Education Funding System Frequently Asked Questions

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The EFS is the Department of Education’s new digital platform, designed to modernise the education digital ecosystem. It delivers simple, secure, and connected digital services for schools and higher education providers, replacing legacy systems like SchoolsHUB.

The EFS will improve the way the department collects data, calculates entitlements, and makes payments to education providers. It will reduce administrative burden, enhance user experience, and meet modern IT security requirements.

The EFS will be delivered incrementally over five releases between November 2025 and December 2026. 

The first release in November 2025 will impact Approved Authorities, with further releases expanding functionality to Block Grant Authorities, Non-Government Representative Bodies and higher education institutions from 2026.

The EFS Release 1 in November 2025 is the first of 5 releases that will be delivered between November 2025 and December 2026. 

The Release 1 only impacts approved authorities. From Release 1 in November 2025, approved authorities can access the EFS via EducationHUB (and using their Digital ID) in readiness to view 2026 school payments and submit data as part of their funding requirements. 

There are no changes for Block Grant Authorities (BGAs), Non-Government Representative Bodies (NGRBs), or higher education providers in November 2025.

From Release 1 in November 2025, approved authorities will be able to view their organisation and schools in the EFS. 

All data collections for schools will be submitted using the EFS, in line with existing data collection timeframes, commencing with the February 2026 address collection. 

All payments to approved authorities will be made from the EFS, in line with existing payment timeframes, commencing with the January 2026 recurrent funding payment (for government and non-government schools) and any relevant prescribed or special circumstances payments. 

SchoolsHUB will remain available for approved authorities to view historical data, manage their organisation and schools until Release 2. 

Following the second release, approved authorities will manage their organisation and schools in the EFS. Historical data will remain available to view in SchoolsHub.

Digital ID is a secure, Australian Government-approved way to prove your identity online. 

All EFS users will need a Digital ID (myID) to access the system, replacing traditional passwords and multi-factor authentication for enhanced security. 

myID is the Australian Government’s Digital ID app, used by over 13 million Australians to access more than 150 government services. Once set up, you can use myID to access online government services without needing to remember or update passwords.

Digital ID System

If you don’t already have a myID, you can set one up easily. Head to myID.gov.au for more information.

Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM) is an authorisation service that allows you to access government online services on behalf of your business or organisation. 

To access the EFS on behalf of a business, the person responsible for the business (known as the principal authority) will need to link the organisation Australian Business Number (ABN). 

Once linked, others can be authorised to act on behalf of the business and will be invited to link their myID.

The department has developed detailed onboarding instructions to support you to access EFS. You can also visit myID.gov.au and info.authorisationmanager.gov.au for more information. 

myID can be set up at any time by visiting myID.gov.au 

Department of Education service is now available to link to your myID in RAM.

The department will run a comprehensive communication and training campaign from September 2025 to December 2026, including online briefings, user guides, FAQs, and help desk support. For more support information visit the EFS webpage on the department’s website.

EducationHUB is a new dedicated website launched as part of the EFS implementation. 

It is designed to be the main entry point for education providers to access information, resources, and digital services from the Department of Education. 

EducationHUB will streamline the user experience for schools and higher education institutions by providing a single location for funding arrangements, legislation, policy information, training materials, user guides, and secure access to the EFS using Digital ID.

On EducationHUB, you can: 

  • Find up-to-date information about funding arrangements, legislation, and policy
  • Access resources such as training materials and user guides
  • Log in securely to the Education Funding System (EFS) using your Digital ID (myID)
  • Over time, access an expanding range of education services as EducationHUB evolves.

EducationHUB simplifies and secures your interactions with the Department of Education by:

  • reducing the need for multiple logins and manual processes
  • providing self-service functionality and easily accessible information
  • enhancing cyber security through Digital ID authentication
  • supporting a more streamlined and efficient user experience
  • a modern user experience informed by user research.

Approved authorities will begin using EducationHUB from November 2025 to access the EFS, view payment information, and submit required data collections. Other education providers will transition to EducationHUB in later releases.

For more information, visit EducationHUB.

The Department of Education has commenced engagement with approved authorities to support Education Funding System access. You can view the approved authorities onboarding information here.