Going online
We manage any study or training support loans you have deferred for payment through the tax system. Your ATO account contains a record of your loan (or loans) including:
- indexation amounts
- voluntary repayments and compulsory repayments
- the 20% loan debt reduction
- overseas levy amounts.
It’s easy to keep track of your study or training loan using the ATO app or ATO online services. You can view your loan account and other information, such as your payment reference number (PRN) and voluntary repayment options.
To access our online services for individuals, you need to create a myGov account and link it to the ATO. Using a Digital ID, such as myID, is the most secure way to access ATO online services and the ATO app.
If you already have a myGov account linked to the ATO, you can sign in at any time.
Find the balance of your loan accounts
To locate the balance of your loan accounts using the ATO app:
- log in to the ATO app
- select Accounts from the Home screen.
To locate the balance of your loan accounts using ATO online services:
- log in to ATO online services
- select Tax
- select Accounts
- select Loan accounts.
You can make voluntary repayments at any time to reduce the balance of your loan.
Sign in to myGov and update detailsCan't see your loan information?
As your study or training loan information is transferred to us from other government agencies, there may be a delay between when you incur the loan and when it is reflected in your loan balance.
At any time during the year, you can contact us to request a statement.
Indexation
Your loan may grow over time if you don't make any compulsory or voluntary repayments.
There is no interest charged on loan accounts. However, loan amounts that are more than 11 months old are subject to indexation. The indexation figure is calculated each year and is applied on 1 June each year.
Indexation maintains the ‘value’ of the education so that no matter how long it takes to repay, a student would repay an amount that is more like the cost of education today.
The indexation rate for study and training loans is based on the consumer price index (CPI) or wage price index (WPI) – whichever is lower.
20% debt reduction
If you had a student debt on 1 June 2025, you are eligible for the 20% reduction (see Study and training loans – what's new).
What you see on your loan account after the 20% reduction will depend on your circumstances:
- If you've finished studying and your last loan was added before July 2024, you’ll see one transaction on your loan account for the 20% reduction. You'll also see the adjustment to your 2025 indexation.
- If you’re currently studying:
- you’ll see additional 20% reduction transactions on your loan account covering loans that are added before 1 July 2024, from 1 July to 31 December 2024, and from 1 January to 31 May 2025 – see Example 1
- and started studying from 1 July 2024, you won’t see an indexation transaction because loans less than 11 months old are not indexed.
- If your study loan is in credit after the 20% reduction, you may get a refund. This refund will be processed separately, so there will be a delay between the 20% reduction and your refund. See Refund of loan credit.
Note: You may see effective dates other than 1 June 2025 for the 20% reduction on your loan account – these dates are for our system calculations. Rest assured; the full 20% reduction has been applied to your loan account based on your student debt balance as at 1 June 2025.
Example 1: currently studying with new loans
Maylin has a $110,000 HELP debt on 31 May 2025, made up of:
- $90,000 debt from 1 July 2024
- an $11,000 debt added in November 2024
- a $9,000 debt added in May 2025.
On 1 June 2025, indexation of $2,880 is applied to Maylin’s $90,000 loan debt. Indexation doesn’t apply to loans the 2 new HELP debts that are less than 11 months old.
On 26 November 2025, we process her 20% reduction. Maylin will see 4 transactions on her HELP account:
- $18,000 credited to the $90,000 HELP debt on 1 June 2025, before indexation was applied
- 2 credits of $2,200 and $1,800 – one for each of the new HELP debts
- 2025 indexation adjusted so it applies to the reduced HELP debt amount of $72,000 ($90,000 − $18,000).
Maylin’s HELP account is credited the excess indexation of $576.
After the reduction, Maylin’s HELP debt is $90,304.
Figure 1: Transactions on Maylin's HELP account
Refund of loan credit
If your study loan account is in credit after the 20% reduction you will receive a refund, unless you have other outstanding tax or Commonwealth debts.
On your study loan account, you will see a:
- transaction to transfer the credit to your income tax account – this will show as a debit in the loan account
- credit on your income tax account ready to refund to your nominated bank account
- debit transaction in your income tax account when the refund issues.
If you made a compulsory repayment after 1 June 2025, your refund will be issued by amending your tax return to adjust your compulsory repayment. You'll receive a notice of amended assessment, and the refund will issue to your nominated bank account – provided there are no outstanding tax or Commonwealth debts.
Example 2: loan in credit – 2025 tax return lodged before 20% reduction
On 31 May 2025, Asha has a $10,000 VET student loan (VSL) debt and is no longer studying.
On 1 June 2025, Asha's debt is indexed and increases to $10,320.
Asha lodges her 2025 tax return in August 2025, which results in a $9,000 compulsory repayment credited to her VSL account.
In November 2025:
- a 20% reduction of $2,000 is credited to Asha’s $10,000 VSL debt as at 1 June 2025, before indexation and her compulsory repayment is applied
- Asha’s 2025 indexation of $320 is adjusted, so it applies to the reduced debt amount of $8,000. Asha’s VSL account will show an indexation credit of $64.
- after the reduction, Asha’s VSL account is in credit $744.
We will amend Asha's 2025 tax return to recalculate her compulsory repayment, resulting in a tax refund of $744.
Asha's VSL account will now have a nil balance.
As Asha has no outstanding tax or other Commonwealth debts, her Income tax account has a $744 refund from her amended tax return. This will be transferred into her nominated bank account.
End of example