Overview

You have a study loan or you need to repay a lifelong learning credit.

Repaying a study loan

• You do not have to start paying off your student loan immediately after your studies.
• Once your student finance ends, a preliminary phase begins on 1 January of the following year. This is a period of 2 years during which you do not have to make any repayments. 
• You pay interest on your debt. The interest rate is fixed for a period of 5 years from the start of the preliminary phase. This is referred to as a 'fixed interest period.'
• If you return to education during the preliminary phase, it can be put on hold. This applies even if you do not receive student finance for your further studies.
• When the preliminary phase ends after 2 years, the repayment phase begins on January 1st. From this moment on, you are required to make monthly payments. The repayment phase lasts 15 or 35 years, depending on the repayment rules that apply to you.

Repaying lifelong learning credit

• Once your lifelong learning credit stops, the repayment phase starts on 1 January after.
• You pay interest on your lifelong learning credit debt. The interest rate is fixed for a period of 5 years from the start of the repayment period.
• Your repayments for your lifelong learning credit will start on 1 May. The repayment phase lasts 15 years. 
• Are you already repaying a study loan? If so, your lifelong learning credit will be added to this and your repayments will be recalculated from May.

How much do you pay?

How much you have to repay each month, depends on the amount of your debt, the duration of the repayment phase, and the interest rate. DUO usually automatically considers your income and that of your partner, if applicable. This is called financial capacity. Based on this information, DUO calculates a monthly amount. You are always allowed to repay more.

You can use the calculation tool (link in Dutch) to estimate the amount of your monthly repayments.

For how long do you pay?

You have either 15 or 35 years to pay off your student loan. Which of these periods applies, depends upon the repayment rules for your particular situation.

How to pay

Sometimes you can choose how to repay your debt, depending on the repayment rules that apply. Most people pay by direct debit. In 2023, the monthly repayments are debited on the following dates:

• 25 January
• 26 February
• 25 March
• 25 April
• 27 May
• 25 June
• 25 July
• 26 August
• 25 September
• 25 October
• 25 November
• 27 December