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Free calculator 2026–27 rates

HECS-HELP repayment calculator for teachers

See your compulsory HELP repayment on a teacher salary under the 2026–27 marginal system, how many years until your debt is gone, and what extra payments save.

⚙Your details

$

Check myGov (ATO) for your balance. The 20% cut is already in it.

Salary

100%
3%
2.8% (1 June 2026)
$

Paid from after-tax money. Make them before 1 June to beat that year's indexation.

Compulsory HELP repayment this year

$3,503

$135 a fortnight on $92,882 · 3.8% of your income

Per fortnight

$135

Withheld through payroll

Years to repay

6

Paid off in the year to June 2032

Total repaid

$34.6k

Including $2,602 of indexation

Take-home cost

$135

Less pay per fortnight this year

HELP balance at the end of each year

  • Balance after repayments and indexation

$29.3k

Year to 30 JuneIncomeCompulsoryVoluntaryIndexationBalance after
2027$92,882$3,503$0$798$29,295
2028$102,886$4,712$0$688$25,272
2029$110,499$5,553$0$552$20,270
2030$118,475$6,441$0$387$14,216
2031$130,528$7,932$0$176$6,460
2032$144,557$6,460$0$0$0

How the 2026–27 system works

Since 1 July 2025 HELP repayments are marginal: you repay nothing on income up to $69,528, then 15 cents in each dollar above it, rising to 17 cents above $129,717. Above $186,051 it switches to 10% of your whole income. Repayment income includes reportable super contributions (salary sacrifice) and reportable fringe benefits, so packaging doesn't lower it.

The government's 20% cut to HELP balances (as at 1 June 2025) was applied automatically by the ATO from November 2025; your myGov balance already includes it. Teaching in a very remote school for 4 years can wipe your teaching-degree HELP debt and stop indexation while you're there: very remote teacher HELP reduction.

Uses the 2026–27 marginal repayment rule. Future thresholds are assumed to rise with indexation (2.8%), and indexation is applied to the balance left after each year's repayments (the ATO applies it on 1 June). Repayments are worked out at tax time, so a payroll-withheld amount can differ slightly. Pay data: Crown Employees (Teachers in Schools and Related Employees) Salaries and Conditions Award 2024, verified 16 October 2026.

In short

Under the 2026–27 marginal system, a teacher repays nothing on income up to $69,528, then 15 cents of each dollar above it. A NSW graduate on $92,882 repays about $3,503 a year (around $135 a fortnight), and a teacher at the top NSW step ($133,422) repays about $9,658. A $30,000 debt is typically gone in about six years.

How to use the hecs-help repayment calculator

  1. 1

    Enter your HELP balance

    Use the balance from your myGov account (linked to the ATO). It already includes the 20% cut applied to balances as at 1 June 2025.

  2. 2

    Pick your state and step

    The calculator uses your salary and moves you up your state's scale each year, so repayments rise as you progress.

  3. 3

    Add salary sacrifice or other income

    Repayment income includes reportable super contributions and fringe benefits, so add salary sacrifice and any packaged amounts.

  4. 4

    Try extra payments

    Enter a voluntary repayment to see how many years and how much indexation it saves.

How HELP repayments work in 2026–27

Since 2025–26, compulsory HELP repayments use a marginal system: you only repay on income above the threshold, not on your whole income. This replaced the old system, where crossing a threshold triggered a repayment on every dollar.

Compulsory HELP repayment thresholds, 2026–27
Repayment incomeCompulsory repayment
$0 – $69,528Nil
$69,529 – $129,71715c for each $1 over $69,528
$129,718 – $186,050$9,028 plus 17c for each $1 over $129,717
$186,051 and over10% of total repayment income

Source: ATO study and training support loan thresholds, 2026–27. One set of thresholds applies to HELP, VSL, SFSS, SSL and the other study loans.

Repayment income is your taxable income plus reportable fringe benefits, reportable super contributions (such as salary sacrifice), net investment losses and exempt foreign employment income. That's why salary sacrificing into super doesn't cut your HELP repayment, and why packaged benefits at a Catholic or independent school still count towards it.

