Worried about non-payment of student loan

noisla

I took a student loan for my 4 year degree 1999 to 2003. Since the 06/07 tax year, I have been earning in excess of the £15k needed to start the repayments and I now earn well in excess of that. However, no repayment has ever come out my salary. I have tried getting this sorted out twice over the years - on both occasions the SLC said I needed my employer to fill out a form, my employer said they first needed a notice from HMRC, HMRC said they didn't do anything it was all the SLC - or some such reasons that had me going round in time-consuming circles and getting nowhere. So I gave up. The SLC said that when payments started I would only need to start paying them i.e. no harrassment for a lump sum of back payments.

However I noticed a comment on this website saying it is my responsibility to get my PAYE loan repayments set up, and things about credit checks, etc. I'm worried! What should I do?

Additional info: I have never changed my mailing address and get an annual statement, so no chance that is messed up. When I started work they had my wrong NIC number for the first 1-2 years before I sorted that out. I did pay a lump sum of £3k back in 2002 when I had some spare cash (silly I know).

Secondly, if I am applying for a mortgage and banks ask me "do you make any regular student loan repayments?" and I say "no", is that deceptive?

Thanks in advance

CLAPTON

You need to contact the SLC again I'm afraid.
Hopefully you will get some-one more helpful this time... in any case follow it up with a letter (and keep a copy of course).

Can't answer the second question...

noisla

Man you won't believe this, my first loan repayment came out of today's payslip. I must have willed it to happen. Doh.

CLAPTON

noisla wrote: »

Man you won't believe this, my first loan repayment came out of today's payslip. I must have willed it to happen. Doh.

well
amazing.............

[Deleted User]

A BIG note of caution here....

The same situation happened to me. My employed kept failing to take SLC payments out of my salary - and, like you, I chased this with all parties concerned. Employer was waiting for HMRC. HMRC were waiting for SLC. SLC were waiting for employer etc.

This is all fine and dandy, but if you EVER become self-employed and have to complete your self-assessment then your student loan payments will catch up with you! All the time my employer failed to remove my payments I was fine, but when I filed my return it automatically calculates how much student loan you need to repay - and if there's a shortfall on your PAYE employment then it adds it onto your self-employed return. So, I got whacked with a £1k bill for Student Loan, even though my entire self-employed income was only £900 for the year...

It's not a question of avoiding payment at all, but do chase your employer and force them to make deductions otherwise it gets you in the end...