Student Loan Company Repayments

cj.stewart

Just wondering if anyone can share some advice on the issue I'm having with the student loan company.

I am currently travelling for a year and working abroad but while living in Australia the student loan company have said if I am earning over £15,000 this year I need to make repayments on my loan - no arguments there! Under my Visa requirements I am only able to work for 6 months and actually will only be working for 5 1/2 months before I start travelling again so it is impossble for me to earn over £15,000 in a year given my weekly earnings!

I have explained this repeatedly to the Student Loan Company however they have said that it is worked out on a pro rata basis similar to tax in the UK and I must pay £91 per month until back in the UK and if I can prove I have not earned over £15k pa I can then claim the money back at the end of the year.

I am disputing this with the student loan company however they have gone into my UK bank account without permission and removed £91 from my account and seemingly will continue to do so every month!! can anyone tell me is this legal or is it just a case of contacting my bank and blocking them? I cannot move my money to my Australian account either as their withdrawals will then overdraw my account and run up bank fees!!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Giddytimes

I'm afraid that is the policy, I guess for all they know you may continue to work past the 6 months, maybe you'll return to the Uk to work, or go elsewhere. So for every month you earn over 1250 gbp they will take their share.

If you don't end up earning over the threshold for the year then you can reclaim the money paid.

I'm surprised they have actioned your overseas income declaration so quickly though!
I have been trying to make payments on my student loan for 4 months now. I've faxed off the forms dozens of times and spoken to them even more. I even offered to make a card payment for an estimate, the amount I'm pretty certain I owe, over the phone and we could settle any balance later- they wouldn't take it. I have also given them my bank details, they keep telling me that they cannot take a penny until they have finished their overseas assessment on my income.
I'm not sure just how hard this assessment can be- I owe 9% of my income over the earnings threshold set for the country I am in, it hardly seems to be rocket science!

I guess if you really can't afford it you could cancel the DD, leave it a few weeks and then ring to say your income has changed and ask for another form. Ask them to put a note on your account so that you aren't surcharged. They will give you at least 6 weeks breathing space for the form to reach you and be returned. Then maybe you'll end up in my scenario and they either keep losing your form, or they can't work out how much you owe. By which time you won't be earning anymore and so won't be over the threshold.

I wouldn't recommend just cancelling the DD without speaking to them afterwards though, you'll likely find they add a surcharge to your account every month they don't receive payment.