Update on historical higher education loan amounts not visible on student loan accounts at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
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Update
As part of the usual processes in maintaining the integrity of the Higher Education Loan Program, there are a small number of current and former higher education loans that were not properly transferred to their Australian Taxation Office (ATO) student loan accounts.
As some individuals may not have been aware of these loans, and to ensure any affected individual is not unfairly financially disadvantaged, the Australian Government will waive annual indexation on identified loans up to 2023. Loans reported by providers to the Department of Education before 1 May 2024 with census dates on or before 30 June 2022 are eligible for these waivers.
All loans transferred to the ATO as part of this process will receive the 20 per cent student loan reduction announced by the Australian Government.
The Department of Education and the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations are working together with higher education providers and the ATO to provide information and support for any affected individual.
View further information for Delayed VET Student Loans.
Historical indexation will be waived for affected higher education students
Annual indexation on affected higher education loans will be waived up to 2023 for individuals whose loans were reported before 1 May 2024 that have a census date on or before 30 June 2022.
You will see indexation amounts on your ATO account for each year. The indexation waiver will be applied later as a single transaction covering all affected years.
As per the usual arrangements for student loans, indexation rates relating to delayed loan records will apply from 1 June 2024 onwards.
What to do if you are facing hardship
Repayments on HELP debts only commence once a person earns above the minimum repayment income. You can view the repayment thresholds and rates on the ATO’s website.
If you are required to make a compulsory student loan repayment and believe doing so would cause you serious hardship, or you have other special circumstances, you can apply to the ATO to defer your payment.
View further information on how to defer or amend your compulsory repayment or overseas levy.
Checking your ATO loan account
Updated loan records will be visible on individual ATO records once they have been processed. For more information about your ATO loan accounts and how to manage them, please refer to:
Next steps
Affected individuals will be contacted to provide additional information and support.
Updated loan records will be visible on ATO accounts once they have been processed.
Please continue to check this website for the latest advice.
Contacting the department
If you have any further queries about this matter or would like to know how to make a complaint, please contact the Higher Education Loan Program student support team on the StudyAssist website.