Frequently Asked Questions

Schools FAQs

What is the School Start Bonus (SSB)?

The Victorian Government is assisting families with education costs by providing a one-off School Start Bonus (SSB) of $300 for eligible children entering Prep or Year 7.

The School Start Bonus helps to meet the costs of buying school uniforms, sports uniforms, school bags and other school items so that your child gets the best possible start to school.

The School Start Bonus is a separate payment from, and additional to, the Education Maintenance Allowance.

For suggested correspondence with parents, see: Communicating with Parents

What's changing about the SSB for 2012?

The Victorian government announced in the 2011/12 State Budget that the School Start Bonus would be targeted to provide assistance to those families most in need. From 2012, eligibility for the payment will be based on eligibility for the Education Maintenance Allowance.  

Circular S185-2011 (Word - 39Kb) was issued to all Victorian schools in May 2011 advising of the changes as a result of the budget announcement.

Circular S357-2011 (Word - 41Kb) was issued to all Victorian schools in September 2011 advising of the SSB eligibility criteria and processing arrangements for 2012.

Circular S409-2011 (Word - 42Kb) was issued to all Victorian schools in October 2011 advising that the system has been activated to allow applications for 2012 to be entered.

Who is eligible for the SSB?

To be eligible for receipt of the School Start Bonus (SSB) in 2012: 

• The student must be enrolled in Prep (Year 0) or Year 7 in a Victorian registered school in 2012, and;
• The student must be enrolled and attending the school by census day (29 February 2012), and;
• The student must not have already been paid the SSB for that year level, and;
• The claimant must on the SSB Eligibility Day (16 January 2012):
  • be a parent or legal guardian of the student; and
  • be an eligible beneficiary within the meaning of the State Concessions Act 2004, that is, the holder of Veterans Affairs Gold Card or be an eligible Health care card (HCC) or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holder or
  • be a temporary foster parent.
• Submit their application to the school by the due date.

For more information, see: Eligibility

How much is the SSB?

The SSB payment is $300 per student for eligible parents.  

How will the new payment process work?

Parents with students commencing prep or year 7 in 2012 should be informed by the school of the eligibility criteria for the SSB and EMA. To assist with this process, an information letter is available for distribution to parents. This letter should be distributed during Term 4, 2011.

Parents of prep and year 7 students who indicate that they are eligible for SSB/EMA (i.e - parents who hold a Health Care Card or Pensioner Card) need to apply for SSB/EMA by completing the 2012  SSB/EMA application form and lodging the form with the school by 15 December 2011 for processing.

The school EMA administrator then enters the application details onto the SSB/EMA web system by the end of Term 4, 2011. 

NOTE - it is only the applications for prep and year 7 students that need to be entered by the end of term 4, 2011. The timeframe for entering EMA applications for all other parents is unchanged and these applications do not need to be entered until the closing date of 9 March 2012

The system will automatically validate the parent's concession card details with Centrelink on 16 January 2012 and, if eligible, the parent will receive their $300 SSB payment directly into their nominated bank account from 20 January 2012.

What is the SSB eligibility date?

The system will automatically validate the parent's concession card details with Centrelink on 16 January 2012 and, if eligible, the parent will receive their $300 SSB payment directly into their nominated bank account.

This date was chosen to ensure that eligible parents receive their $300 SSB payment prior to the commencement of the 2012 school year.

What happens if the parent's card isn't valid for SSB on 16 January 2012?

The system will automatically validate the parent's concession card details with Centrelink on 16 January 2012 and, if eligible, the parent will receive their $300 SSB payment directly into their nominated bank account.

If the parent's card is not valid for SSB eligibility on 16 January 2012 (CRN validation failure), the system will automatically re-validate the card again on 1 February 2012 (the EMA eligibility date). If the card is valid on 1 February 2012, the parent will be considered eligible for SSB and the SSB payment will be made in the next payment run.

Is anything changing for EMA?

No. There are no changes to the existing EMA processing timelines or payment methods. Parents will still have the option to receive their EMA payment by EFT or cheque.

How do parents apply for the SSB?

Eligible parents of prep and year 7 students need to apply for SSB/EMA by completing the 2012  SSB/EMA application form and lodging the form with the school by 15 December 2011 for processing.

What is the method of payment for SSB?

SSB will be paid by EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) directly into the parent/guardian’s nominated bank account.

There are be no changes to the existing EMA processing timelines or payment methods. Parents will still have the option to receive their EMA payment by EFT or cheque.

Can the SSB only be paid into the parent's bank account?

SSB can only be paid by EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) directly into the parent/guardian’s bank account.

SSB is intended to directly assist the parent with the start-up costs of their child's education and cannot be paid into a bank account which the parent cannot access.

 

Do I still need to print and distribute SSB vouchers?

