Plan 2 Student Loan
Plan 2 Student Loan
Author
Discussion

Countdown

Original Poster:

46,842 posts

218 months

Somebody I know has a Plan 2 Student Loan. They are well into the 40% tax rate so I think that means they're paying interest of RPI + 3%. They also have a BTL which has no mortgage on it.

Surely it makes sense to mortgage the BTL and pay 3%-5% (plus get a 20% interest credit against their BTL income) and use the lump sum to pay off the Student Loan?

It seems way too simple so maybe I'm missing something?

JoshSm

2,988 posts

59 months

It does look simple unless there's something really not obvious - borrow cheaper money to repay expensive loan penalty free?

Guess the issue could be taking out the mortgage when the loan is still outstanding.

Countdown

Original Poster:

46,842 posts

218 months

JoshSm said:
It does look simple unless there's something really not obvious - borrow cheaper money to repay expensive loan penalty free?

Guess the issue could be taking out the mortgage when the loan is still outstanding.
I agree - that's what I'm wondering as well.

They could probably borrow some money from BOMAD but then they wouldn't get any tax relief, and the parents would lose out on investment income.

I could suggest they pay their parents 7% but given how well the stock markets have been performing recently the parents would still be worse off

ThingsBehindTheSun

2,936 posts

53 months

Do the student loan patments come out before Tax, i..e as a 40% tax payer is each £1 effectively costing them 60 pence, or do the payments come out after tax deductions.?

NowWatchThisDrive

1,189 posts

126 months

If they'd otherwise clear the loan naturally through their regular repayments (which I assume is the case if they're well into 40% tax) then the rate differential is compelling. If not and it'll just get written off at 30yrs anyway then whatever the "interest rate" is til then is irrelevant and refinancing it with a mortgage would offer no real benefit.

Besides that there's obviously downside risk as you're converting what's basically a time-limited extra income tax charge with very favourable terms into a permanent enforceable debt. And the inflation risk is asymmetrical in that with the student loan you're effectively sharing it with the govt whereas with the mortgage it's fully yours.

Countdown

Original Poster:

46,842 posts

218 months

ThingsBehindTheSun said:
Do the student loan patments come out before Tax, i..e as a 40% tax payer is each £1 effectively costing them 60 pence, or do the payments come out after tax deductions.?
After tax

Countdown

Original Poster:

46,842 posts

218 months

NowWatchThisDrive said:
If they'd otherwise clear the loan naturally through their regular repayments (which I assume is the case if they're well into 40% tax) then the rate differential is compelling. If not and it'll just get written off at 30yrs anyway then whatever the "interest rate" is til then is irrelevant and refinancing it with a mortgage would offer no real benefit.

Besides that there's obviously downside risk as you're converting what's basically a time-limited extra income tax charge with very favourable terms into a permanent enforceable debt. And the inflation risk is asymmetrical in that with the student loan you're effectively sharing it with the govt whereas with the mortgage it's fully yours.
I’ve asked them to get an up to date redemption figure from the SLC but given that fees were only £3k per annum when they were at Uni and they’re currently paying back about £4k per annum I genuinely have no idea why it isn’t all paid off already, they’re in their early 30s