To apply for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) and/or a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan, you must submit an electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) on or before the census date.

When you enrol in your course, your provider will ask how you want to pay for your tuition fees. This is where you notify them you want to use a HELP loan.

Your provider will issue you with an invitation to submit your eCAF (eCAFs are only available from approved higher education providers).

Your provider will be able to answer any questions about your eligibility and assist you with the forms to complete.

More information is available on the electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) page.

You can only apply for a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) and/or Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan once you have accepted an enrolment offer from your provider and are ready to enrol. 

To apply for a CSP/HELP loan, you must submit an electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF), called a request for Commonwealth assistance form (only available from your provider, usually sent to you through their student portal). This form must be submitted on or before the census date.

More information is available on the application process page.

It is the responsibility of your provider to assess your eligibility for a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan. You will need to contact your provider directly to discuss the status of your application.

More information is available on the checking your application status page.

There are two different types of Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loans to pay for your study.

HECS-HELP (also known as HECS) is a loan that only available to eligible students enrolled in a subsidised Commonwealth supported place (CSP). HECS-HELP is available at public universities and a small number of approved private providers.

FEE-HELP is a loan for eligible full fee-paying students (those not enrolled in a CSP). 

These places are not subsidised by the government, and tuition fees are set by providers. FEE-HELP is available at universities and approved private providers.

Yes, eCAFs are not transferable. If you change your course (even with the same provider), you will need to submit a new eCAF.

No, CSPs and HELP loans are not transferable. If you want to study at a new provider there are two processes you will need to complete:

1. Withdraw from your current university course

   It is important to follow the correct process for withdrawing from your current course. If you do not withdraw properly or miss the deadline, you will incur a HELP debt and may also incur academic and financial penalties from the provider.

   This means you are required to cancel your enrolment and HELP application directly with your current provider. Providers cannot assume anything about a student’s intentions (for example if you just stop turning up to class). They can only act upon students’ requests made through the correct processes. You should check with your provider about its withdrawal procedure and deadline. 

   To withdraw from a unit of study or course without incurring a HELP debt or losing an up-front payment, you must submit and have approved the official withdrawal form by the census date. If you do not undertake this process before the census date you will be charged for the unit/s. You should hear back from your provider that your withdrawal request was processed. Be sure to keep a copy of the withdrawal documentation and confirmation as a record that you completed the process.

2. Apply for a HELP loan for your new course

   At your new provider, you will need to confirm whether your enrolment offer is for a CSP or not, complete the required enrolment forms and a new eCAF. You must fill out the forms, submit your tax file number (TFN) and agree to the conditions of the HELP loan for the new course.

   • If you are offered a CSP, this will be a HECS-HELP loan to pay for your study. 
   • If you are offered a full fee-paying place, this will be a FEE-HELP loan to pay for your study

If you are not sure how to complete the enrolment or eCAF process, please contact your new provider as they will be able to assist and confirm that you have completed this process correctly. This must be completed on or before the census date.

For more information about the different types of HELP loans see the how student loans work page.

For more information about withdrawing see the withdrawing from study page.

For more information about applying see the application process page.

Each HELP loan requires a student to submit a separate eCAF.

A student enrolled in a CSP will need to complete the CSP and HECS-HELP eCAF, and may decide to complete a SA-HELP eCAF to cover their student services and amenities fee.

If that same student decides to go on an exchange semester in the final year of their course, they may also submit an OS-HELP eCAF for an OS-HELP loan to cover their travel related expenses.

In most cases, eCAFs need to be completed once per course.

You will need to re-submit an eCAF if you are changing course or provider.

For more information about the different types of HELP loans see the how student loans work page.

For more information about eCAFs see the electronic Commonwealth Assistance Form (eCAF) page.

For more information about applying see the application process overview page.

When submitting your eCAF, you must declare that:

• the information is complete and correct (and evidence can be provided to verify this if requested), 
• you will make a full upfront payment or provide your TFN (or TFN application certificate from the ATO) to your provider on or before the census date for a HELP loan.
• you will have a valid USI 
• you understand indexation is added to HELP debts, which means the amount you repay in total is likely to be more than the original amount of the loan.
• you understand you have an obligation to repay the loan through the taxation system once your income is above a certain level (the compulsory repayment threshold).
• you will notify your provider if your eligibility for a HELP loan changes.

