OS-HELP Debt Confirmation: 2026 Amounts & Steps

The OS-HELP debt confirmation is the online form (often called an eCAF) you submit to your university after it offers you an OS-HELP loan. Submitting it accepts the loan terms and completes your application. The debt is incurred when the loan is paid to you, and it then joins your HELP debt, repaid through the ATO.

If you have just received an OS-HELP offer, the debt confirmation is the step that turns it into money in your account. Each university explains it only inside its own portal, so this guide puts the pieces in one place: what you are agreeing to, who qualifies, the 2026 loan amounts, how long each stage takes, where the debt shows up afterwards and how it is repaid.

What the OS-HELP debt confirmation actually does

OS-HELP is the overseas study loan within the Higher Education Loan Program. It is for students in a Commonwealth supported place who study part of their course overseas, and it is paid directly to you to help with airfares, accommodation and other travel or study costs. Like HECS-HELP, it is a HELP loan, so it ends up in the same balance the Australian Taxation Office collects.

According to the official Study Assist website, the OS-HELP debt confirmation form is only available from your provider, and you must submit it before your provider's due date. Before you submit, you are expected to have read the Statement of terms and conditions booklet. The University of Wollongong is blunt about why it matters: your loan application is not complete until the Debt Confirmation form is submitted.

Some universities spell out the commitment directly. Adelaide University says completing its online Debt Confirmation form accepts the loan terms and that it "is legally binding and adds the debt to your HELP balance". That wording is Adelaide's. On the question of exactly when the debt exists, Federation University's procedure says the debt is incurred on the day the OS-HELP payment is made, and UNSW says the OS-HELP debt is incurred once you receive the money. Put simply, the form is your agreement to the loan, and the payment is the moment the debt is incurred.

There is another reason not to rush. The University of Melbourne states that you may be permitted to increase or reduce your loan amount if your request arrives before you submit the OS-HELP debt confirmation form, but you cannot request a change once the form has been submitted. That is Melbourne's stated rule, not a national one, so check your own university's conditions. Wherever you study, make sure the amount is right before you submit.

Who can get an OS-HELP loan

Eligibility is set out on Study Assist and repeated, with local detail, in university policies such as Federation University's OS-HELP Procedure. You must also be selected by your provider.

Citizenship and visa categories

• Australian citizens.
• Permanent humanitarian visa holders, and eligible former permanent humanitarian visa holders.
• Pacific Engagement Visa holders, who have been eligible since 1 February 2024.
• New Zealand citizens on a Special Category Visa (or eligible former SCV holders) who meet the residency requirements.

Study-load and course rules

• You are studying in a Commonwealth supported place and have completed at least 1 EFTSL (equivalent full-time student load) in a CSP.
• Your overseas study is full-time and counts towards your Australian course.
• You will have at least 0.125 EFTSL left to complete when you return.
• You have not received OS-HELP on more than one other occasion.
• Your overseas study has not finished before you apply.
• You have a Tax File Number and a Unique Student Identifier.

Being eligible does not guarantee a loan. The University of Melbourne notes that the total OS-HELP funds it receives from the Department of Education are limited each year, so loans may not be available to every applicant. Melbourne also says its RTP graduate research students are not eligible. If you are still sorting out your Tax File Number or Unique Student Identifier, our guide on how to apply for HECS-HELP covers both.

Think about repayment before you borrow. Because OS-HELP is added to the same balance as your other HELP loans, you can estimate your HELP repayments with the amount you expect to borrow included, and see what it means for your take-home pay once you are working.

OS-HELP loan amounts for 2026 (and 2027)

The maximum OS-HELP loan depends on whether you are studying in Asia, with an extra amount for Asian language study. The maximums are indexed each year. The table brings the 2025, 2026 and 2027 figures together.

Sources: 2025 limits from Adelaide University; 2026 maximums from the official 2026 OS-HELP fact sheet, matching UniSC, Adelaide University and Monash; 2027 maximums per six-month study period from Study Assist.

What the table does not tell you:

• These are maximums. Study Assist says your provider determines the amount you receive. Federation University sets a minimum loan of $1,000.
• The highest 2026 total. A student going to Asia who also qualifies for the supplement could receive up to $10,130 + $1,345 = $11,475 in 2026.
• 2027 amounts belong to 2027. Monash notes that the 2027 maximum can only be assessed and paid in 2027.
• Two loans in a lifetime. You can get up to two OS-HELP loans over your lifetime, but not within the same six-month period.

