Reduction of Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debts for eligible doctors and nurse practitioners in rural, remote and very remote areas

Waiver of indexation

Indexation is applied to outstanding HELP debts by the Australian Taxation Office on 1 June each year.

Eligible doctors and nurse practitioners may be eligible to have indexation waived on their HELP debt for the period of time they have resided and worked in a rural, remote or very remote location of Australia (MM3-7).

Further information and examples of how waivers of indexation are applied are available on the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Reduction of accumulated HELP debt

Under the program, eligible doctors and nurse practitioners may receive a reduction of their HELP debt.

The value of the reduction is calculated using the lesser of the following values:

the total HELP debt incurred for the eligible medical or nurse practitioner qualification
the value of the HELP debt outstanding at the time they started eligible work in a rural, remote or very remote location (on or after 1 January 2022).

Where you resided and worked, and the length of your study, will determine the number of years of service required for you to be eligible for either a 50% or 100% reduction.

Further information and examples of HELP debt reduction calculations are available on the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Eligibility

To receive a waiver of indexation on your outstanding HELP debt or a reduction to your accumulated HELP debt, you must meet the eligibility criteria.

Eligibility Criteria for Nurse Practitioners

To be eligible you must meet all the following criteria:

have completed an eligible course of study e.g. Masters of Nurse Practitioner and received the required qualifications
have a HECS-HELP debt or a FEE-HELP debt in relation to the accredited nurse practitioner course of study e.g. Masters of Nurse Practitioner
be registered with Ahpra and hold an endorsement as a registered nurse practitioner with Ahpra
have resided and worked in a rural, remote or very remote (MM3-7)location based on the Modified Monash Model classification
be applying for residential and employment periods dated on or after 1 January 2022.

Eligibility Criteria for Doctors

To be eligible you must meet all the following criteria:

have completed an eligible course of study in medicine and received the required qualifications
have a HECS-HELP debt or a FEE-HELP debt in relation to the course of study
hold a registration as a medical practitioner with Ahpra
have completed at least 36 months service following initial registration with Ahpra
be applying for a period that is dated on or after 1 January 2022, or dated on or after 36 months following your initial Ahpra registration (only periods following whichever is the later of these two dates are eligible for consideration)
have resided and worked in a rural, remote or very remote (MM3-7) location based on the Modified Monash Model classification.
have worked at least 24 hours per week providing “general practice services”.
be applying for residential and employment periods dated on or after 1 January 2022.

General Practice Services eligibility criteria

To be eligible, you must be providing general practice services.

The HELP Debtor Guidelines (Health Practitioners) 2023 states that a person carries out work as a health practitioner in circumstances where they carry out work as a medical practitioner or nurse practitioner within a general practice.

General practice means the totality of a medical practice as an organisation including any medical practitioners, nurse practitioners and other health care professionals that may work at the practice doing the following:

managing undifferentiated acute and chronic health problems across the lifespan in an unreferred patient population;
providing continuing care for individuals with chronic conditions; and
undertaking preventive health activities such as screening, immunisation, and health education.

Reside and work eligibility criteria

Only periods of residence and work on or after 1 January 2022 are eligible for consideration. For doctors, it must also be 36 months following their initial Ahpra registration.

To be eligible for assistance, your period of residence and work in a rural, remote or very remote area (MM3-7) must have already been completed.

Your usual place of residence must be in a rural, remote or very remote area (MM3-7).You will not be eligible if you reside in a rural, remote or very remote area (MM3-7) on an irregular or temporary basis and have your permanent residence elsewhere.

To receive a HELP debt reduction, you must have resided and worked in a rural, remote or very remote location for the minimum service period.

The required minimum service period varies depending on the location and the length of your degree as outlined below.

What is the Modified Monash Model (MMM)?

Rural, remote and very remote locations, in terms of accessing health related services in Australia, are classified using the Modified Monash Model (MMM). The MMM rates remoteness and population size from MM 1 to MM 7. MM 1 demotes a major city, while MM 7 denotes a very remote community. These classifications identify areas with limited access to services. They also help guide workforce planning and incentive programs.

