How to Contact the Student Loans Company (SLC)

Who Is the Student Loans Company?

The Student Loans Company (SLC) is a UK government-owned non-profit organisation responsible for administering student loans and grants for students across the United Kingdom. They handle the application, disbursement, and repayment of student finance. While HMRC collects repayments through the PAYE system for employed earners, it is the SLC that maintains your account, tracks your balance, charges interest, and processes any direct payments or refunds.

The SLC is not the same as HMRC. If your issue relates to how much is being deducted from your payslip, your tax code or plan code, or your employer's deductions, you may need to contact HMRC instead. However, for anything related to your loan balance, interest, repayment history, overseas repayments, or account details, the SLC is your point of contact.

Phone Contact: 0300 100 0611

The primary phone number for student loan repayment enquiries is 0300 100 0611. This line is for graduates who are repaying their loans and need to discuss their account, make changes, or resolve issues. Calls to 0300 numbers are charged at the same rate as calls to standard local (01 or 02) numbers and are usually included in mobile phone bundles and landline packages.

Opening hours: The repayment helpline is open Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm, and Saturday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. The line is closed on Sundays and bank holidays. Wait times can vary significantly depending on the time of year — the busiest periods are typically April (start of the new tax year), September (start of the academic year), and January (Self Assessment deadline for self-employed borrowers).

For the best chance of a short wait time, try calling mid-morning on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday, avoiding the first and last hours of the day. Calling on a Monday tends to have the longest queues as weekend enquiries are dealt with alongside Monday's calls.

If you are calling about a student finance application (rather than repayment), the number is different: 0300 100 0607 for England. Scottish students should contact SAAS on 0300 555 0505, Welsh students should call Student Finance Wales on 0300 200 4050, and Northern Irish students should ring Student Finance NI on 0300 100 0077.

If you are calling from outside the UK, the international number is +44 141 243 3570. This is particularly important for graduates who have moved abroad, as you will need to contact the SLC to set up overseas repayment arrangements.

Online Account at repayment.slc.co.uk

The SLC's online repayment portal is the most convenient way to manage your student loan. You can access it at repayment.slc.co.uk. To log in, you will need your Customer Reference Number (CRN), which was provided when you first took out your loan, along with a password and a secret answer. If you have forgotten your login details, you can reset them online or by calling the helpline.

Once logged in, you have access to a range of services and information that would otherwise require a phone call. The online account is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, making it far more flexible than the phone line.

What You Can Do Online

The online repayment account allows you to perform a wide range of tasks without needing to call. Here is a comprehensive list of what is available:

• Check your balance: View your current outstanding balance, including a breakdown of the original loan amount, total interest charged, and total repayments made. The balance is updated periodically (typically every few weeks) as HMRC reports your PAYE deductions to the SLC.
• View repayment history: See a detailed record of all repayments that have been credited to your account, including the date and amount of each payment. This is useful for cross-referencing with your payslips and P60 to ensure everything matches up.
• Update personal details: Change your address, phone number, email address, and other contact information. Keeping your details up to date is particularly important if you move house, as the SLC sends correspondence by post for certain matters.
• Make a one-off overpayment: You can make a voluntary repayment online using a debit card. The minimum payment is £5. This is processed immediately and deducted from your balance.
• Set up a direct debit: Arrange regular direct debit payments in addition to (or instead of) your PAYE deductions. This is particularly useful if you are approaching the end of your loan and want to avoid over-deductions through payroll.
• Download statements: Generate and download annual statements showing your opening balance, repayments received, interest charged, and closing balance for each tax year.
• Report that you are going overseas: If you are moving abroad, you can begin the process of reporting your overseas status online. The SLC will then send you an income assessment form to determine your repayment amount based on your overseas earnings and the cost of living in your destination country.
• Request a final balance: If you want to make a final payment to clear your loan, you can request a final balance figure that includes interest up to a specific date. This ensures you pay exactly the right amount to close your account.

When to Contact the SLC

While many tasks can be handled online, there are certain situations where you will need to contact the SLC directly, either by phone or through their secure messaging service.

Moving Abroad

If you are leaving the UK to live or work overseas, you must inform the SLC. You are still required to repay your student loan, but the repayment mechanism changes. Instead of repayments being deducted through PAYE, you will need to make payments directly to the SLC based on your overseas income. The SLC will send you an annual income assessment form, and your repayment amount will be set based on the repayment threshold for your destination country (which may differ from the UK threshold). Failing to inform the SLC of your overseas status can result in fixed repayment amounts and penalties. Contact them before you leave to ensure a smooth transition.

Disability and Health Conditions

If you have a disability or health condition that affects your ability to work or earn, you should inform the SLC. While student loan repayments are automatically linked to your income (so lower earnings mean lower or no repayments), there may be additional support available. If you become permanently unable to work due to a disability, you may be eligible to have your loan cancelled. The SLC can explain the criteria and process for disability-related cancellation, which requires supporting medical evidence.

