Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) and SA-HELP

Charging a SSAF

Higher education providers (providers) can charge students a SSAF of up to $373 in 2026. This maximum amount is indexed annually and published on the Department’s Funding Clusters and Indexed Rates webpage. Students studying on a part-time basis cannot be charged more than 75 per cent of the maximum amount charged to students studying on a full-time basis in a calendar year. Therefore, the maximum SSAF a part-time student can be charged is $279.75 in 2026. Providers cannot round this amount up. Providers must determine a SSAF payment due date that cannot be earlier than the last day on which a student is able to enrol in a course of study with the provider (i.e. enrolment closing date).

SA-HELP

Eligible students can request Commonwealth assistance and defer full or part of the SSAF through a SA‑HELP loan. The amount of SA-HELP accessed by a student will be added to the student’s accumulated HELP debt. A student is taken to incur their SA-HELP debt immediately after the day the SSAF is payable. Providers are expected to develop their own policies in relation to the refund of the SSAF. A SA-HELP debt can only be remitted in limited circumstances. The special circumstances provisions do not apply to SA‑HELP debts.  

Providers will be notified of estimate and variation submission opportunities. End of year reconciliation of SA-HELP paid for the previous year occurs after a provider has verified the final student loan data with the Department. Information about SA‑HELP data reporting requirements is available on the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) website.  

Spending SSAF revenue

Providers may spend SSAF revenue on the 19 allowable items specified in subsection 19-38(4) of the HESA. Providers may spend SSAF revenue to directly provide a service, to get someone else to provide a service or subsidise a service provided by someone else, or on infrastructure for the provision of a service. When delivering health, welfare, advocacy, or career services directly to enrolled students, providers are responsible for ensuring that these services are delivered by trained and qualified staff, including where services are delivered by third-party organisations. Providers must not allow SSAF revenue to be used to support political parties, or to support the election of a person to a Commonwealth or State or Territory Parliament or local Government body.

SSAF reporting

Providers that charge a SSAF are required to submit the SSAF Expenditure Report to the Department by 30 June or 31 December (whichever is applicable), including:

• a SSAF acquittal showing total SSAF revenue earned and spent in the reporting year; and
• a SSAF certification confirming that SSAF was charged and spent in accordance with the HESA and associated guidelines.

The SSAF Expenditure Reporting requirements are specified in:  

• the Financial Statement Guidelines for Table A and B providers, and  
• the Financial Viability Instructions: Applicants and Providers of FEE‑HELP (FVI) for all other approved providers.  

Providers must publish a report on SSAF allocations and actual expenditure for the year using the SSAF Allocation Report approved by the Minister. This Report was developed to allow for greater transparency and consistency in reporting on SSAF allocations and actual expenditure. Providers must submit the completed SSAF Allocation Report to SSAF@education.gov.au by 30 June.

Minimum SSAF allocation

From 1 January 2025, providers that charge a SSAF must allocate a minimum of 40 per cent of their SSAF revenue for the calendar year to one or more student-led organisation.

If a provider is unable to allocate a minimum of 40 per cent of SSAF revenue to student-led organisations while maintaining the key services to the expected level, it will be required to seek approval from the Department for an agreed transition arrangement via the Transition Plan template.  

The total length of transition arrangements is 3 years for Table A providers and 5 years for non-Table A providers. After this time, providers must comply with the legislative requirements.

For the remaining 60 per cent of SSAF revenue, current legislative and Department requirements remain unchanged.

Student-led organisation

A student-led organisation is an organisation operated by students at a university, college, or other educational institution, whose governing body is made up of a majority of students and/or alumni (from the preceding 3 years), who have been democratically elected by the current student population of the provider. Providers are responsible for working with student‑led organisations to ensure legislative requirements are met and SSAF expenditure remains compliant.  

Providers must be satisfied that student-led organisations meet the governance requirements, including that the organisation operates independently of the provider, prepares and publishes annual audited financial statements recording all income and expenditure, maintains and complies with corporate governance standards, and delivers the services to students specified under subsection 19-38(4) of HESA.

Student consultation

Providers must formally consult with democratically elected student representatives on the use of SSAF, specifically, the proceeds from any compulsory SSAF are used. Annual reporting will be required from providers to provide evidence that students are regularly consulted about SSAF funding allocations for the remaining 60 per cent. The consultation process must be timely reviewed and annually approved by a provider’s governing body.

Providers are required to notify enrolled students and democratically elected student representatives of the purpose of the SSAF, the anticipated SSAF revenue, the mechanisms to establish priorities for SSAF revenue expenditure, and the timing and mechanism available to comment on the proposed priorities. Providers must also comply with the requirements relating to the representation and advocacy of the interests of students and providing students with information about, and access to, services.  

Publishing requirements  

Providers that charge a SSAF must publish on their website:

• the amount of the fee;
• the date that the fee is payable;
• the period to which the fee relates; and
• the persons or categories of persons to whom the fee relates.

Providers must publish this information by:  

• 1 April for SSAF payable between 1 July and 31 December of the same year; and  
• 1 October for SSAF payable between 1 January and 30 June of the following year  

As part of the student consultation process, providers must publish:

• information about the consultation process on their website and in their annual report; and  
• how the SSAF revenue will be spent, the established priorities, proposed heads of expenditure and projects to be funded, once consultation has been undertaken.

Providers that have funding agreements for the relevant year under Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS) must also publish their completed SSAF Allocation Report on their website by 30 June.  

Want to know more?

The SSAF is governed by the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and associated guidelines. The Higher Education Support (Administration) Guidelines 2022 (Administration Guidelines) sets out the administrative and publishing requirements for the SSAF. The Higher Education Support (Student Services, Amenities, Representation and Advocacy) Guidelines 2022 (SSARA Guidelines) sets out requirements for providing students with information about, and access to, services and the representation and advocacy of the interests of students.  

Providers should refer to the Department’s Administrative Information for Providers manual for additional information about SSAF and SA‑HELP. Further information about SA‑HELP, including eligibility criteria and how to apply, can be found on the Study Assist website.

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) webpage outlines the legislative requirements and reporting obligations for providers. A fact sheet is also available to assist providers who charge a SSAF and offer SA-HELP.  

Any queries or concerns relating to the SSAF or the SA‑HELP can be directed to the Department via SSAF@education.gov.au.