HECS / HELP Repayment Calculator

Take-home including HECS/HELP repayment · 2026–27 ATO rates

HECS-HELP · 2026–27

Threshold: $69,528.00 · Repayment on income above threshold only · Indexation applied on 1 June: 2.8%

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Super Rate

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Leave blank for the standard 12% Super Guarantee. This does not affect your HECS repayment income. Enter your rate if your agreement pays more.

Salary includes Super

Gross package includes superannuation

Medicare Exempt

e.g. certain visa holders

Salary Sacrifice to Super

Pre-tax super contribution

Current HECS Balance

Enter your balance from myGov to see payoff timeline

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*20% reduction applied June 2025. Use current myGov balance

Weekly

Before Tax

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After Tax

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Fortnightly

Before Tax

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After Tax

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Monthly *

Before Tax

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After Tax

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Annually

Before Tax

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After Tax

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* Monthly shown for reference only

Enter your salary to see your take-home pay after HECS

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Guides

All guidesAnnual salary to monthly payWeekly pay and taxHourly rate to salaryFortnightly payPay calculator guide 2026–27

How the marginal repayment system works

Your compulsory HECS/HELP repayment is worked out the way income tax is: you repay a percentage of the income above each threshold, not a percentage of your whole income. Crossing a threshold no longer causes a sudden jump in what you owe, because only the dollars above the line attract the higher rate.

What counts as repayment income

Repayment income is broader than taxable income. It adds back amounts such as reportable super contributions from salary sacrifice and reportable fringe benefits. This is why salary packaging can increase your HECS repayment even while it lowers your income tax; the calculator accounts for this when you turn those options on.

How long until the debt is cleared

Enter your loan balance and the calculator projects your balance year by year at your current income, so you can see roughly when the debt could be paid off.

What the projection does not know

The timeline is an orientation, not a schedule. It assumes your income stays where it is, that only compulsory repayments are made, and it grows the debt with an assumed indexation figure, because future indexation is announced year by year and nobody knows it in advance. Any of those three assumptions can move your real payoff date in either direction.

The authoritative version of your balance lives with the tax office, not here. This tab is for the question the official balance page does not answer: what the debt does to each pay along the way, and roughly how long the arrangement lasts if life stays as it is. Voluntary extra repayments, pauses in work and overseas income rules all sit outside it.

Open the pay calculator

Rates last checked against official sources on 15 August 2026. How we check the numbers

Frequently Asked Questions

When do HECS repayments start?

Repayments begin when income exceeds $67,000 (2025–26) or $69,528 (2026–27). Below the threshold, no repayment is required regardless of debt balance.

How does the marginal repayment system work?

From 2025–26, you only pay on income above the threshold, not your entire income. On $80,000 (2025–26): 15% of ($80,000 − $67,000) = $1,950/yr. Far less than the old system.

What was the 20% HECS debt reduction?

All HECS-HELP balances were automatically cut by 20% as at 1 June 2025. A $30,000 debt became $24,000. No action was required. The ATO processed it automatically.

Does salary sacrifice reduce HECS repayments?

No. Reportable super contributions are added back to repayment income. Salary sacrifice does not reduce your HECS obligation.

What are the 2026–27 income tax rates?

0% up to $18,200 · 15% on $18,201–$45,000 (reduced from 16%) · 30% on $45,001–$135,000 · 37% on $135,001–$190,000 · 45% above $190,000. Plus 2% Medicare Levy.

What is the Low Income Tax Offset (LITO)?

LITO provides up to $700 tax reduction for earners under $37,500, phasing out by $66,667. Applied automatically. No claim required.

What is PAYG withholding?

Your employer deducts estimated tax each pay cycle. The ATO reconciles the total when you lodge your tax return, resulting in a refund or bill.

What is the $1,000 instant tax deduction?

From 2026–27, workers can claim a $1,000 standard deduction without keeping receipts. It reduces taxable income when lodging your tax return.