SA-HELP is a loan from the Australian Government to help you pay your higher education provider’s student services and amenities fee (SSAF).
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Separate to your tuition fees, each semester you may have to pay the SSAF. The SSAF is for expenses at your campus such as childcare, food services, financial advice, sporting and recreational activities or employment and career advice.
A SA-HELP loan can be used to pay for some or all of the SSAF and is paid directly to your provider by the government.
In 2024, the maximum SSAF amount your provider can charge you is $351.
SA-HELP publications
SA-HELP booklet and fact sheet are available on the HELP publications page.
Eligibility for SA-HELP Loan
To receive a SA-HELP loan you must meet all the eligibility criteria.
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be enrolled in a higher education course at a provider that offers HELP loans
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submit the ‘Request for a SA-HELP loan’ form to your provider by the census date
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meet the citizenship and residency requirements
Citizenship and residency requirements
To meet the citizenship and residency requirements for SA-HELP you must be one of the following:
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an Australian citizen who will study at least one unit of your course of study in Australia
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a permanent humanitarian visa holder or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder who is resident in Australia on the day the student services and amenities fee is payable
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a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder, or eligible former New Zealand SCV holder who meets the long-term residency requirements and who studies the entire course while living in Australia, or
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a pacific engagement visa (PEV) holder who is resident in Australia (note: a PEV holder became eligible from 1 February 2024)
Additional requirements
You will also need your tax file number (TFN) and unique student identifier (USI) to be eligible.
Useful links and resources
Find more information about your tax file number.
Learn more about your USI and CHESSN.
Further information is available in the eligibility FAQs.
How do I apply for a SA-HELP loan?
To apply for SA-HELP you will need to submit a request for SA-HELP loan form by the census date. The form is only available through your higher education provider.
For example
If you are applying for a HECS-HELP loan or a FEE-HELP loan to pay for your tuition fees, but you also intend to apply for a SA-HELP loan to pay your SSAF, you will need to submit two forms.
You only need to apply for SA-HELP once for the duration of your course.
If you have already applied and want to check if your loan has been approved, you will need to ask your provider directly.
Indexation of SA-HELP loans
Similar to interest, your HELP debt will grow. We call this ‘indexation’. Indexation is applied on 1 June every year to the portion of your HELP debt that is older than 11 months.
Indexation is added to your HELP debt to reflect the changes in the cost of living. This is done to ensure education maintains its value over time, like other goods and services.
The rate of indexation that is applied to your debt changes each year.
It is important you understand how indexation will impact your SA-HELP debt. Further information about indexation is available at loan increases and indexation.
Repayment of SA-HELP loans
Your SA-HELP loan amount will be added to your accumulated HELP debt and is repaid through the Australian tax system to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
You must make a compulsory repayment against your HELP debt when you start earning above the compulsory repayment threshold. You can also make voluntary repayments to the ATO at any time to reduce the balance of your HELP debt.
Further information regarding repayment of your HELP loan is available at paying back your loan.
Repayment options
Further information regarding repayment options is also available on the ATO website. You can discuss your HELP debt and repayment options by calling the ATO directly on 13 28 61 or visiting ATO online services linked to your myGov account.