MM3-5 (Rural) required minimum service period

Length of eligible degree	Required years to reside and work in the location to receive 50% HELP Debt Reduction	Required years to reside and work in the location to receive 100% Help Debt Reduction
6 years	3 years	6 years
4 years	2 years	4 years
2 years	1 years	2 years

MM 6-7 (Remote / Very Remote) required minimum service period

Length of eligible degree	Required years to reside and work in the location to receive 50% HELP Debt Reduction	Required years to reside and work in the location to receive 100% Help Debt Reduction
6 years	1.5 years	3 years
4 years	1 year	2 years
2 years	6 months	1 year

Applying to the program

When to apply

To be eligible for assistance, your period of residence and work in a rural, remote or very remote (MM3-7) area must have already been completed.

Eligibility cannot be determined based on future plans.

You can apply for a waiver of indexation every year. You can apply for a HELP debt reduction when you meet the minimum service thresholds.

You can apply while residing and working in an eligible location or you can apply after finishing work in an eligible location.

Prepare your supporting documents

Check you have all your supporting documents before you submit your application.

All dates in these documents must make it clear that the residence and employment periods, in an eligible area (MM3-7), align.

Submit all supporting documents with your application. If you do not provide the necessary supporting documents, your application may be delayed or rejected.

To apply you will require the following information and supporting documents.

Find your Ahpra number

Find your Ahpra number on the Register of Practitioners.

Find your CHESSN or USI

Your Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) was your unique reference number for applying for Commonwealth assistance such as HELP loans.

Find your CHESSN on your Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN).Your CAN would have been provided to you by your higher education provider each semester.

The Unique Student Identifier (USI) was introduced on 1 January 2021 and replaced the CHESSN as the primary higher education student support reference number. You may not have a USI. It is useful but not compulsory to share it with us. Learn to find your USI.

Statement of service from your employer

The statement of service or letter from your employer must be on your employer’s official letterhead and confirm the duration, location and duties of your employment. The statement of service should only provide information about work that has been completed.

The statement of service or letter from employer must include:

your full name and position title
description of your role & activities performed
date of your commencement
duration of your employment
the location of your duties - where you are working in multiple locations, a list of locations must be provided
number of hours worked each week – where you are working in multiple locations, a breakdown of hours worked at each location is required
periods of unpaid leave.

The statement of service must be signed by the employer or authorised representative e.g. practice manager.

Proof of residency information

You must provide evidence that you resided in the rural, remote or very remote location where you were employed, and that you resided continuously in your employment location.

If you are staying in private accommodation / accommodation sourced by you, examples of suitable evidence include:

Utility bills from an internet, gas or electricity provider
Lease agreement – the agreement should clearly display the length / dates of the rental agreement and be signed by both parties.
Rental ledger - the ledger should clearly display the duration of the stay in the rented accommodation.
Home contents insurance certificate of currency / insurance invoice (must include contents insurance).

If you are staying in employer provided accommodation examples of suitable evidence includes:

A letter from employer on employer letterhead confirming location and duration of stay at accommodation.

Use of a statutory declaration

If you are unable to provide the necessary proof of residence documents detailed above, a Commonwealth statutory declaration may be accepted.

In the statutory declaration you must detail the residential address, how long you resided there and provide a brief explanation as to why you are unable to provide the preferred documents.

Suggested wording for the statutory declaration is detailed below:

I declare that for the purposes of my application for the Health Practitioner HELP initiative, I resided at ADDRESS between START DATE and END DATE. I am unable to provide other documentary evidence because STATE BRIEF EXPLANATION.

The penalties for making a false statutory declaration to the Commonwealth can result in significant fines, prison and a criminal record.

Proof of Qualification

You must provide a copy of your degree and official academic transcript. The official academic transcript will be available to you at the completion of your degree.

This document must confirm the date course requirements were completed or date conferred.

If you are nurse practitioner you must provide an endorsement from NMBA.

Australian Taxation Office (ATO) HELP Debt Statement

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

The ATO HELP debt statement must show your name and TFN.

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

How to apply

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

A applicant 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 application form.

Program Administration and Governance

The Program is administered by the Department of Education. Support and policy advice is provided by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.

The Program operates under Division 144 – Special measures for location-preferred HELP debtors-health practitioners in Part 4-1 of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) and the HELP Debtor Guidelines (Health Practitioners) 2023 (the Guidelines).

Further information

Frequently Asked Questions explain the program, the eligibility criteria and the application process. The FAQs also provide example calculations of waivers of indexation and HELP debt reductions.

If you have further questions please contact us at HealthPractitionerHELP@education.gov.au.