You also declare that you have read the relevant HELP booklet, which contains the terms and conditions of the loan. This includes being aware of your responsibilities in relation to the loan, what your repayment obligations will be, what indexation is and how it applies to your loan, and that you have sufficient HELP balance to cover your student contribution amount/tuition fees.

No, your eCAF is a legal document that must be read, completed, and signed by the student.

The student contribution amount for Commonwealth supported places (CSPs) is the amount of fees you need to pay (either upfront or through a HECS-HELP loan).

Your student contribution amount depends on what you study.

Fees are charged for each unit of study rather than as a total course fee. This means the total cost of your course is made up of the cost of each of the units of study you undertake.

Each unit of study is classified in a funding cluster, depending on the subject area. The maximum amount a student pays for each funding cluster is set by the government.

Throughout your course, you may undertake units of study that come from different funding clusters.

If you wish to know a break-down of the specific unit fees you may be charged for in your course of study, please contact your university provider directly.

For more information about student contributions amount, including a short explainer video please see the student contribution amounts page.

In a full fee-paying place, your tuition fees are set by the provider and based on a number of factors, including the cost of delivery.

Contact the student administration area of your intended provider for more information.

For more information about full fee-paying places see the FEE-HELP page.

It is important that you followed the correct process for withdrawing from your course. If you do not withdraw properly, or you missed the census date, you will incur a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt and may also incur academic and financial penalties from your provider.

Please contact your higher education provider to ensure that you have a record of your course withdrawal.

For more information about withdrawing from your study, see the withdrawing from study page.

Your HELP debt is the total amount you owe and still have left to repay. It includes the HELP loans you have, plus indexation, plus loan fees, and less any repayments you have made.

You can check your current HELP debt, including any repayments and indexation accrued online through myGov after linking your account to the ATO online services. This will give you an accurate figure of how much you currently owe and will also provide an itemised breakdown.

Alternatively, please contact the ATO on 13 28 61 if you wish to find out what you currently owe.

For more information about how to check your HELP debt, see the checking your HELP debt page.

Compulsory repayments are not calculated until you lodge your tax return. The ATO will calculate your income for the year and tell you how much your compulsory repayment is. You will start repaying your HELP debt through the tax system once you earn above the compulsory repayment threshold. To manage compulsory repayments, your employer will withhold some of your pay to assist you with your compulsory repayment. This is known as Pay as you go (PAYG) withholding.

You do this by completing a TFN declaration for a new job (see www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/tfn-declaration), or a withholding declaration (NAT 3093) form for an existing employer (available at www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/withholding-declaration). On both forms tick ‘Yes’ to the question: “Do you have a HELP debt?”.

The withheld amounts from your employer under PAYG are not credited to your HELP account at the time they are withheld. They are used to cover any compulsory repayment that the ATO calculates after you lodge your tax return. The ATO will then use the 'withheld amounts' to cover this repayment. 

If a person had too much withheld, and they had no other outstanding debts (or if you have completely repaid your HELP debt) then that person will have the amounts returned to them from the ATO via their income tax return.

You may also make voluntary repayments to the ATO at any time to reduce the balance of your debt. Voluntary repayments are in addition to compulsory repayments and are not refundable.

For more information about making repayments, see the loan repayments page.

While you might have weekly or fortnightly amounts coming out of your pay, the compulsory repayment on your HELP debt will only be assessed and applied against your HELP debt when you lodge your annual tax return. 

You will need to contact you employer to see the withheld amounts.

See also FAQ - How and when do I start repaying my HELP debt?

For more information about making repayments, see the loan repayments page.

Once you have completed paying off your HELP debt, you will need to inform your employer that you no longer have a HELP debt, and you want them to stop withholding amounts from your pay. 

You will (either) need to complete a new withholding declaration (NAT 3093) form and answer ‘no’ to the question: “Do you have a HELP debt?”, or you can do it online by logging in to the ATO’s Online Services via MyGov. 

This will stop additional amounts from your pay being withheld. The ATO can then make any necessary adjustments when you lodge your next tax return.

There are no discounts for paying your HELP debt early. However, voluntary repayments before 1 June will reduce the amount of indexation that is applied to your debt on 1 June each year (to the portion of the debt that is older than 11 months).

For more information about indexation see the loan increases and indexation page.

A student can reduce the amount of indexation that applies to their HELP debt by making a voluntary repayment to the ATO before indexation is applied on 1 June. 

It is important to allow enough time for the payment to be received and processed by the ATO before 1 June.

Payments made electronically or at Australia Post can take up to 4 business days from the day you make the payment, to be received by the ATO and appear on your ATO account.

