When Is My Student Loan Written Off UK?

Your student loan doesn’t last forever. Here’s when it gets written off based on your loan type.

Write-Off Dates by Plan

Summary

Plan	Write-Off Period
Plan 1	25 years or age 65 (whichever first)
Plan 2	30 years
Plan 4	30 years (or age 65 for older borrowers)
Plan 5	40 years
Postgraduate	30 years

Detailed Rules

Plan	From When	Condition
Plan 1	April after leaving course	Earlier of 25 years or age 65
Plan 2	April after leaving course	30 years exactly
Plan 4	April after leaving course	30 years (or 65 if pre-2007)
Plan 5	April after leaving course	40 years exactly
Postgraduate	April after leaving course	30 years

Calculate Your Write-Off Date

Plan 2 Example

Your Details	Date
Course ended	July 2020
First April after	April 2021
Plus 30 years	April 2051
Write-off date	April 2051

Plan 1 Example

Your Details	Date
Course ended	July 2010
First April after	April 2011
Plus 25 years	April 2036
Or turn 65	Whichever first

Plan 5 Example

Your Details	Date
Course ended	July 2027
First April after	April 2028
Plus 40 years	April 2068
Write-off date	April 2068

Quick Reference Table

By Graduation Year (Plan 2)

Left Course	Write-Off Year
2015	2046
2016	2047
2017	2048
2018	2049
2019	2050
2020	2051
2021	2052
2022	2053
2023	2054

By Graduation Year (Plan 5)

Left Course	Write-Off Year
2027	2068
2028	2069
2029	2070
2030	2071

What Happens at Write-Off

The Process

Step	What Happens
Date reached	Automatic process
SLC notifies	You’re written to
Balance cancelled	Goes to £0
No action needed	From you

Tax Implications

Factor	Treatment
Write-off amount	Tax-free
Not income	Doesn’t count
No penalty	Not negative
Simply cancelled	Clean slate

Credit File Impact

Issue	Reality
Student loan	Not on credit file
Write-off	No negative impact
Future borrowing	Unaffected
Shown on SLC	Not credit agencies

Will You Repay Before Write-Off?

Who Typically Repays in Full

Plan	Typical Full Repayers
Plan 1	Many (lower balances)
Plan 2	High earners only
Plan 4	Many (lower fees)
Plan 5	Very high earners

Calculation Example

Your Situation	Numbers
Loan balance	£50,000
Annual repayment	£1,500
Years to repay	33 years
Write-off at	30 years
Will you repay?	No

Factors Affecting Repayment

Factor	Impact
Starting salary	Higher = repay more
Career progression	More increases = repay faster
Time in work	Gaps reduce payments
Years abroad	May not repay
Interest rate	Balance grows

Should You Overpay?

When Overpaying Makes Sense

Situation	Consider Overpaying
Will definitely repay	Before write-off
Very high earner	Will clear it anyway
Close to clearing	Small balance left
Plan 1	Often fully repaid

When NOT to Overpay

Situation	Don’t Overpay
Won’t clear before write-off	Wasted money
Plan 2 medium earner	Likely won’t clear
Plan 5	40 years = unlikely
Better uses	Pension, mortgage, saving

The Maths

If Your Loan	Will Be Written Off
You have	£40,000 remaining
At write-off	You’d have repaid £38,000
Overpaying £5,000	Means paying £43,000 vs £38,000
Wasted	£5,000

Interest and Balance Growth

How Balances Change

Factor	Effect
Interest accrues	Balance grows
Repayments	Reduce balance
Net effect	Often balance grows initially

Interest Rates by Plan

Plan	Interest Rate (2025/26)
Plan 1	Lower of RPI or BoE +1%
Plan 2	RPI to RPI +3%
Plan 4	Lower of RPI or BoE +1%
Plan 5	RPI only
Postgraduate	RPI to RPI +3%

Balance Growth Example

Year	Balance	Interest	Repayments	New Balance
1	£50,000	£3,000	£1,500	£51,500
5	£55,000	£3,300	£2,000	£56,300
10	£58,000	£3,500	£3,000	£58,500

Multiple Loans

If You Have Both Plans

Loans	Write-Off
Plan 2 + Postgraduate	Each has own write-off
Separate tracking	By SLC
Can differ	By years

Postgraduate Loan

Feature	Details
Separate loan	From undergraduate
30-year write-off	From April after course
Repaid concurrently	With undergraduate

Taking Breaks from Work

Impact on Write-Off

Action	Effect
Career break	Clock still ticks
Maternity leave	Write-off date unchanged
Unemployment	Same
Time abroad	Date unchanged

Impact on Repayments

Action	Effect
Below threshold	No repayments
Clock continues	Towards write-off
Balance may grow	With interest
May never repay	Works in your favour

Checking Your Status

How to Check

Method	Details
SLC account	Online
Balance shown	Current
Plan type	Confirmed
Repayment forecast	Estimated

What to Check

Item	Why
Current balance	Know where you stand
Plan type	Confirms write-off rules
Repayment history	All payments recorded
Interest rate	Current rate

Summary

Plan	Write-Off Period
Plan 1	25 years or age 65
Plan 2	30 years
Plan 4	30 years
Plan 5	40 years
Postgraduate	30 years

Key Points	Remember
Automatic	No action needed
Tax-free	Written off amount
Most don’t repay	In full (Plan 2/5)
Don’t overpay	If won’t clear anyway

Your Checklist	Status
Know your plan type	□
Calculated write-off date	□
Estimated if you’ll repay	□
Decided on overpaying	□