HELP Debt Repayment Planner (Australia) – 2026-27 Rules, Years to Repay & Should I Pay It Off Early? (Excel)

NEW: Google Sheets edition included. You also get a link to make your own copy in Google Sheets, tested to give the same results in every formula cell.

Find out how many years your HELP (HECS) debt will take to repay, how much you'll repay in total, and whether paying extra is worth it, using the ATO's 2026-27 repayment tables and the marginal repayment system that has been law since 1 July 2025.

Enter your balance from myGov and your income. The workbook shows:

• Your compulsory repayment for 2025-26 and 2026-27 under the new marginal rules (you repay only on income above $69,528 in 2026-27).
• Years to repay and total repaid, year by year, including the indexation added each 1 June (at the lower of CPI and WPI).
• The effect of salary growth: your plan next to four other pay-rise rates (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, all editable).
• Extra voluntary repayments vs an offset account vs investing: the same cash each year, compared at the point your loan would be gone anyway. Clearly labelled as simple estimates on your own assumptions.
• A plain-English "Should I pay it off early?" box that gives an answer for your numbers and explains the trade-offs (no interest on HELP, voluntary repayments can't be refunded, pay before 1 June).
• An optional check of your 20% cut (applied to loans that existed on 1 June 2025, before that year's indexation).

What's law and what's assumed is kept apart: the 2025-26 and 2026-27 thresholds, the 15c / 17c / 10% rates, indexation rules and the 20% reduction are law and sourced to the ATO and the Federal Register of Legislation. Future thresholds and indexation rates aren't published yet, so you set them (yellow cells) and the workbook labels them as assumptions.

Includes: Home, Dashboard, Your Details, Repayment Plan, Salary Growth, Pay It Off Early, Checks (12 automatic checks), Rates & Rules and Notes & Sources with every official link and the date it was checked. Example figures are filled in. Works in Excel; also opens in LibreOffice.

Built and checked by a CPA. Every formula tested against a separate calculation.

Designed by Plain Numbers Co with the help of AI tools. Listing images are designed previews of the actual file.

30-DAY MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE: if it doesn't work for your situation, message us within 30 days. We'll fix it, or refund you in full if you'd rather. This is in addition to your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, which are not excluded.

General information only, not financial advice. This workbook does not consider your objectives, financial situation or needs, and the ATO works out your actual compulsory repayments. Consider speaking to a licensed financial adviser or registered tax agent before acting.