Australians living overseas to start repaying HELP debts

Published 2016

The Senate has passed legislation that will require Australians who move overseas to repay their higher education debts.

Under the current system, a loophole has allowed those living abroad to avoid repaying their HELP debts for the past 16 years.

From July 2017, expat Australians will be subjected to the same legislation applied to those working onshore, repaying their student loans once they begin earning above the repayment threshold ($54,869).

Those who move overseas for more than six months will need to notify the tax office from January 2016, although they won't have to start paying back their debts until the following year.

It's expected that the changes will apply to 46,000 people and will save the government more than $150 million over the next 10 years.