HECS Repayment Calculator: What You'll Repay in 2026–27
Your compulsory HELP repayment is set by your repayment income — which is more than your salary. Enter your numbers to see this year's repayment on the published 2026–27 bands, and what salary packaging really does to it. For "when will it be paid off?", use the payoff calculator.
This year's repayment (2026–27)
Compulsory repayment
—
Repayment income
—
salary ± add-backs, see below
Effective rate
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of repayment income
| 2026–27 band | Repayment income | You pay |
|---|---|---|
| Below threshold | up to $69,528 | nil |
| 15% band | $69,529 – $129,717 | 15c per $1 over $69,528 |
| 17% band | $129,718 – $186,050 | $9,028 + 17c per $1 over $129,717 |
| 10% cap | $186,051 + | a flat 10% of your total repayment income |
The highlighted row is where your repayment income lands. The repayment is credited when your return is assessed — the extra tax withheld each fortnight is a prepayment toward it, not a fortnightly loan payment.
How it's calculated
- Repayment income = taxable income (salary minus what you package) + the grossed-up reportable fringe benefits amount (what you package × 1.8868) + reportable super contributions + net investment losses.
- The 2026–27 bands are the published ATO table shown above; from $186,051 the flat 10% of total repayment income applies (it's lower than the marginal formula from that point).
- Salary packaging raises this number. Packaging $9,010 removes $9,010 from taxable income but adds back $17,000 of grossed-up RFBA — repayment income rises by about $7,990. Packaging is usually still worth it overall (the tax saving is bigger); see the salary packaging calculator for the honest net benefit.
FAQ
Does salary packaging reduce my HECS repayment?
No — for standard public-hospital (FBT-exempt) packaging it increases it. Packaging lowers your taxable income by the cash amount, but the grossed-up RFBA (1.8868×) is added back for repayment income, a net rise of about $0.89 per $1 packaged. The rare exceptions are non-reportable exempt items (e.g. a work laptop) or keeping total benefits under the $2,000 taxable-value reporting threshold — neither applies to the standard caps.
Why is my payslip deduction different from this number?
Employers withhold an estimate each pay based on that pay's earnings; the true repayment is computed on your full-year repayment income at assessment. Big overtime swings, second jobs or packaging make the withholding drift from the real figure — which is where end-of-year bills come from.
Is this the same as the take-home calculators' HECS line?
Yes — the take-home pay calculators apply this same repayment-income logic (including the packaging add-back) inside a full tax calculation. Use them to see your net pay; use this page to isolate and understand the HECS line itself.
Sources & methodology
- ATO — study and training support loans: rates and repayment thresholds
- ATO — study and training support loan repayment income (taxable income + RFBA + reportable super + net investment losses)
- ATO — reportable fringe benefits amount (the 1.8868 gross-up)
- Estimates only — your assessment is definitive. For how the whole system works, see HECS for junior doctors and HECS for nurses.