The HECS-HELP benefit provides an incentive for graduates of particular courses to take up related occupations or work in specified locations by reducing:
- compulsory HELP repayments, or
- HELP debt.
You may be eligible for the HECS-HELP benefit if you have graduated in one of the following fields and meet the criteria as listed on the StudyAssist website:
- mathematics, statistics or science
- education, nursing or midwifery
- early childhood education.
You may be eligible for more than one type of benefit. For example, an early childhood education teacher working in a rural/remote area may be eligible for both the early childhood education HECS-HELP benefit as well as the education HECS-HELP benefit.
You need to lodge a separate application for each benefit.
How to apply
There are two different application forms for HECS-HELP benefits depending on your area of study:
- early childhood education
- maths, science, education or nursing (including midwifery).
If you’re eligible, you can apply for the HECS-HELP benefit by completing the relevant form in the link below. Each form includes an eligibility checklist at the start – the rest of the form will appear only if you are able to answer ‘Yes’ to all questions in the checklist.
Next step:
- Applying for HECS-HELP benefit
See also:
- HECS-HELP benefit maximum annual amounts
- StudyAssist: HECS-HELP benefitExternal Link
Time limits
You have two years to lodge your application from the end of the income year for which you are applying. For example, if you are applying for the 2014–15 income year, your application must reach us by 30 June 2017. We will not accept late applications.
Eligible graduates may apply for the HECS-HELP benefit on an annual basis for a total lifetime claim of 260 weeks. Your claim does not need to be for a continuous period. The number of weeks you claim for each year will be subtracted from the 260 weeks until your entitlement is reduced to nil.
Discount for TSL apprentices
If you are an Australian apprentice and you have successfully completed your apprenticeship, a 20% discount is applied to the Trade Support Loan (TSL) you borrowed.
See also:
- Australianapprenticeships.com.au
Source: ATO