Parents’ one-stop guide to the $400 School Saving Bonus

How do you get it? Where can you spend it? Here’s everything you need to know about the $400 School Saving Bonus.

Everything you need to know about the $400 School Bonus being rolled out at Victorian government schools.

State school parents will not be able to use the $400 School Saving Bonus on generic uniforms or stationery from shops such as Big W or Kmart.

They will only be able to spend the one-off $400 voucher at authorised school suppliers which charge up to 12 times more than mass market retailers for some school items.

The bonus, unveiled in the May state budget, comes in the form of vouchers administered by schools, which are accessible online by parents from mid November.

Here’s everything parents need to know before they receive their $400 voucher.

How do I claim the School Saving Bonus?

The bonus is a one-off $400 payment for government school students in prep to Year 12 in 2025.

It will go to the school that students are enrolled to attend as of October 18, 2024.

Parents are asked to complete enrolment by this date for children starting prep in 2025 or those who are changing schools.

Once enrolment is completed, parents can access their $400 voucher via a special online portal.

The money sits with the school for the parents to spend in approved stores.

What do I need to do?

Schools are in the process of asking parents to confirm your email and phone number.

You do not need to specifically apply for the bonus.

You will be given a login for a portal accessing your funds online.

If you have not received this login via email by the end of November, contact your school.

If you want to use the money for a school activity, you can let the school know when you give permission for your child to attend.

Do I get the money for each government-school enrolled child?

Yes. A family with three children who are all government school students would receive $1,200 in vouchers.

The bonus is a one-off $400 payment for government school students in prep to Year 12 in 2025.

Can private school students get it?

Yes, but it is very limited. Non-government school students who are receiving the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund in 2024 are also eligible for the bonus.

These families must be recipients of a government-issued financial card.

Who else misses out?

The School Saving Bonus is not payable to full-fee international students, home schooled students, TAFE students and students attending kindergarten in 2025.

What can it be used for?

It is designed to help parents pay for uniforms, textbooks and school activities.

This includes camps, trips, excursions and incursions, swimming and sporting programs, outdoor education programs and graduations.

It cannot be used for any other purpose.

The bonus can be used to purchase second-hand items where the sale of items is managed by the school.

It can also be used to purchase generic uniform items, including shoes, through State Schools’ Relief.

What can it NOT be used for?

The bonus cannot be used for activities required for the school’s delivery of the curriculum such as stationery, before/after school care, locker hire, classroom and homework materials and formals or debutante balls.

Is it cash?

No, it’s paid in the form of a voucher to your child’s current school, or the school they are enrolled in for 2025 as of October 18.

It will be accessed by parents online via a special portal.

Where can I use the voucher?

The voucher can be used either instore or online at school-approved suppliers such as uniform shops or bookshops.

The school-nominated suppliers are determined by schools and the department.

The bonus will also be redeemable for purchasing second-hand uniforms and textbooks directly from schools.

Can I use it at other shops such as department stores or supermarkets?

No. The rules state it can only be used at approved suppliers, not general shops such as Kmart, Best and Less and Officeworks, even for the purchasing of books, stationery and uniforms needed for schools.

Your school will decide where it can be used.

When can I start spending it?

The portals should be operational from mid November. The exact date has not been released yet.

When does it run out?

This is a one-off payment. Online access to the School Saving Bonus will expire on 30 June 2025.

Any balance remaining at this time will automatically transfer to family accounts at the school for families to use toward school activities.

Families and schools do not need to do anything for this to happen.

Funds will rollover for use in future years if not all spent in 2025.

The bonus, unveiled in the May state budget, comes in the form of vouchers.

Can I transfer money from one child to another?

Yes. Families who have more than one child at the same school can combine their School Saving Bonus to use on one child or for a specific activity (for example, a camp).

However, the bonus cannot be combined across different schools and cannot be transferred between government and non-government schools.

What if I am already getting other means-tests school support?

The School Saving Bonus will be in addition to existing and continuing means-tested support such as the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) and the Affordable School Uniforms Program, through State Schools’ Relief.

What if I don’t want to use my allocated School Savings Bonus?

Families who do not want to use the $400 bonus provided for their child/children can elect to provide this money to the school to use for other students.

What records will be kept by schools?

School Saving Bonus records are treated as financial records that detail the receipt and expenditure of public money.

Schools must retain the records and documents relating to the School Saving Bonus for seven years.

What happens to the bonus if my child moves school?

It depends what school they go to.

Unused money from the School Saving Bonus will follow students transferring between government schools.

Where a student leaves the government school system, any unused money can be transferred to a sibling at the same school.

If there is no sibling, the funds can be retained by the school to support other students with educational costs.

Originally published as Parents’ one-stop guide to the $400 School Saving Bonus