What is the HECS repayment threshold for 2026-27?

For the 2026-27 income year the minimum repayment threshold is $69,528. You make no compulsory repayment if your repayment income is at or below that amount.

How is the HECS repayment calculated in 2026-27?

From the 2025-26 income year the ATO uses marginal rates, so the repayment applies only to income above the threshold. For 2026-27: nil up to $69,528; 15c per dollar between $69,529 and $129,717; $9,028 plus 17c per dollar between $129,718 and $186,050; and from $186,051 a flat 10% of total repayment income.

What is repayment income?

Repayment income is broader than taxable income. It is taxable income excluding assessable First Home Super Saver released amounts, plus reportable fringe benefits, total net investment loss including net rental losses, reportable super contributions, and exempt foreign employment income.

What is the HECS indexation rate for 2026?

Indexation of 2.8% was applied on 1 June 2026. Indexation is the lower of CPI or WPI and applies only to the part of the loan that has been unpaid for more than 11 months.

Does the 20% student debt reduction still apply?

No. The one-off 20% reduction was a historical event. It applied to balances as at 1 June 2025 and was legislated on 2 August 2025. It has already been applied to loan balances and is not applied again to future repayments.

HECS-HELP Repayment Calculator 2026-27

Your income

Enter your income below. The result updates as you type — nothing is sent anywhere.

Taxable income for 2026–27

Your income before tax, excluding any First Home Super Saver amount released to you.

Add other amounts that count towards repayment income

Repayment income is broader than taxable income. Leave these at zero if they don’t apply to you.

Reportable fringe benefits

Reportable super contributions

Total net investment loss (including net rental losses)

Exempt foreign employment income

2026–27 repayment rates

Published by the ATO. Applies from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2027.

Repayment thresholds and rates for the 2026-27 income year
Repayment income	Repayment
$0 – $69,528	Nil
$69,529 – $129,717	15c per $1 over $69,528
$129,718 – $186,050	$9,028 + 17c per $1 over $129,717
$186,051 and over	10% of total repayment income

Assumptions

Every assumption this calculator makes, stated in full.

Figures are for the 2026–27 income year (1 July 2026 – 30 June 2027).
Your loan balance is assumed to be larger than the calculated repayment. If your remaining balance is smaller, you only repay what is left.
The result is the compulsory annual repayment raised on assessment. It does not model PAYG amounts withheld from each pay, which your employer calculates separately and which are reconciled at tax time.
Monthly and fortnightly figures are the annual amount divided by 12 and 26. They are for budgeting only.
Indexation is not included in the repayment figure. Indexation of 2.8% was applied on 1 June 2026 to the part of a loan unpaid for more than 11 months, and changes your balance, not your compulsory repayment.
The one-off 20% debt reduction applied to balances as at 1 June 2025 and is already reflected in current balances. It is not applied again here.
All study and training loan types (HELP, VSL, SFSS, SSL, ABSTUDY SSL, AASL) share these thresholds and rates.

This is a generic calculator, not financial advice. It does not take your personal circumstances into account and does not recommend any financial product. Figures are estimates. For your actual position, check your ATO account via myGov or speak to a registered tax agent.

How HECS-HELP repayments work in 2026–27

If you have a HECS-HELP or other study and training support loan, the ATO raises a compulsory repayment once your repayment income passes the minimum threshold. For 2026–27 that threshold is $69,528.

Marginal rates replaced the old system

Before 2025–26, a single percentage was applied to your whole repayment income. Crossing a threshold by one dollar could increase your repayment by hundreds. From the 2025–26 income year the ATO calculates the repayment only on income above the threshold, in the same marginal way income tax works.

Repayment income is not the same as taxable income

This is the most common mistake. Repayment income is your taxable income (excluding any assessable First Home Super Saver released amount) plus reportable fringe benefits, total net investment loss including net rental losses, reportable super contributions, and exempt foreign employment income. Salary sacrificing into super does not reduce your repayment income — the sacrificed amount is added back.

Indexation

On 1 June each year the ATO indexes the part of your loan that has been unpaid for more than 11 months. Indexation is the lower of CPI or WPI, a cap introduced by amendments passed in November 2024. The rate applied on 1 June 2026 was 2.8%, the lowest since 2021.

The one-off 20% reduction

The Universities Accord (Cutting Student Debt by 20 Per Cent) Bill 2025 became law on 2 August 2025. It cut 20% from outstanding balances as at 1 June 2025, before indexation, and the 1 June 2025 indexation was then recalculated on the reduced balance. This has already happened. It is a past adjustment to your balance, not an ongoing discount.

Common questions

Do I repay anything if I earn under $69,528?

No. There is no compulsory repayment at or below the minimum threshold. You can still make voluntary repayments at any time.

Does my employer withholding equal my repayment?

Not exactly. Your employer withholds an estimated amount each pay based on your declared loan. The actual compulsory repayment is calculated on assessment, and any difference is settled in your tax return.

Which loans do these rates cover?

HELP, VET Student Loan, SFSS, Student Start-up Loan, ABSTUDY SSL and the Australian Apprenticeship Support Loan all share one set of thresholds. Where you hold several, repayments are applied in that order.