Maintenance Loan Calculator: How Much Will You Get in 2026/27?

Enter where you will live during term time and your household income, and this calculator estimates your Maintenance Loan for the 2026/27 academic year under Student Finance England. The Maintenance Loan is the part of student finance that helps with living costs — rent, food, travel and course materials — and it is means-tested: the maximum goes to students from households earning £25,000 or less, and the loan reduces on a sliding scale as household income rises, down to a guaranteed minimum that every eligible full-time undergraduate receives. Knowing your likely figure early matters, because the gap between the maximum and the minimum is thousands of pounds a year, and students who only discover their real entitlement in September have very little time to close that gap with bursaries, part-time work or a cheaper room.

How this maintenance loan calculator works

The calculator uses the published Student Finance England figures for 2026/27, for full-time undergraduates. The maximum loans are £9,118 a year if you live at home with your parents, £10,830 if you live away from home outside London, and £14,135 if you live away from home in London. Households with an income of £25,000 or less receive the full maximum. Above £25,000 the loan reduces on a straight-line scale until it reaches the guaranteed minimum: £4,013 at home (reached at a household income of £58,347), £5,048 away outside London (reached at £62,410) and £7,039 in London (reached at £70,131). Beyond those incomes the loan stays at the minimum — it never falls to zero. This calculator applies that same published scale: maximum at £25,000, minimum at the published cut-off income, and a straight-line reduction between the two points, which reproduces the published entitlement figures (for example, a student living away outside London with a household income of £40,000 is entitled to £8,512). Two simplifications to know about. First, this version covers England only: Student Finance Wales, Student Finance NI and SAAS in Scotland run different systems with different maximums — Wales, for example, splits support between a loan and a grant — so if you are funded by one of them, use their official calculators instead. Second, it uses the standard rates for students in the first years of a course; the maximum for your final year is slightly lower, because that year runs shorter.

The result is shown per year and as an approximate per-term figure, because the loan is paid into your bank account in three instalments, one near the start of each term. Household income usually means your parents' combined income if you are under 25 and dependent; if you are 25 or over, live with a partner, or support yourself, different household rules apply, and the official assessment works through your own circumstances. Nothing you type here is stored or sent anywhere — the calculation runs entirely in your browser.

Where will you live during term time?

Household income (£ per year, before tax) — usually your parents' combined income

Use this estimate responsibly

This is an estimate built from published rates, not a decision about your funding, and it is not financial advice. Your official entitlement is worked out by Student Finance England from your actual application, and it can differ from any calculator's figure if your circumstances are unusual — for example if you are an independent student, if your household income has dropped by 15% or more since the assessment year (you can ask for a current-year assessment), if you receive certain benefits, or if you are a care leaver, who from 2026/27 can choose the maximum loan without household income being used for the loan calculation. Extra support also exists outside this calculator: Disabled Students' Allowance, dependants' grants, university bursaries and scholarships, and NHS funding for some health courses. Always confirm your figure through the official GOV.UK student finance calculator and your Student Finance account before you sign a tenancy or turn down other funding. And remember the other side of the loan: a bigger Maintenance Loan means a bigger balance to repay later — though repayments only ever come out of earnings above your plan's threshold, and any balance left at the end of the repayment term is written off.

Frequently asked questions

How much Maintenance Loan will I get on a household income of £40,000? It depends where you live. In 2026/27, living away from home outside London, the published entitlement at £40,000 is £8,512 a year. In London the same income gives a higher figure, because both the maximum and the cut-off are higher; living at home gives a lower one. Enter your own situation above for your number.

What household income gets the maximum Maintenance Loan? £25,000 or less. At or below that level, eligible full-time undergraduates in England receive the full maximum for their living situation: £9,118 at home, £10,830 away outside London, or £14,135 in London for 2026/27.

Is there a minimum Maintenance Loan everyone gets? Yes. No matter how high the household income, every eligible full-time undergraduate can borrow at least the minimum: £4,013 living at home, £5,048 living away outside London, and £7,039 living away in London in 2026/27. The minimum is a floor, not a test you can fail.

How and when is the Maintenance Loan paid? Directly into your bank account in three instalments across the academic year, usually near the start of each term, and only once your university has confirmed you have registered. Budget per term, not per year, or the first instalment tends to evaporate by November.

Does this calculator work for Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland? No — this version covers Student Finance England only. Wales mixes a Maintenance Loan with a non-repayable grant based on the same income idea but different figures; Scotland (SAAS) and Northern Ireland have their own maximums and rules. Use your own funding body's official calculator for an accurate figure.

Why is the final-year loan lower? The final year of a course is shorter — it ends in the summer rather than running to the next autumn — so the maximum Maintenance Loan for that year is set slightly lower. The reduction applies to the final year only; earlier years use the standard rates in this calculator.

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