Asian language supplement

The Asian language supplement is an extra amount for Asian language study in preparation for study in Asia. Study Assist says it is available if at least one of your destinations is in Asia, but not if the language study is part of your course or is already HELP-funded. UniSC notes that you request the supplement on the OS-HELP debt confirmation form itself, so read the form carefully before you submit it. Federation University's procedure adds that the supplement does not count towards the two-loan lifetime maximum.

Step by step: from offer to money in your account

The broad sequence is the same everywhere, but deadlines and processing times are set by each provider. The timings below are attributed to the university that publishes them.

Step 1 - apply through your university

You apply through your own university, usually its study abroad or exchange team. The University of Melbourne assesses applications up to six months before your overseas start date. Federation University uses application closing dates of 1 May and 1 November. Have your Tax File Number and Unique Student Identifier ready.

Step 2 - receive the offer

If you are selected, your provider makes an offer and decides the amount. Check the amount, the study period it covers and whether the Asian language supplement applies before going further.

Step 3 - submit the debt confirmation (eCAF)

Complete the electronic OS-HELP debt confirmation form before your provider's due date. At Federation University you must complete it within 14 days of the offer, or the application is closed and not paid.

Step 4 - payment

Federation University pays within 15 business days of eCAF submission. Adelaide University says the loan is normally paid to your nominated Australian bank account within 14 days. The University of Wollongong warns that processing can take up to 8 weeks. Your overseas study must start within six months of approval, and OS-HELP cannot be paid after your overseas program is completed.

Step 5 - the CAN

After payment you receive a Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN). Federation University issues it within 28 days of the date the OS-HELP debt was incurred, and Adelaide University issues its CAN online within 28 days. Check that the amount matches what you received.

Where your OS-HELP debt shows up

Your OS-HELP debt does not appear everywhere you might expect. Study Assist states that the myHELPbalance website will not show your current HELP debt; you check that through ATO online services linked to your myGov account, or by calling the ATO on 13 28 61. Monash adds that myHELPbalance shows your loan history, including a breakdown of HELP loans such as OS-HELP, but not repayment information.

How OS-HELP is repaid

Study Assist explains that OS-HELP is added to your accumulated HELP debt and repaid through the tax system via the Australian Taxation Office. UNSW makes the same point: OS-HELP is repaid only through the ATO, in the same way as other HELP debt. Compulsory repayments start once you earn above the minimum repayment income, and you can make voluntary repayments at any time.

HELP loans are statutory debts under the Higher Education Support Act 2003, and OS-HELP is repaid in the same way as the rest of your HELP debt. What matters for repayments is your whole HELP balance, not the OS-HELP loan on its own. Once your CAN arrives, add your OS-HELP amount to your existing HELP balance in the HECS repayment calculator to see what will come out of your pay.

Indexation

HELP debts do not charge interest. Instead, indexation is applied on 1 June each year to the portion of your HELP debt that is more than 11 months old.

Does OS-HELP count towards the HELP loan limit?

No. Study Assist lists OS-HELP among the loans not included in the HELP loan limit, along with SA-HELP, HECS-HELP loans with a census date before 1 January 2020 and FEE-HELP loan fees. For reference, Study Assist gives the 2027 HELP loan limit as $134,558 ($193,259 for medicine, dentistry, veterinary science and eligible aviation courses). Borrowing OS-HELP will not use up that limit, although it still adds to what you repay. Our HELP loan limit explainer covers how the limit works.

Mistakes to avoid with OS-HELP

• Missing your provider's deadline. At Federation University an unconfirmed offer closes after 14 days.
• Submitting before the amount is right. At the University of Melbourne you cannot change it afterwards.
• Treating eligibility as approval. Funds from the Department of Education are limited.
• Overlapping study periods. You cannot have two OS-HELP loans for the same six-month period.
• Leaving it too late. OS-HELP cannot be paid once your overseas program has finished.
• Forgetting the supplement. It is requested on the debt confirmation form, not later.
• Checking the wrong website. Your current balance is in myGov, not myHELPbalance.

OS-HELP can make study abroad more affordable. Treat the debt confirmation as a binding step, keep your CAN, and check the official Study Assist page on OS-HELP and overseas study alongside your university's own rules. This article is general information, not personal financial advice.

This article is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures are approximate and change over time — always verify with a qualified professional or the official source before making a decision.

Written and reviewed by the HECS Debt Calculator editorial team. Facts checked against primary sources; see the reference above.

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