SA-HELP assists eligible students to defer all or part of their Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) through a loan.

Any amount deferred through SA-HELP will need to be repaid through the tax system once you meet a certain salary threshold.

Eligibility

To be eligible for SA-HELP you need to be: 

• be an Australian citizen or
• an Australian permanent humanitarian visa holder, or an eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder or
• a pacific engagement visa holder (effective 1 February 2024) or
• be a New Zealand Special Category Visa (SCV) holder or a former New Zealand SCV who meets the long-term residency requirements and
• meet the SA-HELP citizenship and residency requirements.

Eligibility criteria and legislation around SA-HELP can change. See the Study Assist website for details.

How to apply

If eligible, you can apply for SA-HELP through Sydney Student (go to ‘My finance’, ‘Your finances’, then ‘Government forms’). You will need to apply on or before the SSAF payment due date (20 March for Semester 1, 21 August for Semester 2).

As part of the application you will need to:

• read the SA-HELP information booklet
• provide your tax file number (TFN).

You only need to apply for SA-HELP once per course. We will then assume you are using SA-HELP every time the SSAF is charged, unless you change your payment option. You will need to submit a new Request for SA-HELP assistance if you change your course.

Your SSAF loan amount will be deferred to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) incurral date each semester (29 June or 5 December).

Providing your tax file number (TFN)

If you have not provided a TFN with your SA-HELP form by the SSAF incurral date, you will not be eligible for SA-HELP and will be required to pay your fees up front.

If you don’t have a TFN at the time of filling out your form, before the incurral date you will need to Apply for a TFN if you don’t already have one.