Compulsory HELP repayment on the NSW scale (from October 2026), 2026–27
StepSalaryYearly repaymentPer fortnight (approx.)
Step 1$92,882$3,503$135
Step 2$99,889$4,554$175
Step 3$104,156$5,194$200
Step 5$115,972$6,967$268
Step 7$133,422$9,658$371

Site tax engine. Assumes no other income, fringe benefits or salary sacrifice.

How long until the debt is gone?

Your balance is indexed on 1 June each year by the lower of CPI and wage growth. The rate applied on 1 June 2026 was 2.8%. Compulsory repayments are worked out when you lodge your tax return, though your employer withholds an estimate from each pay.

Worked example

A $30,000 HELP debt on the NSW scale

Starting balance
$30,000
Year 1 repayment (Step 1)
$3,503
Year 3 repayment (Step 3)
$5,194
Year 6 repayment (Step 6, final balance)
about $6,364
Total repaid, including indexation
about $32,416
Debt repaid in about 6 years

Assumes 2.8% indexation every year, today's NSW pay scale and a graduate who progresses on time. A $45,000 balance takes about 8 years on the same path.

Ways teachers can reduce HELP debt

  • The 20% cut has already been applied. The government cut HELP balances as at 1 June 2025 by 20% from November 2025. You didn't need to apply.
  • Very remote teaching. Teachers who teach for four years full-time (within six years) in a very remote area can have part of their HELP debt reduced, and indexation is waived while they teach there. See HECS debt relief for remote teachers.
  • NT recruitment: the NT reimburses up to $3,000 of HELP debt for new recruits.
  • Lower repayment income. Going part-time lowers your compulsory repayment sharply under the marginal system. At 0.6 FTE on NSW Step 7 it falls to about $1,579.

What this calculator doesn't include

It doesn't model future pay rises, changes to indexation or thresholds, or debts other than HELP-type study loans. Thresholds are indexed each year. Your exact balance and compulsory repayment are in your myGov ATO account. For the broader picture, read HECS-HELP for teachers, or check what HELP means for your mortgage with the borrowing power calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How much HECS will I repay on a teacher's salary?
On a graduate salary of $92,882, about $3,503 a year in 2026–27. At $133,422 (the top NSW step) it's about $9,658. You repay 15 cents of each dollar above $69,528, and 17 cents above $129,717.
What is the HECS repayment threshold for 2026–27?
$69,528 of repayment income. Below it you make no compulsory repayment; above it you repay 15 cents of each extra dollar up to $129,717.
Was my HECS debt cut by 20%?
Yes, if you had a balance on 1 June 2025. The 20% reduction became law on 2 August 2025 and the ATO applied it from November 2025. You didn't need to do anything.
What was HECS indexation in 2026?
2.8%, applied on 1 June 2026. Indexation is now the lower of CPI and the Wage Price Index.
Does salary sacrifice reduce my HECS repayment?
No. Salary-sacrificed super counts as a reportable super contribution, which is added back to your repayment income. It lowers your income tax but not your HELP repayment.
Can teachers get their HECS debt wiped?
Partly, if they teach in a very remote area. After four years of full-time teaching within six years in an eligible very remote location, you can apply for a reduction, and indexation is waived while you're teaching there.
Should I pay off my HECS early?
Only if you have spare cash and no higher-interest debt. HELP has no interest, only indexation (2.8% in 2026), so paying down a mortgage or other loan usually saves more. If you do pay extra, pay in time to beat the 1 June indexation (the 2026 cut-off was 26 May).

Guides that go with this tool

HECS-HELP

HECS-HELP debt for teachers: what you'll repay in 2026–27

What teachers repay on HECS-HELP at each step in 2026–27, plus indexation, the 20% cut and remote relief.

HELP debt

HECS-HELP debt relief for teachers in very remote Australia

Who qualifies for the Commonwealth's Very Remote HELP debt reduction, how much is wiped, and the state schemes that add to it.