Support your child or partner's student finance application
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1. Give details of your household income
You may be asked for information about your household income if your child or partner has applied for student finance in England.
Your information will be used to work out if your child or partner can get extra money on top of the Tuition Fee Loan and the basic Maintenance Loan.
If you do not share information about your household income, your child or partner will only get the minimum amount of student finance.
If your child or partner is a care leaver, your household income is not used to calculate their Maintenance Loan. They can choose to borrow the maximum amount. Student Finance England (SFE) will still use your household income to check what other funding they can get.
There’s a different process if your child or partner is applying in Scotland, applying in Wales or applying in Northern Ireland.
Create an account or sign in
After your child or partner applies, you’ll get an email from SFE within 3 hours.
You should wait for the email before you create an account or sign in. You cannot use the same account as your child or partner.
The way you sign in depends on when your child or partner’s course starts.
If your child or partner’s course starts before 1 January 2027
If you are supporting your child or partner and they start their course before 1 January 2027, you’ll need to use the student finance login.
If you’ve had student finance or supported an application before, you’ll need to sign in to your existing student finance account.
If your child or partner’s course starts on or after 1 January 2027
Most courses starting on or after 1 January 2027 will use the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE).
You cannot sign in to support your child or partner’s student finance application until September 2026, when applications for the LLE open.
If you’re supporting more than one student, you may need to use different accounts depending on when each student’s course starts.
What information you’ll need
You’ll be asked for your National Insurance number once you’ve signed in.
SFE will use this to get information about your income from the previous tax year from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
You’ll also need to say if you have:
- paid into private pensions
- made additional voluntary contributions
- children (other than the student) who depend on you financially
If your income has gone down by at least 15% since the relevant tax year, you can apply for a current year income assessment. You must still give details of the year SFE has asked you about.
What happens next
SFE will email your child or partner when all your information has been confirmed. This usually takes 4 weeks. SFE cannot share details of the loan with you without your child or partner’s consent.
If your information is still being processed when your child or partner starts their course, they’ll still get the Tuition Fee Loan and the basic Maintenance Loan (if they’re eligible).
Your child or partner can sign in to their own online account to check the progress of their application.
If you do not get an email or cannot use the online account
There are other ways to submit your details if you:
- cannot use the online account
- do not get an email after your child or partner applies
How you do this will depend on when your child or partner’s course starts.
If your child or partner’s course starts before 1 January 2027
Download form PFF2 for the correct year:
You can upload the form to your online account, or your child or partner’s account. You may need to create a student finance account or sign in.
If you cannot upload the form, you can post it to:
Student Finance England
PO Box 210
Darlington
DL1 9HJ
If your child or partner’s course starts on or after 1 January 2027
If you cannot sign in or access an online account, or you do not get an email, you can contact Student Finance England to request a paper form.
Supporting a continuing student
Your child or partner needs to apply for student finance each year they’re studying.
When they apply, you’ll get an email within 3 hours. The email will have a link to sign in to your account, where you’ll need to confirm:
- your marital status
- any changes to the information you provided the previous year
- details of any private pensions, additional voluntary contributions and other child dependants
If you previously gave income details for the current tax year
You might have previously sent details for the current tax year. You would have done this if your income had gone down by at least 15%.
If you did, you can use the same income details that you provided last year.
If your income has dropped by at least 15% again, you can send in a new current tax year income assessment form.
2. If your income has gone down
If your income has gone down since the year you gave details for, you may be able to provide details for the current tax year instead. This is called a current year income assessment.
To apply for a current year income assessment, you must have already created a student finance account and given information about a previous tax year.
Check you’re eligible for a current year income assessment
You will qualify for a current year income assessment for 2026 to 2027 if your expected household income is both:
- at least 15% lower for the full current tax year compared to the year you gave details for
- £58,387 or less for the full current tax year
The current tax year is 6 April 2026 to 5 April 2027.
You will have given details for 6 April 2024 to 5 April 2025.
Your child or partner must be on a course where their student finance is based on your household income.
If your household income is £58,387 or more a year but less than £70,131 a year, you may still qualify depending on your child or partner’s circumstances.
If your income was £25,000 or less
If your income was £25,000 or less for the year you gave details for, your child or partner may be receiving the full amount they’re entitled to. You might still be able to apply for an assessment if your child or partner needs it to get:
-
a bursary or scholarship from a university or college
-
extra student finance for children or dependent adults
If your child or partner starts their course before 1 January 2027
If your child or partner starts their course before 1 January 2027, you need to complete the following three steps.
-
Fill in a current year income assessment form and send it to Student Finance England (SFE).
-
Keep your income details up to date during the year.
-
Confirm your actual income at the end of the tax year.
Current year income assessment for the 2026 to 2027 academic year
Fill in the current tax year income assessment form for 2026 to 2027 and send it to SFE. You can send it through your online account or print out the form and send it by post to:
Student Finance England
PO Box 210
Darlington
DL1 9HJ
If you’re the parent of the student and your partner also lives in the household, you’ll both need to complete the form, even if only one income has changed.
This is because you’re assessed on household income from the same tax year.
When you’re estimating your income, include:
- working overtime or extra hours
- any maternity or paternity pay
- any casual, shift or contract work
- any pay rises, bonuses or redundancy pay
- income changes from changing jobs or returning to work
- income from self-employment
Current year income assessment for the 2025 to 2026 academic year
You can still apply for a current year income assessment for the 2025 to 2026 academic year. You’ll need to prove your income from the previous tax year was at least 15% lower than the year you gave details for. Check if you’re eligible and how to apply.
Keep your income details up to date
If your income changes during the year, fill in a new current tax year income assessment form for 2026 to 2027. Then send it to SFE as soon as possible.
You’ll be reassessed and the amount of money your child or partner is entitled to might go up or down. SFE will contact them directly to let them know.
If you do not keep your income details up to date your child or partner may be overpaid. They’ll have to pay back any overpayment straight away.
Confirm your income at the end of the tax year
After the tax year finishes you must send evidence of what your actual income was for the year. You’ll usually be sent a form to fill in at the start of May.
If you’re self-employed
If you have not completed your tax return yet, fill in the form to ask to delay providing evidence until after the Self Assessment deadline in January the following year.
You still need to return evidence for any other employment, for example if you had a salaried job earlier in the year.
If your household income is different from what you estimated
How much your child or partner is entitled to will change. If your actual income was:
- lower - they might be entitled to more money
- higher - they will have to repay any extra money they received
If you do not send in evidence you child or partner will only be entitled to basic student finance. They’ll have to repay any extra money they got based on your income straight away.
If your child or partner starts their course on or after 1 January 2027
If your child or partner starts their course on or after 1 January 2027, you can apply for a current year income assessment from September 2026. You’ll need to have already provided details of your income for the most recent complete tax year.
3. If you need to update your details
Tell Student Finance England (SFE) if:
- you made a mistake
- your circumstances change, such as your marital status or you have another child
How to update your details if your child or partner’s course starts before 1 January 2027
Download and fill in form PFF2 for the correct year:
Use your online account to send the form to SFE, or send it by post to:
Student Finance England
PO Box 210
Darlington
DL1 9HJ
How to update your details if your child or partner’s course starts on or after 1 January 2027
If your child or partner starts their course on or after 1 January 2027, you’ll be able to update your details through your student finance account from September 2026.