Loading calculator…
Calculate how long it will take to repay your HELP/HECS loan
For 2026–27 compulsory repayments start once your repayment income passes $69,528. On $80,000 that is $1,571 a year ($60 a fortnight); on $150,000 it is $12,476 a year, or 8.3% of income. The repayment is worked out on your income, not your balance — so the question the projection below answers is how long your balance takes to clear at that rate.
Repayment income includes taxable income, reportable fringe benefits, net investment losses and reportable super contributions.
Your HELP/HECS repayment projection
Typically around 2-4% per year, based on CPI
Your expected annual wage growth
The ATO indexes the repayment thresholds every year, in line with average earnings, so this projection indexes them too. It follows your wage-growth figure above by default, which holds your position relative to the threshold steady. Set it lower if you expect promotions to outrun average earnings. For reference, the last published move was $67,000 to $69,528, or 3.8%.
Your compulsory repayment is worked out from your repayment income (your taxable income plus a few add-backs), not your debt balance. Below the first threshold you repay nothing; above it, the rate steps up as your income rises.
| Repayment income | Compulsory repayment |
|---|---|
| Below $69,528 | Nil — no compulsory repayment |
| $69,528 – $129,717 | 15% of income above $69,528 |
| $129,717 – $186,050 | $9,028 + 17% of income above $129,717 |
| Over $186,050 | 10% of your total repayment income |
On $80,000
15% of the $10,472 above $69,528 = $1,571 a year (about $60 a fortnight).
On $150,000
$9,028 plus 17% of the $20,283 above $129,717 = $12,476 a year.
Thresholds are indexed each year, in line with average earnings — and the projection above indexes them too, following your wage-growth assumption by default. The last published move was $67,000 to $69,528, or 3.8%. A projection that froze them instead would push every borrower into the top band eventually and overstate what they repay. Enter your own income above to see your exact repayment and how long your debt takes to clear.
HELP and HECS are study loan programs where the government pays your tuition fees upfront and you repay through the tax system once you earn above the minimum threshold.
Your debt is indexed each year on 1 June to maintain its real value. The indexation rate is the lower of CPI or the Wage Price Index (from 2023). Repayments are a percentage of your repayment income, not your debt balance.
Rates checked against the ATO — verified 18 August 2026
Estimates only. Not financial or tax advice. Full disclaimer for your rights and our limitations of liability.
Rates and thresholds last updated for the 2026–27 financial year.
This calculator exists to show you the arithmetic. It applies published Australian rates, thresholds and formulas to the numbers you enter and shows the working, so you can check it. That is all it does — it produces a number and describes what the number is. It does not recommend anything and it holds no opinion about any financial product.
What can move this result
Why these default assumptions are reasonable
This calculator is not intended to be relied on for the purposes of making a decision in relation to a financial product. Before you make a financial decision, consider obtaining advice from someone who holds an Australian Financial Services Licence. We do not, and we cannot advise you.