For more information about indexation see the loan increases and indexation page.

For more information about voluntary payments see the loan repayments page.

Voluntary repayments can be made directly to the ATO at any time to reduce the balance of your debt. Voluntary repayments are in addition to compulsory repayments and are not refundable. As accumulated HELP debts are indexed annually, students who make voluntary repayments before 1 June each year will accrue a smaller amount of indexation.

It is important to allow enough time for the payment to be received and processed by the ATO before 1 June.

Payments made electronically or at Australia Post can take up to 4 business days from the day you make the payment, to be received by the ATO and appear on your ATO account.

Please contact the ATO on 13 28 61 for more information.

For more information about voluntary payments see the loan repayments page.

In providing HELP loans to higher education students, the government acknowledges that a proportion of these loans may not be repaid. You are only required to repay a HELP loan when you can afford to do so. This means that if you never earn over the compulsory repayment threshold that is set each year, then you will not be required to repay the debt. 

Also, a HELP debt is attributed to an individual through their tax file number, so the responsibility of the debt is not transferred to another person, nor is the HELP debt required to be paid in full by a person’s estate.

If you have any further questions, please contact the ATO on 13 28 61 for more information.

For more information about repaying your debt and compulsory repayment thresholds, see the loan repayments page.

Your employer will withhold and send to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) a percentage of your regular pay based on the annual repayment threshold and repayment table.

For example, if you earn an annual salary within the range which requires a compulsory repayment rate of 4% of your annual income, your employer will withhold and send to the ATO 4% of each of your regular (weekly, fortnightly or monthly) pays.

More information is available on the loan repayments page.

No, voluntary repayments are considered to be additional repayments and do not count towards or reduce your annual compulsory repayment.

When you lodge your annual tax return, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) will calculate your income for the year. If your annual income exceeds the compulsory repayment threshold, the ATO will calculate your compulsory repayment based on the repayment percentage in the repayment table.

More information on the current financial year repayment income threshold and repayment table is available on the loan repayments page.

Information on current and historical repayment thresholds and repayment table is also available on the ATO website.

Repayment thresholds are calculated on your before tax income.

However, it is not only the income from your employment that is used to calculate your compulsory repayment. It also includes income from other sources, such as from any investments. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) calls this your repayment income.

More information on how your repayment income is calculated is available on the ATO website.

Your higher education provider is responsible for assessing your eligibility against the legal criteria. 

For more information about how student loans work, see the how student loans work page.

You may be eligible for a CSP and/or HELP loan depending on your visa and residency status. 

The Department of Home Affairs manages all immigration matters. You can check your visa details and conditions online the Department of Home Affairs website.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

Yes, provided you meet the relevant eligibility requirements for a CSP and/or HELP loan. 

For more information about the eligibility requirements see the Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

All NZ citizens can receive the same public subsidy for their studies as Australian students if they are enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP).

 A CSP is where the Australian Government pays part of the student’s tuition fees straight to the university on their behalf. This is not a loan, and the student is not required to pay this amount back. 

However, the subsidy amount paid by the Australian Government does not cover the whole cost of the university course. This means that there is an amount left to be paid, called the 'student contribution' amount. 

To pay the student contribution amount, some NZ special category visa (SCV) holders or former SCV holders can access a HELP loan. 

As a NZ SCV holder (or former SCV holder), you may be eligible to access a HELP loan providing you meet all of the following long-term residency requirements:

• you first began to be usually resident in Australia at least 10 years ago, AND
• at that time, you were a dependent child under the age of 18 with no spouse or de facto partner, AND 
• you have been in Australia for at least:
  • A total of eight out of the past 10 years (from when you apply for the loan)
  • A total of 18 months out of the last two years (from when you apply for the loan).

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

From 29 June 2023, New Zealand citizens who formerly held a Special Category Visa (who were eligible for HELP assistance) and have transitioned to a permanent resident visa on the pathway to citizenship, will have continued access to HELP loans provided you continue to meet the long-term residency requirements.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

Australian permanent residents can receive the same public subsidy for their studies as Australian students if they are enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP). However, CSPs do not cover the whole cost of the university course. This means that there is an amount left to be paid, called the 'student contribution' amount. To pay the student contribution amount, PRs are not able to access a HELP loan.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

As a temporary visa holder/international student, you are not eligible to access access a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) or a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan for your study. Temporary visa holders are classified as international students and must pay the overseas student fees charged by their education provider.

