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Student Services and Amenities Fee
- Paying your SSAF
- SA-HELP
- SSAF allocation
SA-HELP
SA-HELP is part of the Government’s HELP scheme and assists eligible students to defer all or part of their Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) through a loan.
Any amount deferred through SA-HELP becomes part of an accumulated HELP debt which you will be required to repay through the tax system once you meet a certain salary threshold.
Eligibility
To be eligible for SA-HELP you need to be an Australian citizen or a permanent humanitarian visa holder, or New Zealand Special Category visa holder who meets the long-term residency requirements.
Eligibility criteria and legislation around SA-HELP can change. See the Study Assist website for details.
How to apply
If eligible, you can apply for SA-HELP through Sydney Student (go to ‘My finance’, ‘Your finances’, then 'Government forms’). You will need to apply on or before the SSAF payment due date (2 June for Semester 1, 2 November for Semester 2).
As part of the application you will need to:
- read the SA-HELP information booklet
- provide your tax file number (TFN).
You only need to apply for SA-HELP once per course. We will then assume you are using SA-HELP every time the SSAF is charged, unless you change your payment option.
Your SSAF loan amount will be deferred to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) on the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) incurral date (29 June or 13 December).
Providing your tax file number (TFN)
If you have not provided a TFN by the SSAF incurral date, you will not be eligible for SA-HELP and will be required to pay your fees up front.
If you don’t have a TFN at the time of filling out your form, before the incurral date you will need to:
- Apply for a TFN if you don’t already have one.
- Fill out a paper form at the Student Centre, providing your TFN or Certificate of application for a TFN from the ATO.
What happens next
Your Student Financial Statement will include whether you have chosen to defer payment through SA-HELP or if not.
Learn more about your HELP debt.
Partial payments
If you have applied for SA-HELP and would like to make an upfront payment, this will be deducted from the amount you are borrowing through the government scheme. Any fees remaining after the SSAF payment due date will then be deferred.
Find out how to make a partial payment.
Changing your payment option
Once you’ve applied for SA-HELP, if you decide you’d like to change your request and pay the SSAF up front, you can do this through Sydney Student (go to ‘My finance’, ‘Your finances’, then ‘Government forms’).
Last updated: 26 November 2021
