About the HECS-HELP Repayment Calculator
This HECS-HELP repayment calculator works out the compulsory repayment the ATO will raise on your HELP debt through your tax return, based on your repayment income. It uses the marginal repayment system that started in the 2025-26 income year, with the indexed 2026-27 thresholds as the default: nothing is repaid on repayment income up to $69,528, then 15 cents per dollar above $69,528, 17 cents per dollar above $129,717, and a flat 10% of total income once you earn more than about $186,050. You can switch to the 2025-26 thresholds set in the legislation ($67,000, $125,000 and $179,285) or to the old 2024-25 percentage-of-income table to check an earlier assessment.
It is built for graduates and working students with HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET Student Loans or other HELP debts who want to know how much will be taken each year and how long the debt will last. Enter your balance, the indexation rate and your expected pay rises to see a year-by-year projection of the balance, and test whether voluntary repayments are worth it.
The projection is an estimate with three simplifying assumptions: the thresholds are indexed every 1 July by average weekly earnings, but the calculator grows them at the indexation rate you enter; your income grows at the pay rise you enter; and indexation (2.8% on 1 June 2026) is applied to the balance after each year’s repayment. Repayment income includes taxable income plus reportable fringe benefits, net investment losses, reportable super contributions and exempt foreign income.
With the default inputs, the compulsory repayment this year is A$3,070.80. Change any value above to recalculate instantly.
How to use the hecs-help repayment calculator
- 1Enter your expected repayment income for the year (not just salary — include reportable fringe benefits and super).
- 2Enter your current HELP balance from myGov (ATO online services).
- 3Choose the income year rules — 2026-27 for the current indexed thresholds.
- 4Set the indexation rate and your expected yearly pay rise.
- 5Add any voluntary repayments to see how much sooner the debt is cleared.
Formula and method
Since the 2025-26 income year the compulsory HELP repayment is marginal: you only repay 15 cents per dollar of repayment income above the minimum repayment income and 17 cents per dollar above the second threshold, and the total can never exceed 10% of your whole repayment income. For 2026-27 the thresholds are $69,528 and $129,717, so the 10% cap takes over from about $186,050; for 2025-26 they were $67,000 and $125,000, with the cap from $179,285. The 2024-25 option applies the old table, where a single percentage (1% to 10%) is applied to your entire repayment income once you pass $54,435.
For the multi-year projection, each year the compulsory amount plus any voluntary repayment is subtracted from the balance, then the remaining balance is indexed at the rate you enter. By law the thresholds are indexed each 1 July by average weekly earnings; as a simplification the calculator grows them at the indexation rate you enter, while your income grows at your expected pay rise, so faster pay growth means a larger share of income is repaid over time.
- R
- Compulsory repayment for the income year
- I
- Repayment income
- B
- HELP balance, indexed each year by the indexation rate
Worked examples
A$90,000 income, A$30,000 debt (2026-27)
Income of A$90,000 is A$20,472 above the A$69,528 threshold, so the repayment is 15% × A$20,472 = A$3,070.80, or 3.41% of income (about A$118 a fortnight). With 3% pay rises and 2.8% indexation the balance is cleared in the tenth year.
A$150,000 income (2026-27)
The A$60,189 between A$69,528 and A$129,717 is repaid at 15% (A$9,028.35), and the next A$20,283 at 17% adds A$3,448.11. The compulsory repayment is A$12,476.46, about 8.3% of income and below the 10% cap of A$15,000.
Same A$90,000 under 2025-26 thresholds
With the un-indexed 2025-26 threshold of A$67,000, the same income is A$23,000 over the threshold: 15% × A$23,000 = A$3,450 — A$379.20 more than under the indexed 2026-27 thresholds.
Same A$90,000 under 2024-25 rules
Under the old system A$90,000 fell in the A$89,155–A$94,503 band, where 5% applies to the whole income: 5% × A$90,000 = A$4,500 — about A$1,430 more than the 2026-27 marginal system charges.
Frequently asked questions
What is the HECS-HELP repayment threshold for 2026-27?+
For the 2026-27 income year, no compulsory repayment is required if your repayment income is A$69,528 or less. Above that you repay 15 cents for each dollar over A$69,528, rising to 17 cents above A$129,717, capped at 10% of total repayment income. In 2025-26 the thresholds were A$67,000 and A$125,000.
How does the new marginal HELP repayment system work?+
Instead of applying a percentage to your whole income, the marginal system (from 2025-26) only charges a repayment on income above the threshold. That removes the old cliff where earning one dollar more could add hundreds of dollars to your repayment.
What is HELP indexation and when is it applied?+
Indexation adjusts your HELP debt for inflation every 1 June. Since 2023 the rate is the lower of CPI and the Wage Price Index; it was 3.2% in 2025 and 2.8% on 1 June 2026. HELP debts do not charge real interest beyond indexation.
Should I make voluntary HELP repayments?+
Voluntary repayments reduce the balance before indexation, which saves the indexation on that amount. But because HELP only grows with inflation, paying down higher-interest debt or building savings first is often better value.
Was the 20% HECS debt cut applied?+
Legislation passed in 2025 reduced HELP debts by 20%, applied to balances as at 1 June 2025. The ATO applied the reduction automatically, so check your updated balance in myGov before using this calculator.
Is my HELP repayment taken from every pay?+
If you tell your employer you have a study loan, extra tax is withheld each pay using ATO tables. The actual compulsory repayment is worked out on your tax return, and any difference is added to or refunded from your tax bill.
Tax results are estimates based on published rules and simplified assumptions. They are not tax advice — check official guidance or a tax professional for your situation.