Overpayment Refunds

If too much has been deducted from your pay — for example, because your employer continued deducting after your loan was fully repaid — the SLC will process a refund. You can check whether you are owed a refund by comparing your SLC balance with the total deductions shown on your payslips or P60. If there is a discrepancy, contact the SLC to request a review. Refunds are typically paid by cheque or bank transfer within four to six weeks of the request being processed.

Overpayments are surprisingly common. The lag between your payroll deductions and the SLC updating your balance means that by the time the SLC realises your loan is paid off, your employer may have already made one or two more monthly deductions. The SLC recommends switching to direct debit for your final year of repayments to avoid this issue.

Incorrect Deductions

If you believe your employer is deducting the wrong amount — because the wrong plan type is being applied, for example — you should first check with HMRC, as they issue the start notice that determines the plan code. However, if the issue is with the SLC's records (for example, if they have the wrong plan type listed for your loan), contact the SLC directly to have it corrected. The SLC will liaise with HMRC to ensure the correct information is passed to your employer.

Death of a Borrower

In the sad event that a student loan borrower passes away, the loan is cancelled. Family members or the executor of the estate should contact the SLC to inform them. They will need to provide a death certificate. Once the SLC receives proof, the loan is written off and no further repayments are due. The outstanding balance is not passed to family members or taken from the estate.

Social Media Channels

The SLC maintains a presence on several social media platforms, which can be useful for general enquiries and updates, although they cannot discuss individual account details on public channels.

• X (formerly Twitter): The SLC's handle is @SaboraSLC for general student finance advice, and @SLC_Repayment for repayment-specific queries. They are fairly responsive to direct messages and public mentions during business hours.
• Facebook: The Student Finance England Facebook page provides updates, deadline reminders, and general guidance. You can send a private message for individual queries.
• YouTube: The SLC publishes video guides explaining how to apply for student finance, how repayments work, and how to use the online account.

Social media is best for quick, non-sensitive questions — for example, "What date does the repayment threshold change?" or "When will my balance be updated?" For anything involving personal information, use the phone line or online account's secure messaging system.

The Complaints Process

If you are unhappy with the service you have received from the SLC, you have the right to complain and have your complaint investigated. The SLC follows a structured complaints process with clearly defined stages.

Stage 1: Initial Complaint

You can raise a complaint by phone, by letter, or through your online account. The SLC aims to acknowledge your complaint within five working days and provide a full response within 15 working days. If your complaint is complex and requires more time, they will let you know and give you an estimated response date. When making a complaint, be specific about what went wrong, when it happened, and what outcome you are seeking. Keep records of all communications, including dates, times, and the names of any staff you speak to.

Stage 2: Escalation

If you are not satisfied with the response at Stage 1, you can ask for your complaint to be escalated to a senior manager. This is Stage 2 of the process. The senior manager will review your complaint afresh and aim to provide a response within 15 working days. Again, if more time is needed, they will communicate this to you.

Independent Assessor

If you have been through both stages of the SLC's internal complaints process and are still dissatisfied, you can refer your complaint to the Independent Assessor. The Independent Assessor is an external figure who reviews complaints about the SLC independently. They will look at how the SLC handled your complaint and whether the outcome was fair. The Independent Assessor can recommend that the SLC take specific actions, although their recommendations are not legally binding.

Parliamentary Ombudsman

As a final step, if you have exhausted all other avenues, you can ask your Member of Parliament to refer your complaint to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The PHSO is the ultimate external body for complaints about UK government organisations and their agencies. They can investigate whether the SLC has acted fairly and can recommend remedies including financial compensation. Referral to the PHSO must be made through your MP — you cannot approach them directly.

Useful Contact Summary

• Repayment helpline: 0300 100 0611 (Mon–Fri 8am–8pm, Sat 9am–4pm)
• Application helpline (England): 0300 100 0607
• International callers: +44 141 243 3570
• Online repayment account: repayment.slc.co.uk
• Postal address: Student Loans Company, 100 Bothwell Street, Glasgow, G2 7JD
• X (Twitter): @SLC_Repayment

Before calling, make sure you have your Customer Reference Number to hand, along with your date of birth and National Insurance number for identity verification. Having these details ready will speed up the call significantly. If you are enquiring about your repayment amount, it can also help to have a recent payslip available so you can compare your deductions with the SLC's records. Use our student loan calculator to estimate your repayments and projected balance at any time, and compare the results with your SLC account to ensure everything aligns.

Key Takeaways

• The SLC's main repayment helpline is 0300 100 0611.
• The online account at repayment.slc.co.uk lets you check your balance, make payments, and update details 24/7.
• Contact the SLC before moving abroad to arrange overseas repayments.
• Overpayment refunds can take four to six weeks to process.
• The complaints process has two internal stages, followed by the Independent Assessor and the Parliamentary Ombudsman.
• For PAYE deduction issues, contact HMRC first; for balance and account issues, contact the SLC.