HELP loan limit amount

Your HELP loan limit depends on what you are studying, and the limit is set by the government each year.

For 2024, the HELP loan limit for most students is $121,844.  In 2025, the HELP loan limit for most students will increase to $126,839.

The limit for students studying medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses leading to initial registration, or eligible aviation courses with census dates in 2024 is $174,998. In 2025, this limit will increase to $182,172.

Find the list of eligible aviation courses in the FEE-HELP Guidelines 2017 available on the Federal Register of Legislation website.

Do the HELP loan limits ever change?

The HELP loan limit is set in legislation and is indexed on 1 January each year which increases the amount available.

Your available HELP balance

Your available HELP balance is the amount you are still able to borrow under the HELP loan limit.

Taking out a HELP loan will reduce your available HELP balance and making HELP debt repayments will increase your available HELP balance.

Where do I find my available HELP balance?

You can view your available HELP balance through the myHELPbalance website.

What if I don't have enough HELP balance to cover my fees?

If you enrol in a unit of study and your tuition fees are more than your available HELP balance, you must pay the outstanding amount upfront to your provider.

If you didn't have enough HELP balance to pay for your study by the census date, and you didn't pay upfront:

• For FEE-HELP students, you would owe the amount directly to your provider.
• For HECS-HELP students, your CSP would be cancelled or suspended.

What repayments top up my HELP balance?

You can top up your available HELP balance by making repayments on your HELP debt.

This will allow you to borrow that amount again in the future by increasing your available HELP balance.

Any voluntary repayments you make will top up your HELP balance as soon as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) tells the Department of Education about your repayments. 

Any compulsory repayments will top up your HELP balance once you have completed your tax return and the ATO notifies the Department about any repayments you made on your HELP debt.

Your fortnightly pay as you go (PAYG) repayments will not impact your HELP balance until you complete your annual tax return, and it is processed by the ATO.

Your repayment information is not reflected in your HELP balance immediately.

On or around day 15 of the month, the ATO transfer information to the Department on all voluntary and compulsory repayments made to HELP debts in the preceding month.

Once this repayment information is received by the Department, your available HELP balance in myHELPbalance will be updated.

For students who already have a HELP debt, only repayments made after 1 July 2019 will top up your available HELP balance.