Ask - /faq/4498/

TFN and HECS-HELP

I don't have a Tax File Number but want to apply for HECS-HELP.

When enrolling into a Commonwealth Supported Place for the first time, as part of your administrative course enrolment, you will need to complete a 'Request for Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP' form. If you are an Australian citizen or holder of a permanent humanitarian visa you can include your Tax File Number on this form to defer all or part of your subject fees to HECS-HELP. Some New Zealand citizens may be eligible for HECS-HELP. Check the Australian Government's eligibility criteria at http://studyassist.gov.au/sites/StudyAssist/.    

If you don't have a Tax File Number (TFN) at this time but still wish to access HECS-HELP you can do so by completing the following steps:

1. Complete the 'Request for Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP' form and select the 'I do not want a HECS-HELP loan' (at this stage, you do not need to provide a TFN).
2. Immediately apply for a TFN with the Australian Taxation Office, as your application may take up to 28 days to be processed.
3. Print your TFN application summary and take it to an interview at a participating Australia Post retail outlet to confirm your identity (this is a free service). Australia Post will then issue a barcode matched receipt.
4. Once you have been granted a TFN, you must re-submit your 'Request for Commonwealth Assistance' form with your new Tax File Number to apply for HECS-HELP. To do so, visit the Commonwealth Assistance Forms page in my.unimelb.

Do deadlines apply for submitting a Tax File Number?

You must re-submit your Request for Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP with your TFN (Step 4 listed above) no later than your earliest subject census date. If you anticipate that you will not have your TFN by your earliest subject census date you must send an email to sa-can@unimelb.edu.au and attach the following documents as proof that you have applied for a TFN:

• the receipt issued by Australia Post at Step 3, and
• a copy of your TFN application summary.

Once this proof has been supplied, the deadline for providing a TFN is extended and you can resubmit your 'Request for Commonwealth Support and HECS-HELP' with a TFN after the census date.

If you do not provide a TFN or proof that you have applied for a TFN before the census date, and you do not make full payment, your enrolment will be cancelled.

Combined HELP limit

From 1 January 2020 onwards, any borrowing under HECS-HELP will count towards your HELP limit. The HELP limit is the maximum amount that you can borrow under HELP over your lifetime.

Any previous HECS-HELP debts will not count towards your HELP limit. Previous FEE-HELP and VET FEE-HELP debts, however, will count towards your HELP limit.

Detailed information about the combined HELP limit is available from the Study Assist website