No.  The SSB web system will be decommissioned and schools will no longer be required to print and distribute vouchers.

SSB will be integrated into the existing EMA process and utilise the existing EMA web system. 

Do I need to enter all the 2012 EMA applications in Term 4, 2011?

No.  The balance of the EMA applications can be entered in the usual time frame in February 2012 - when school returns. The closing date for schools to enter EMA applications onto the EMA system for 2012 (1^st instalment) is 6 March 2012.

It is only the SSB applications (for parents that have children commencing in prep or year 7 in 2012), that need to be entered onto the system by the end of term 4, 2011 - to allow for parents to receive their SSB payment prior the 2012 school year commences.

Do parents need to apply for SSB and EMA by completing two separate forms?

No. The application form is a single combined SSB/EMA application form. Parents only need to complete one form to apply for SSB and/or EMA.

The applicants details will only need to be entered onto the web system once by the school administrator. The system then will automatically determine whether the parent is eligible for the SSB and/or EMA payment and make the appropriate payment(s). 

Will there be a double up on SSB data entry with the EMA system?

There will be no double up on data entry. The EMA/SSB web system will be the single entry point for schools to enter an application. When a school enters the parent's application details onto the EMA/SSB web system, the system will determine whether the parent is eligible for the SSB and/or EMA payment. Parents who are eligible for the SSB payment will be paid directly into their nominated bank account, while the EMA payment can be paid into the parent's bank account, or by cheque.

What about Late Applications and Special Considerations for SSB?

Eligible parents of prep and year 7 students are advised to lodge their SSB/EMA application form by 15 December 2011. This is to allow time for the school to enter any SSB applications onto the system before the end of term 4, 2011 - so that the parent receives their SSB payment prior to the 2012 school year.

Eligible parents who do not lodge their SSB/EMA application form by the end of term 4, 2011 (or for students who are only enrolled after the 2012 school year commences), the EMA/SSB application form needs to be lodged with the school by the closing date of 29 February 2012 to receive payment. 

As with EMA, applications lodged after 29 February 2012 will not be considered unless exceptional circumstances exist. Late applications or Special Consideration applications accepted by the school must be faxed, together with a supporting letter explaining the exceptional circumstances, to the DEECD Family Payments Unit. Fax (03) 9637 2224.

How will I get access to the EMA/SSB web system?

The EMA and SSB will be administered through the existing EMA web system.  School administrators who already have access to the EMA or SSB system will automatically be given access to the EMA/SSB web system from early in term 4, 2011.

A circular will be issued to schools when the EMA/SSB web system goes 'live' early in term 4, 2011.

Is the parent or guardian eligible for the SSB based on their child’s Health Care Card?

No, a Health Care Card that is not linked to the parent and guardian’s financial status is not valid for the purposes of applying for the SSB (or EMA).

If the child repeats Prep or Year 7, will they be eligible to receive the SSB again?

No, the SSB is a one off payment.

Why is SSB being paid by EFT instead of by voucher?

• Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) is an efficient, timely payment method which most parents are already familiar with, and which is commonly used by other agencies e.g Centrelink payments, Medicare refunds, ATO tax refunds.
• EFT is a cost effective payment method in comparison to vouchers
• The functionality to pay parents by EFT is already built into the EMA system
• EFT payments will remove the current requirement for schools to print and distribute vouchers – reducing administrative workload.
• For parents, there will no longer be any need to physically attend a post office to redeem their voucher to receive their SSB payment.

What will happen if a student enrols in multiple schools?

As currently occurs with EMA applications, the system will detect possible duplicate applications for a parent or student e.g where the parent has applied for EMA/SSB at multiple schools. 

The system will also detect as a possible duplicate if a student has been paid the School Start Bonus in a previous year.

Possible duplicate applications will be placed on hold by the system - until the duplication has been resolved. Possible duplicate applications will be displayed on your school's EMA/SSB web system homepage with a status of 'Possible duplicate detected'. Details of the possible duplication can be viewed by clicking on the link.

What is the Date of Birth range for 'ungraded' students?

SSB eligibility for 'ungraded' students, e.g at specialist schools, is based on the student's date of birth.

The Date of Birth (DOB) date range for SSB eligibility in 2012 is:

• Prep:     1/01/2005 - 30/04/2007
• Year 7:  01/01/1998 - 01/01/2001 

What happens to the SSB payment in shared custody arrangements?

As with EMA, the SSB should be paid to the parent and legal guardian registered with the child’s school as being the primary carer. The SSB payment cannot be split into two payments for shared custody arrangements.

In 50/50 custody arrangements, if the parents cannot decide between themselves who should receive the Bonus, the dispute should be referred to the Family Law Court system - schools should not be put into the position of arbitrating in decisions such as this.