HELP Debt Reduction for very remote teachers

The HELP Debt Reduction for very remote teachers' initiative provides HELP debt reduction assistance for eligible teachers working in a very remote area of Australia.

On this page:

Independent Review of the HELP Debt Reduction Program

An independent review has commenced for the HELP debt reduction program for doctors and nurse practitioners living and working in rural, remote or very remote areas, as well as teachers working in very remote areas.

The 2025 review is being led by external reviewer, Ms Rachel Hunter AO PSM, and is due to report back to Government by mid-November 2025. It will consider the operation of the program and make recommendations to Government about future opportunities. The Terms of Reference for the review are also available.

The reviewer’s report will be provided to the Minister and tabled in Parliament.

What types of assistance are available?

There are two types of assistance under this initiative:

  • waivers of indexation on outstanding HELP debt and
  • reduction of accumulated HELP debt.
Waiver of indexation on accumulated HELP debt

Each year on 1 June, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) applies indexation to your outstanding HELP debt balance.

Eligible teachers working in very remote areas of Australia (as defined by the ABS Remoteness Structure) on or after 14 February 2019, may receive a waiver of indexation on their HELP debt. The waiver is proportionate to the eligible number of days you were working in a very remote area during the indexation year. You can apply for this waiver retrospectively, even after finishing work in a very remote location.

Further information on waivers of indexation is available on the Frequently asked questions page.

Reduction of accumulated HELP debt

Eligible teachers may receive a reduction to their HELP debt if they have completed four years (or 1,400 days) of teaching full time, or the pro-rated part time equivalent, in a six-year period. 

The HELP debt reduction will be the lesser of:

You may be eligible if you are or were a teacher in a very remote area of Australia (based on the ABS Remoteness Structure) on or after 1 January 2019 and have completed the relevant number of service days. 

Further information on the reduction of accumulated HELP debt is available on the Frequently asked questions page.

Am I eligible?

To be eligible for a waiver of indexation on your HELP debt or a reduction of your accumulated HELP debt, you must meet a number of eligibility criteria.

For both a waiver of indexation and HELP debt reduction you must:

  • Have completed a course of study which enables you to register as a teacher in the relevant state or territory.
  • Be working as a teacher in a ‘face-to-face’ manner at a centre-based daycare, preschool, primary school or secondary school.
  • Be working in a very remote area of Australia as defined by the ABS remoteness structure.
  • Have an outstanding HELP debt from your teaching course of study when you commence working in a very remote location.

In addition, for a HELP debt reduction you must:

  • have completed four years (or 1,400 days) of teaching full time, or the pro-rated part time equivalent, in a six-year period, or
  • have completed at least 800 days of teaching in a very remote area within a continuous six-year period, and be able to demonstrate exceptional circumstances that prevented you from reaching the full 1,400 days.

Lists of schools or centre based day care services in very remote areas of Australia

To be eligible, the address of your school or centre based day care service must be located in a very remote area of Australia based on the relevant Remoteness Areas Structure published by the ABS. Please see the following lists of schools and centre based day care services located in a very remote area.

The lists of centre based day care services operating in very remote areas:

The lists of eligible preschools in New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland and South Australia:

The list of eligible primary and secondary schools:

Please refer to the very remote schools list shown above for preschools located in eligible locations in Western Australia and Tasmania.

You can view the Remoteness Areas online using the ABS Maps tool.

Eligibility Commencement Dates
  • Eligibility for consideration of waivers of indexation commenced 14 February 2019.
  • Eligibility for consideration of HELP debt reductions commenced 1 January 2019.

Further information on eligibility criteria is available on the Frequently asked questions page.

How do I apply?

Before you apply – prepare your supporting documents

Applicants must provide appropriate supporting documentation with their application to be assessed. If you do not provide the relevant supporting documentation, your application may be rejected. 

Before you apply you should make sure you have the supporting documents listed below. 

If you are or were a full time or part time teacher, the statement/s must include the following:

  • Your full name
  • Your position title
  • Name & address of school, centre-based day care or pre-school.
  • Whether you were full-time or part-time or casual.
  • If you were part-time – what is your FTE.
  • Exact start and end dates of employment

If you are or were a causal teacher, the statement/s must include the following:

  • Your full name
  • Your position title
  • Name & address of school, centre-based day care or pre-school
  • Exact start and end dates you were available for casual work
  • The number of days that you have worked at the school, centre-based day care or pre-school.

An ATO HELP debt statement can be downloaded from ATO online services in your MyGov account.

The statement must show your name and TFN.

Help to download your ATO HELP debt statement is available on the ATO website. 

An academic transcript/statement of results showing evidence of a completed eligible initial teacher education qualification and any relevant prerequisites. 

The completion or conferral date must be clearly displayed.

Lodging your application

You can apply for reduction of accumulated HELP debts, indexation waivers and waiver extensions online using our myHELP reduction applicant portal.

A portal user guide for the portal is available to assist you. 

A Privacy Statement and Terms & Conditions are available. 

You can also apply for reduction of accumulated HELP debts, indexation waivers and waiver extensions by downloading the Very Remote Teachers Application Form.

Contact us

More information about reduction of accumulated HELP debt and waiver of indexation assistance can be found on the Frequently asked questions page.

If you need further assistance you can email veryremotehelp@education.gov.au.