General information for international students who intend to study in Australia can be found at Study Australia, which provides comprehensive information about higher education providers and courses, applying for a place at a higher education provider, course fees, and scholarships. 

You may also wish to contact the scholarships office or student support area at your intended higher education provider to ask about other assistance that may be available to you, like scholarships or other possible funding sources.

Yes, since 1 January 2022, former permanent humanitarian visa holders have become eligible for both Commonwealth supported places (CSPs) and HELP loans.

An eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder is a person who is:

• not a permanent humanitarian visa holder; and
• was previously a permanent humanitarian visa holder; and
• is the holder of a subclass 155 or subclass 157 Resident Return visa (please visit non-Australian citizens page for more information).

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

You may be eligible to apply for a HELP loan for any units of study with census dates that occur after the day on which you obtained Australian citizenship, this includes having completed the ceremony, taken the pledge of commitment and received the citizenship certificate.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility requirements, see the Non-Australian citizens page.

To be eligible for a HELP loan, an Australian citizen will need to undertake at least one unit of study in Australia contributing to their course of study. The legislation does not specify when this must take place but the student must undertake at least one unit in Australia at some point in their course.

For more information about eligibility requirements see the Australian citizens page.

If you meet the relevant eligibility criteria and have enough available HELP available, you will be able to access a HELP loan for your new course.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

For more information about further study see the postgraduate and returning to study page.

If you are eligible, you may be able to access a CSP and/or a HELP loan while being enrolled in two courses simultaneously, at the same or different higher education providers.

Providers must assess all students as genuine students who are academically suited to their course. This is particularly important for students studying multiple courses. Students must limit their enrolment to 2.0 EFTSL (i.e. two years or less) worth of study per year unless their provider has assessed them as academically suited to undertake more study and maintain a reasonable completion rate to remain eligible for a CSP.

It is important that you meet all the eligibility requirements for a CSP and/or a HELP loan as well as accept offer(s) of enrolment at both providers. The student administration area at both of your intended providers is best able to provide information about eligibility and applying for government financial assistance such as a CSP or HELP loan.

If you plan to use a HELP loan for your fees for the two different courses, we suggest you check the expected costs and that you will have enough HELP balance available to cover the cost of both sets of fees. It is a student's responsibility to know their own HELP balance so that you don't reach your HELP loan limit before you finish. You can find out your available HELP balance at myHELPbalance.

If you accept an offer of a CSP, you will also need to ensure that you have enough Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) to complete your courses. 

When you are enrolled in two separate courses, you will need to ensure that you complete the right paperwork on or before the census date for EACH of your courses. This means that even if you are doing two courses at the same university, you would need to complete a CSP and/or HELP application for each course.

For more information about SLE see the Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) page.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

No. Institutions that are not Australian are not approved to offer their students access to any government financial assistance such as a CSP or HELP loans.

You may wish to get in touch with your international university directly to see if they have any in-house subsidies, scholarships or payment plans you may be eligible for.

However, if you are enrolled in a CSP at an Australian university and wish to undertake part of your study overseas (e.g. an overseas exchange), you may be eligible to access an OS-HELP loan for the portion of your overseas study.

For more information about an OS-HELP loan see the OS-HELP and overseas study page.

For more information about which Australian providers can offer Commonwealth assistance, see the providers offering Commonwealth assistance page.

Only if you meet the eligibility and residency requirements.

If you are an Australian citizen, your residency arrangements prior to commencing study will not affect your eligibility for a HELP loan. However, once you commence study, to be eligible for a HELP loan, residency requirements state that you must study at least part of your course in Australia.

It is best to check with your higher education provider about your enrolment and residency plans and whether you would be eligible for a CSP and/or HELP loan. 

Please note, in addition to the HELP residency requirements, your provider might have their own specific requirements for students studying online e.g. there may be a requirement for a portion of your studies to be undertaken on campus in Australia, which could be one unit, or one semester.

If you are not an Australian citizen, please check the residency requirements.

For more information about non-Australian eligibility and residency requirements, see the non-Australian citizens page.

You can also see if you are eligible for a HELP loan using the Eligibility tool.

There is a cap on what you can borrow from the government through HELP loans to pay for your study. This cap is called your HELP loan limit.

The HELP limit is set in legislation and is indexed each year. There are no exemptions from this limit or extensions, based on personal circumstances.

