SA-HELP

SA-HELP is part of the Australian Government Higher Education Loan program (HELP) and allows eligible students to defer payment of their Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF).

You can take out a SA‑HELP loan even if you do not wish to take out any other HELP loan. If you use SA‑HELP, the loan amount will be added to your accumulated HELP debt.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a SA‑HELP loan, you need to:

  • be an Australian citizen or holder of a permanent humanitarian visa who is residing in Australia;
  • be a New Zealand Special Category Visa holder who meets the long-term residency requirements;
  • be enrolled in an eligible course of study with a higher education provider;
  • meet the tax file number (TFN) requirements (if your information is not assessed as correct by the ATO, your application will not be finalised and you will be ineligible for a SA-HELP loan); and
  • Apply for SA-HELP via the Government eCAF portal by the applicable census date

For more information on SA-HELP including eligibility and residency requirements please refer to the SA-HELP information booklet and fact sheet available on the Study Assist HELP publications page.

When you apply for a SA-HELP loan, you must read the information booklet. When you submit a request for Commonwealth assistance form, you are declaring that you have read and understood the booklet and your obligations before you access the loan.

Applying for SA-HELP

To apply for a SA-HELP loan you must request a SA-HELP eCAF via my Student Centre by completing the following steps.

  1. Log into my Student Centre
  2. Click the Commonwealth Assistance tile
  3. Select SA-HELP eCAF from the menu
  4. Locate the applicable course and click Apply Now to request an SA-HELP eCAF

Once you have requested a SA-HELP eCAF you will receive an email from ecafsystem@education.gov.au which contains the information you require to complete your application.

IMPORTANT To complete your SA-HELP loan application you must submit your Request for SA-HELP assistance form (SA-HELP eCAF) in the Government portal.

  • Go to the Government eCAF portal and login using your Passkey and date of birth
  • Follow the prompts, answer all questions and provide your Tax File Number (TFN) and Unique Student Identifier (USI)
  • Click Submit Form to finalise your SA-HELP loan application
  • Ensure that you receive an email from the Government portal confirming submission of your SA-HELP eCAF

You must complete your SA-HELP eCAF in the Government portal by the due date of the SSAF you are wanting to defer. If your form is not submitted by the SSAF due date you will not be entitled to a SA-HELP loan for that semester. Your eCAF will expire within 12 weeks of being requested so please complete it as soon as possible.

If you need assistance to complete your eCAF, or have any questions please submit an online request via our Enquiry Portal.

You will only be required to apply for SA-HELP assistance once for your course of study. If you change course you must complete a new SA-HELP eCAF.

You will be issued with a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) for each enrolled semester. This will detail any SSAF amount which has deferred via SA-HELP to the ATO.