Most mature students cannot stop earning for three years. Rent, children and bills do not pause because you start a degree, so the first question many adults ask us is simple: if I keep my job, will Student Finance England (SFE) cut my loan? For your own wages during the course, the official answer is reassuring. But some types of income do count, and your partner’s pay can make a big difference.
This guide explains what SFE counts as income for the 2026 to 2027 academic year, what you do not have to declare, when working can still affect your Maintenance Loan, and how repayments work once you are earning. Every rule links to the GOV.UK or Student Loans Company (SLC) page it comes from. For the wider picture, start with our student finance hub.
General information for UK home students in England, based on GOV.UK and SLC guidance checked on 8 October 2026. Rules and thresholds change each year. AF Education is not Student Finance England; your SFE assessment decides what you receive.
Important: AF Education gives free help to England-resident UK home students applying for funded degree courses. This service is not for international students.
Quick answer
SFE’s own guide for 2026 to 2027 says: “Income from earnings during an academic year of your course (including holiday, evening or weekend work) doesn’t need to be declared” (SFE: how you’re assessed and paid 2026 to 2027, section 5.3). So the wages from a job you keep while you study do not reduce your Maintenance Loan. What SFE does look at is your unearned income, such as savings interest, rent or dividends, and, if you are an independent student living with a partner, your partner’s income.
What SFE counts as your income
When you apply, SFE asks you to estimate your own income for the coming academic year. According to section 5.3 of the 2026 to 2027 assessed and paid guide, you include taxable unearned income from:
- bank or building society interest
- property, lettings or rent
- dividends or investments
- trusts or sponsorships
- any other payment received for attending the course
The same section says you should only include payments from an employer if your employer is releasing you from work to attend the course. SFE also ignores the first £1,130 of income for any child who is totally or mainly financially dependent on you or your partner.
GOV.UK’s household income page backs this up: household income “always includes income you get from your own savings, investments or property (for example dividends or rent)” (GOV.UK: household income).
| Type of income | Declared to SFE? |
|---|---|
| Wages from a job during the academic year (including evening, weekend and holiday work) | No |
| Pay from an employer that releases you from work to attend the course | Yes |
| Savings interest, rent, dividends, trusts or sponsorships | Yes (taxable amounts) |
| Your partner’s income, if you are independent and live together | Yes (see below) |
Source: SFE assessed and paid guide 2026 to 2027, sections 5 and 5.3.
Whose income counts if you are over 25?
If you are 25 or over, you are classed as an independent student, so your parents’ income is not included. Your partner’s income is included if you live with them, even if they spend most of their time abroad (GOV.UK: household income). Under 25, you can also be independent in some cases, for example if you have supported yourself for at least 3 years or have been married or in a civil partnership before the course starts.
For 2026/27 applications, SFE asks for household income for the 2024 to 2025 tax year (GOV.UK). The guide says a partner’s residual income is worked out from gross income, minus pension contributions, minus £1,130 for each child who depends on them, and minus £1,130 if your partner is also a student (section 5.9). If your partner now earns much less than in 2024/25, read our current year income assessment guide. For the full rules on parents and partners, see household income explained.
How household income changes your Maintenance Loan
Your Tuition Fee Loan does not depend on household income: a new full-time student can borrow up to £9,790 for 2026/27 (GOV.UK: new full-time students). The Maintenance Loan does:
| Where you live while studying | Maximum (2026/27) | Minimum (2026/27) | Minimum reached at household income of |
|---|---|---|---|
| With your parents | £9,118 | £4,013 | £58,387 |
| Away from parents, outside London | £10,830 | £5,048 | £62,410 |
| Away from parents, in London | £14,135 | £7,039 | £70,131 |
Sources: GOV.UK: new full-time students (maximums) and GOV.UK: support with living and other costs 2026 to 2027 (minimums and taper). Household income of £25,000 or less gets the maximum; above that, the loan tapers down to the minimum.
Put together: if you are over 25, single and your only income during the course is your wages, SFE is mainly looking at any savings, rental or investment income you have. If that is £25,000 or less, you would usually be assessed for the maximum rate. If you live with a partner, their 2024/25 income is likely to be the deciding figure. See how much Maintenance Loan will I get? for more examples.
When your job can still affect your funding
- Your employer is releasing you to study. If you are paid by your employer to attend the course, that pay should be included (section 5.3).
- You claim benefits. Student finance can affect Universal Credit and other benefits, which is a separate set of rules. Read student finance on Universal Credit before you apply.
- You study online. GOV.UK says distance-learning students can only apply for a Maintenance Loan if they cannot attend in person because of a disability (GOV.UK), so keeping a job may matter more. See online and blended degrees and student finance.
- You study part time. Part-time courses need a course intensity of 25% or more for student finance, and the part-time Tuition Fee Loan is up to £7,335 (GOV.UK: eligibility; assessed and paid guide, section 4.8). Our part-time student finance guide covers the details.
Keep your details up to date. GOV.UK says you must keep your application up to date during your course because some changes, such as a change in household income, can affect your loan payments (GOV.UK). SFE’s guide adds that if a change means you were overpaid, you must repay the overpayment, and the normal repayment threshold does not apply to it (section 4.10).
Repaying the loan while you work
Working during the course does not trigger repayments of the loan for that course. GOV.UK says the earliest you will start repaying is the April after you leave your course (GOV.UK: when you start repaying). For a part-time course longer than 4 years that started before 1 January 2027, repayments start in the April that falls 4 years after the course started.
If you started an undergraduate course on or after 1 August 2023 you are on Plan 5 (GOV.UK: which repayment plan). You repay 9% of income over £25,000 a year (£2,083 a month), and interest is currently 4.1% (GOV.UK: how much you repay). More detail: when do student loan repayments start?
Choosing a course you can fit around work
Whether you can keep working also depends on the timetable. Many courses AF Education supports need 1 to 2 campus days a week, usually about 2 to 4 hours a day, so many students keep their jobs. Your exact timetable is confirmed before you enrol. Some listings are built around different working patterns, for example the weekday, evening and weekend versions of BA (Hons) Business Management at Arden University, or BA (Hons) Business Management in London with The University of Sunderland. Browse all partner universities or read university for mature students.
Frequently asked questions
Does my part-time job affect my student finance?
Not directly. SFE’s 2026 to 2027 guide says earnings during an academic year of your course, including holiday, evening or weekend work, do not need to be declared.
Can I work full time and still get student finance?
SFE does not ask you to declare wages earned during the course. Your university sets attendance requirements, so check the timetable fits your hours before you enrol.
Does my partner’s salary count?
Yes, if you are an independent student and live with your partner. For 2026/27, SFE asks for household income for the 2024 to 2025 tax year.
Do savings or rental income count?
Yes. GOV.UK says household income always includes income from your own savings, investments or property, such as dividends or rent.
Will I repay my loan while I am still studying?
No. The earliest you start repaying is the April after you leave your course, and only when your income is over the threshold for your plan (£25,000 a year for Plan 5).
Next steps
If you want to keep your job while you study, you usually can without losing Maintenance Loan for your own wages. Check what unearned income and partner income you need to declare, choose a timetable that fits, and apply in good time.
Prefer to talk? Call AF Education on 020 7377 8844, email info@afeducation.co.uk or visit us at 47 Cavell Street, London E1 2BP (Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 18:00). Our help is free for UK home students.
