Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates only and should not be considered financial or tax advice. HELP repayment thresholds are set by the ATO and indexed annually. CPI indexation is estimated at 3.5% per year — actual CPI varies. Always check your current balance and repayment rate via your myGov account. Evercend Pty Limited does not hold an Australian Financial Services Licence.
HELP / HECS repayment calculator inputs and results
Your HELP debt
Check your current balance at myGov under the ATO section.
Income
Used to project years to repay. Adjust to match your career expectations.
Enter your HELP balance to begin
Enter your current debt balance and income to calculate your repayment rate, annual amount, and projected years to clear your HELP debt.
HECS and study loan repayments in Australia
This calculator estimates the compulsory repayment on an Australian study and training support loan for the 2026-27 income year. Study and training support loans include HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET Student Loans and similar loans. From the 2025-26 income year the Australian Taxation Office works out compulsory repayments using a marginal method, so the repayment applies only to the part of repayment income above the minimum threshold, not to the whole income. Enter a repayment income figure to see the estimated compulsory repayment for the year.
How to use this calculator
Enter repayment income
Enter the expected repayment income for the 2026-27 income year. Repayment income is broader than taxable income, and the section below sets out what is added back.
Read the repayment estimate
The calculator applies the 2026-27 marginal bands and returns the estimated compulsory repayment for the year.
Compare with withholding
Compare the result with the amounts withheld through the year. Employer withholding and the final compulsory repayment are reconciled when the tax return is assessed.
How this calculator works
The compulsory repayment is set by repayment income, not by the size of the loan balance. A larger balance does not increase the repayment. A higher repayment income does. From the 2025-26 income year the ATO uses marginal rates. Repayment income up to $69,528 attracts no compulsory repayment for 2026-27. Above that, a rate applies only to the income within each band, in the same way income tax brackets work. Repayment income is taxable income plus several add-backs, so arrangements that lower taxable income do not always lower repayment income. Reportable super contributions, reportable fringe benefits, total net investment loss including net rental losses, and exempt foreign employment income are added back. Assessable First Home Super Saver released amounts are excluded. The compulsory repayment is calculated when the tax return is lodged and is applied to the loan as a lump sum once the return is processed. Amounts an employer withholds through PAYG are held by the ATO and are not applied to the loan until then. The loan does not carry interest. On 1 June each year the ATO indexes the part of the loan that has been unpaid for more than 11 months, by the lower of the Consumer Price Index or the Wage Price Index.
Assumptions used
Figures are for the 2026-27 income year and use the study and training loan thresholds and rates. The estimate is the compulsory repayment only. It does not model the loan balance, indexation on the balance, or any voluntary repayments. The result assumes the figure entered is repayment income for the full year. Part-year and multiple-job situations can change the amount withheld through the year.
Worked example
Assume a repayment income of $90,000 for the 2026-27 income year.
$90,000 falls in the $69,529 to $129,717 band, so the rate is 15c for each $1 over $69,528. Income above the threshold is $90,000 minus $69,528, which is $20,472. The compulsory repayment is 15% of $20,472.
The estimated compulsory repayment for the year is $3,070.80. This is an example only and is not a prediction for any individual.
What changes your HELP or HECS repayment
Several things change your compulsory HELP or HECS repayment amount. The main ones are:
Repayment income band
Which of the four 2026-27 bands the income falls into sets the rate that applies.
Add-backs to income
Reportable super contributions, reportable fringe benefits, net investment and rental losses, and exempt foreign employment income are added to taxable income to reach repayment income.
Loan balance timing
The compulsory repayment reduces the loan only after the tax return is processed, not each payday.
Voluntary repayments
These reduce the balance and can reduce future indexation, but they are in addition to the compulsory repayment and do not lower it for the year.
Multiple income sources
If income comes from more than one job, or from business or investment income, amounts withheld through the year may not match the final compulsory repayment.
Rates and assumptions used
| Item | Value used | Source |
|---|---|---|
| $0 to $69,528 | Nil | ATO, Study and training support loans rates and repayment thresholds |
| $69,529 to $129,717 | 15c for each $1 over $69,528 | ATO, Study and training support loans rates and repayment thresholds |
| $129,718 to $186,050 | $9,028 plus 17c for each $1 over $129,717 | ATO, Study and training support loans rates and repayment thresholds |
| $186,051 and over | 10% of total repayment income | ATO, Study and training support loans rates and repayment thresholds |
Figures checked against the sources above on 10 August 2026.
Frequently asked questions
For the 2026-27 income year there is no compulsory repayment where repayment income is $69,528 or less. Voluntary repayments can still be made at any time.
Related calculators and guides
Sources
- •ATO, Study and training loan repayment thresholds and rates
- •ATO, Compulsory repayments
- •ATO, Voluntary repayments
- •ATO, Study and training loan indexation rates
- •ATO, Study and training loans what's new
- •ATO, Tell your employer about your study or training loan
Content reviewed and figures checked against the sources above on 10 August 2026.