You can log in to myHELPbalance to keep track of how much Commonwealth assistance you have used, and how much you can continue to borrow.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

A higher HELP loan limit is available for students studying medicine, dentistry and veterinary science courses leading to initial registration, or eligible aviation courses.

 If you are studying one of the above listed fields of education and are unsure if your course is eligible for the higher HELP loan limit, you must contact the student administration area of your intended higher education provider.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

Once a student has reached their HELP loan limit, they will not be able to take out any further HELP loans for units of study until they have begun repaying their HELP debt. This is because the HELP loan limit is a lifetime limit - but it is 'renewable'. When you make a HELP debt repayment (either voluntary or compulsory), it will allow you to borrow that amount again i.e. tops up your available HELP balance.

In circumstances where a student reaches their HELP limit but they have not yet completed their studies, they would be required to pay the amounts, for units in which they are enrolled, upfront directly to their university. Otherwise, a student may choose to take a break from studies until they have made enough repayments against their debt to have enough HELP balance available to cover new studies.

The HELP limit is set in legislation and there are no exemptions from this limit or extensions, based on personal circumstances.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

myHELPbalance (MHB) is a database that helps you keep track of how much you have borrowed through HELP loans.

You will be able to see each unit of study that you used a HELP loan to pay for, any loans fees and any remitted HELP loans. However, it will not show indexation added or your current HELP debt (the amount you owe).

MHB will also show your available HELP balance (how much available HELP loan balance you have left) and the applicable HELP limit that applies to you (this can vary depending on your course).

You will need your CHESSN or USI and personal details (full name, date of birth, and student ID) to login to MHB. You can find your CHESSN on your Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) or you can ask your higher education provider to provide it to you. You can find your USI at www.usi.gov.au.

For more information about borrowing limits see the your borrowing limit page.

Firstly, it is important that you enter your details correctly. If there are any errors, you will not be able to log in. 

You may only use your USI to log in if you have provided it to your provider, and it has been verified once they have submitted your enrolment details to the department. If you are unable to log in with your USI, or are a continuing student prior to 1 January 2021, then please use your CHESSN to log in. 

If you are a new student from 1 January 2021, and cannot log in using your USI, please check with your higher education provider that your USI has verified. You can find your USI at www.usi.gov.au.

If you are unsure what your CHESSN is, you can find it on your Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) or you can ask your higher education provider to provide it to you. Your higher education provider is also responsible for assigning you a student ID, so they will also be able to provide this to you. You can log in using previous student IDs.

If you are unable to log in using the above information, please contact us and provide your CHESSN or USI and your Student ID.

Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) is the amount of study you can undertake in a Commonwealth supported places (CSP) in your lifetime. The SLE gives students 7 years of full-time subsidised study in a CSP.

A year of full-time study is known as an EFTSL (Equivalent Full-Time Student Load), with your Learning Entitlement starting at 7 EFTSL. This is known as Ordinary SLE.

Your total SLE amount will be reduced in accordance with your overall study load in a CSP.

A person may receive Additional SLE if they undertake any of the following course types:

• Undergraduate course with a course load greater than 6 EFTSL
• Postgraduate and graduate entry bachelor courses
• Honours course with a course load equal to or less than 1 EFTSL

A person will also receive Lifelong SLE in the following circumstances:

• 3 EFTSL at the latter of:
  • 1 January 2032; or
  • The 1 January immediately following a period of 10 years after they first commence in a course of study with a higher education provider.
  • If a course you are enrolled in is restructured, and as a result you have to undertake extra study to complete it.

For more information about SLE see the Student Learning Entitlement (SLE) page.

If you change your name, you must advise the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) of your name change which will update your TFN details. Once this is done, you can notify your higher education provider of your name change which they will report to the department which will change your details in our system.

Your enrolled name and date of birth will need to match with the details against your USI for your USI to verify. If any of the details on your USI account are incorrect, you can update your details in your USI account at www.usi.gov.au.

No. Age is not an eligibility requirement under the Higher Education Support Act 2003, and as such does not affect a student’s eligibility for a CSP and/or HELP loan. 

For more information about HELP eligibility see the eligibility overview page.

Yes, a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan is not means tested so your income does not affect your eligibility to access a HELP loan. However, it will affect when you need to make compulsory repayments and the size of those repayments.

For more information about making repayments, see the loan repayments page.

A person declared bankrupt can access a Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) loan providing they meet eligibility requirements. An applicant's financial situation is not an eligibility criterion for a HELP loan.

For more information about HELP eligibility see the eligibility overview page.