How to Apply for SA-HELP to Pay Your Student Services and Amenities Fee

What does SA-HELP pay for?

SA-HELP is an Australian Government loan for paying a Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) charged by an eligible higher education provider. The government pays the approved SA-HELP amount directly to your provider, and the amount becomes part of your HELP debt.

The SSAF is separate from tuition fees. Providers use SSAF revenue for permitted non-academic student services and amenities, which can include sporting and recreational activities, employment and career advice, childcare, financial advice and food services.

You can use SA-HELP for some or all of the SSAF. If you pay part of the fee yourself on or before the payment due date, SA-HELP can cover the eligible unpaid balance.

How much can your provider charge for the SSAF?

For 2026, the maximum SSAF for a full-time student is $373 for the calendar year. The maximum is indexed each year, and a provider can charge less than the maximum or charge different amounts to different groups of students.

If you undertake less than 75% of a full-time study load, the Department of Education states that you cannot be charged more than 75% of the full-time amount. In 2026, that means the maximum for such a part-time student is $279.75.

Both on-campus and online students can be charged an SSAF because relevant services may be available to both groups.

Who can get a SA-HELP loan?

You must be enrolled in a higher education course with a provider that offers HELP loans and meet the specific SA-HELP citizenship or residency requirements.

StudyAssist lists the eligible categories as:

• an Australian citizen who will study at least one unit of the course of study in Australia;
• a permanent humanitarian visa holder or eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holder who is resident in Australia on the SSAF payment due date;
• a New Zealand Special Category Visa holder, or eligible former New Zealand SCV holder, who meets the applicable long-term residency requirements and studies the entire course while living in Australia; or
• a Pacific Engagement Visa holder who is resident in Australia.

You also need to meet the TFN and USI requirements, read the relevant SA-HELP information booklet and submit a valid SA-HELP eCAF by the required deadline. Your provider is responsible for assessing whether you satisfy the requirements.

What TFN and USI details do you need?

You need a Tax File Number and Unique Student Identifier for SA-HELP. Your provider requires your TFN, USI, name, date of birth and address, and your details need to match the records held by the Australian Taxation Office and USI Registry System.

If those records do not match, you cannot access SA-HELP until the discrepancy is corrected.

If you do not yet have a USI, the separate Helpydo guide explains how to create a Unique Student Identifier.

What if you are still waiting for your TFN?

If you expect that your TFN will not arrive by the SSAF payment due date, the 2026 SA-HELP information booklet directs you to contact the ATO and ask for a Certificate of Application for a TFN to give to your provider. An Australia Post receipt for lodging a TFN application is not sufficient for SA-HELP.

Once your TFN is issued, the booklet states that you must give it to your provider within 21 days or you can lose access to SA-HELP.

How do you apply for SA-HELP?

You apply through your higher education provider. The official application is the Request for a SA-HELP loan form, which is usually completed electronically as an eCAF.

Your provider gives you instructions for accessing and submitting the form. The 2026 SA-HELP booklet notes that it may be supplied by email or through your student portal.

Before submitting it, read the applicable SA-HELP information booklet and carefully review the information in the eCAF. If you notice an error, including a spelling error, contact your provider.

What is the deadline to apply?

The Student Services and Amenities Fee payment due date is the legal deadline for submitting your SA-HELP eCAF. It is also the last day to formally withdraw without incurring the relevant SSAF or SA-HELP debt.

There is no single national calendar date. Each provider sets its own SSAF payment due date and must publish it. A provider may have one payment date or divide the annual fee across study periods, resulting in several payment due dates during the year.

Check the date published by your provider rather than assuming that your tuition census date or another university deadline is the relevant SA-HELP deadline.

Is SA-HELP the same as HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP?

No. SA-HELP pays the Student Services and Amenities Fee. HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP relate to different higher education costs and have their own eligibility and application rules.

If you are applying for HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP for tuition and also want SA-HELP for the SSAF, StudyAssist states that you need separate application forms. For example, an eligible student in a Commonwealth supported place can use the separate guide to applying for HECS-HELP, while an eligible full fee-paying student can check the FEE-HELP application process.

Does SA-HELP have a loan fee?

No. There is no application fee or loan fee for SA-HELP. The amount borrowed is the eligible SSAF amount that the government pays to your provider on your behalf.

SA-HELP is also not included in your HELP loan limit. Instead, the amount that can be borrowed is effectively constrained by the SSAF that your provider can lawfully charge you.

Do you need to apply every year?

No. StudyAssist states that you only need to apply once for each course of study.

You need another SA-HELP eCAF if you change your course or transfer to another provider. If you are enrolled in two courses at two different providers and each provider charges an SSAF for which you want SA-HELP, you need separate SA-HELP eCAFs for the two providers.

What happens after you submit the eCAF?

Your higher education provider assesses your SA-HELP eligibility. There is no single national processing time published for provider assessment. If you want to know whether your SA-HELP application has been approved, StudyAssist directs you to contact your provider.

Once you are entitled to SA-HELP, the Commonwealth lends you the applicable amount and pays it directly to your provider to discharge the covered SSAF liability. The loan becomes part of your accumulated HELP debt and is managed through the Australian tax system.

What if there is a mistake in your eCAF?

Contact your provider as soon as you discover an error. The 2026 SA-HELP booklet states that there is a six-week period after the SA-HELP incurral date to correct errors so the loan is not affected.

This correction period does not extend the original eligibility deadline. You still need to satisfy the applicable citizenship, residency, USI and TFN requirements before the SSAF payment due date.

What happens if you withdraw from your course?

If you want to withdraw and avoid paying the SSAF or incurring the associated SA-HELP debt, you must complete your provider's formal withdrawal process on or before the SSAF payment due date.

If you withdraw after that date, the 2026 SA-HELP booklet states that you remain liable for the fee and an incurred SA-HELP debt cannot be removed simply because you later withdrew.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not assume HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP automatically covers your SSAF. SA-HELP requires its own application.
• Do not wait until after your provider's SSAF payment due date to submit the eCAF.
• Do not confuse the provider's SSAF payment due date with another study deadline without checking the published date.
• Make sure your TFN, USI, name and date of birth match the relevant government records.
• Do not create another USI if you already have one.
• Read the current SA-HELP information booklet before submitting the eCAF.
• If you change courses or providers, check whether a new SA-HELP eCAF is required.
• If you intend to withdraw and avoid the SSAF or SA-HELP debt, complete the provider's formal withdrawal process by the payment due date.