

From payslips or the P60 "student loan" box

Payroll deducts in any month you cross the monthly limit - bonuses, overtime and part-year work all trigger deductions that the annual rules never required.

Did any of these happen?

Each one is a separate refund reason the Student Loans Company accepts.

Repayments were taken before the 6 April after I finished my course Nothing is due until the April after you graduate or leave - anything taken earlier is refundable in full, no questions. Amount taken before that April

My employer had me on the wrong plan type e.g. deducted as Plan 1 when you're Plan 2 - deductions start thousands too early in the income scale. Your step 1 figures are already tested against your correct plan, so the overpayment shows in your verdict.

Deductions carried on after my loan was fully repaid Payroll often lags your final payment by a month or two - anything taken after the balance hit zero is simply your money. Amount taken after it was cleared

I had two (or more) part-time jobs that each deducted repayments Each payroll deducts independently - make sure your step 1 income and repayments cover all jobs added together, and the annual test does the rest.

Your verdict

Estimate, not advice - the SLC calculates the exact figure from its records. Confirm on GOV.UK.

Taken before the April after your course (refundable in full)
(incl. wrong-plan overpayment)
Taken after the loan was cleared
Estimated refund

One honest warning

A below-threshold refund goes back onto your loan balance. If you're unlikely ever to clear the loan before it's written off - true for most Plan 2 borrowers - it's effectively free money. If you're on track to repay in full, it just delays the finish line slightly. Refunds for money taken in error (too early, wrong plan, already cleared) have no downside at all.

How to claim (free, usually a few weeks)

Sign in to your student loan repayment account on GOV.UK, or call the SLC on 0300 100 0611.
Have your customer reference number and the P60s or payslips for the affected years.
Say which reason applies - taken too early, income below the annual threshold, wrong plan, or taken after the loan was cleared.
There's no time limit and no fee - never pay a "refund agent" to do this for you.

Annual thresholds this checker uses

Repayments only fall due on total annual income above your plan's threshold. Deductions in a year you stayed below it are reclaimable in full.

Plan	Annual threshold	Rate above it
Plan 1	£26,900	9%
Plan 2	£29,385	9%
Plan 4 (Scotland)	£33,795	9%
Plan 5	£25,000	9%
Postgraduate Loan	£21,000	6%

Thresholds change each April - for a past year's check, the SLC applies that year's threshold, which may differ from the figures above.

Saved checks

Check	Estimated refund

While you're checking - is anything else taking too much?

Tax code checker

Wrong codes overpay too

Tax refund calculator

PAYE overpayment estimate

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Student Loan Refund Checker by TaxFly — free UK tax calculators