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Plan 2 student loan, pay it off or not

8 replies

RipTurkeytwizzlers · 23/10/2026 12:46

Usually it's a fairly obvious choice not to pay off student loan before you need to, but I'm wondering whether in my case it makes sense to. Obviously no-one can know the future so I can never be certain if it's a good idea. But in my circumstances I'm curious to see what others would do.
I'm mid 30s only went to uni for 1 year so my outstanding balance is only £12.5k. I'm on around £45k a year.
Selling my house and will have around £150k. Planning on putting some of this into premium bonds and ISA until I'm ready to buy again but living with my partner in their house for probably at least a year and will either buy another property on my own or we will buy together. I can afford. I will only need around £115k for house deposit in order to get to 60% ltv for the kind of house I want.
So I could in theory pay off the full £12.5k and then I won't lose around £120 out of my salary each month, about half of this is just covering the interest anyway. I'm able to save around £1k a month living with my partner anyway and the interest rates even capped at 6% I think currently beat savings rates.
So in these circumstances would you pay the student loan off in full?

OP posts:
Boreded · 23/10/2026 16:56

Pay it off. It will cost you a fortune in the long run if you don’t

Boreded · 23/10/2026 16:57

Boreded · 23/10/2026 16:56

Pay it off. It will cost you a fortune in the long run if you don’t

Or, make regular overpayments to it as you go if you don’t pay it off. That’s what I did with mine, I’m now doing the same with my son’s (he just started) and then my mortgage when I finish that

Move22 · 23/10/2026 17:07

What’s your career plans eg family planning, time off, part time later? - this may bring down your SL repayments and hence I’d hold off repaying it if this is the case.

RipTurkeytwizzlers · 23/10/2026 17:32

Move22 · 23/10/2026 17:07

What’s your career plans eg family planning, time off, part time later? - this may bring down your SL repayments and hence I’d hold off repaying it if this is the case.

Don't think I'll be having children planning to work full time until I can afford not to, but obviously don't always get a choice in that if I have to due to I'll health but no active plans to reduce working

OP posts:
MumofCandR · 23/10/2026 18:12

I would pay it off then build up savings by the same amount in the next year. Just for peace of mind

RipTurkeytwizzlers · 23/10/2026 18:14

MumofCandR · 23/10/2026 18:12

I would pay it off then build up savings by the same amount in the next year. Just for peace of mind

That's what I was thinking basically but didn't know if I was being sensible or a bit stupid haha

OP posts:
Bjorkdidit · 23/10/2026 18:20

What is the current interest rate? As you're a 'middle earner' is not earning a high salary that would mean you pay it off very quickly but not such a low earner that a significant amount would be written off it sounds like you'd be sensible to pay it off, especially as you'd be using genuinely spare money and you're expecting to work full time in the short to medium term.

RipTurkeytwizzlers · 23/10/2026 18:32

Bjorkdidit · 23/10/2026 18:20

What is the current interest rate? As you're a 'middle earner' is not earning a high salary that would mean you pay it off very quickly but not such a low earner that a significant amount would be written off it sounds like you'd be sensible to pay it off, especially as you'd be using genuinely spare money and you're expecting to work full time in the short to medium term.

I think it's capped around 6% at the moment but it's rpi +3% so the rate changes, but it's never a good rate. If I kept paying it out of wages I think I'd pay it off before it got written off but not for donkeys years and the interest rate situation is ridiculous. If I'd gone to uni for the full 3 years it wouldn't be something I'd consider either because there would be no way I'd pay it off before it got written off

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