I got a £900 refund after following Martin Lewis's viral tip on student loans

When Abby Kutiwa saw a video on her TikTok feed of consumer champion Martin Lewis suggesting people with a student loan might be due a refund, she figured she might as well try her luck.

Kutiwa, from London, is one of many who have got in touch with the Student Loans Company in recent weeks after advice from the Money Saving Expert financial guru went viral.

In October, Lewis revealed that his team had put in a Freedom of Information request to the student loans company, which found millions of people had overpaid in repayments during the 2022/23 tax years.

Lewis said: “As there’s no backdate to how far back you can reclaim, there are many people out there who may be due money.”

He then explains that each former student should call to find out if they are part of the millions who overpaid.

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A month later, his advice went viral.

TikToks started rolling in, and people described their success in getting hundreds of pounds in refunds.

Kutiwa, who studied PR and Media at Middlesex University, discovered she had overpaid by £900. She told Yahoo News: “The call was quick and easy, I spent a total of 11 minutes on the phone, my phone number was linked to my account, so I got through pretty quickly - but have your customer reference number ready.

She added: “There’s no harm in trying to get ‘free’ money."

Kutiwa said she was placed on hold as the staff member went to check just how much she may be owed. During that brief moment, Kutiwa said she thought, ‘I’m about to get paid’, before being told she was owed £900 and instantly 'planning a holiday'.

Kutiwa isn’t alone.

The most viral reaction to Lewis's refund tip is a TikTok clip that now has 1.2 million views.

In the video, TikTok user 'rvssianroulettee' said she followed Martin Lewis's advice and was told she was due a £61 refund.

While she said in the video she found her low amount 'laughable', it nonetheless inspired hundreds who revealed in her comments that they will be receiving three-figure sums.

'Worth a shot'

Amelia Robinson, 38, a probation services officer from Worthing, also saw a TikTok post that led to her calling the Student Loans Company and is now due a £398 refund.

She told Yahoo News: “I was thinking, maybe I won’t get through, especially coming up to Christmas. It’s useful to have a little bit of extra money."

Due to the volume of calls to the Student Loans Company, anyone phoning now will likely hear a recorded message while they wait to get through to someone.

A spokesperson told Yahoo News: “Customers cannot request a refund on any deduction taken during this tax year. Refunds can only be processed from previous tax years, following confirmation of full year earnings from HMRC.”

They have urged people to use the online form instead of calling in to request refunds as they are currently receiving a “high volume” of calls.

Kutiwa, who also posted about her success in a video on TikTok, says she has £60K of student debt - and ‘zero intention’ of ever paying it back.

“Even if I won the lottery, I’d still repay the bare minimum solely out of requirement,” she said. “I’d much rather invest and spend, not voluntarily clear my student loan,” she added.

How did overpayments happen?

When people are repaying their student loans, their payments are calculated based on how much money they make on a payslip-to-a-payslip basis, and sometimes, things like bonuses and overtime work can lead to too much money being deducted from their pay.

At the end of the year, this is all calculated, and if those earnings are below the threshold, they can claim a refund.