Financial Assistance

Australian citizens and holders of permanent humanitarian visas undertaking postgraduate coursework study have the option of applying for FEE-HELP.

FEE-HELP replaced the Postgraduate Education Loan Scheme (PELS) from 1 January 2005. The scheme offers all eligible students a loan to pay their postgraduate fees in university courses. Eligible students are able to access the loan to pay tuition fees up to the FEE-HELP limit (in 2008 this is $81,600).

Debts accrued under FEE-HELP will be indexed to the consumer price index (CPI) but are otherwise interest free. No loan fee applies to a FEE-HELP loan for fee paying postgraduate courses of study.

For more information contact Curtin's Postgraduate Enquiries or the Department of Education, Science and Training - Going to Uni.

If the cost of postgraduate coursework seems too much for you to afford, your employer might be able to help. Many forward-thinking employers have developed formal Employee Education Assistance Policies (EEAPs).

Most successful EEAPs are based on sharing the costs. For example, you and your employer each pay half the tuition fees and you pay the other costs. There are several advantages to cost sharing. For instance, the fees and other expenses are generally tax deductible for both, and there is no Fringe Benefit Tax for the organisation to worry about.

Here are some other good reasons why any employer should consider giving assistance:

• it attracts and helps retain well-qualified and experienced staff
• it increases employee job satisfaction
• it shows a commitment to staff development and training, and to internal succession planning
• it ensures that the organisation is at the forefront of management and industry practices
• it also fosters the loyalty of staff.

If you are considering approaching your boss for postgraduate assistance, provide a written submission highlighting the benefits of your proposal and the direct and indirect costs. In your submission include:

• the nature of the course or research
• the tax deductibility status of the study
• the benefits to you and the organisation. (Research students should be aware of issues, such as intellectual property, that may arise when an employer hopes to benefit from your research.)
• a calculation of the total tuition costs, including fees, text books and other course materials
• an estimate of the time required off work
• the assistance you are asking for - share of costs, time off work etc.

All these considerations apply principally to part-time study. If you want to take your course full-time, your employer may be far less open to negotiation. Investigate a scholarship or research award. Your employer can support you by endorsing your scholarship application and by keeping your position open until you have completed your course.

Your enrolment in postgraduate study at Curtin may entitle you to an income tax deduction for tuition fees and related expenses. You may be able to claim for tuition fees, textbooks, stationery and photocopying costs, student association fees, depreciation of your computer (or the portion of its use relating to the course work), interest incurred on an expenses loan, and travel between home and the University or work and the University.

For such expenses to be tax deductible, the Australian Tax Office requires a direct connection to exist between your course or research and your current work. There is a direct connection between your course and your current work if the course maintains or improves a skill or specific knowledge required for your current work. Alternatively, there is a direct connection if you can show that the course leads to, or is likely to lead to, increased income from your current work. The tax office says that course expenses are not deductible if your course is intended to get you a job, to get a job different to your current one, or to obtain income from a new income-earning activity. In order to clearly demonstrate a direct connection, you might arrange for your employer to provide a statement to this effect.

Please Note: The taxation information given here is for the guidance of students. You should consult your own accountant or taxation adviser before claiming any education expenses or phone the Australian Taxation Office for information about claiming self-education expenses. Please note that there are currently no direct GST implications relating to the deduction of self-education expenses.

Australian Taxation Office
Tel: 13 28 61