School Saving Bonus

The one-off School Saving Bonus is now in the final phase, with schools to complete remaining processing activities in CASES21. Further information about completing School Saving Bonus activities in CASES21 is available in the CASES21 SSB User Guides folder (staff login required).

Policy

The purpose of this policy is to ensure that School Saving Bonus funding is appropriately administered, and access for families is supported to help with education costs.

Summary

• The School Saving Bonus was a one-off $400 support for government school students from Prep to Year 12 in 2025, who were fully enrolled by 28 February 2025.
• Non-government school students who are receiving the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) in 2025 were also eligible for the School Saving Bonus.
• The School Saving Bonus was provided to help with the costs of uniforms, textbooks and school activities.
• Schools have been required to:
  • communicate to families the availability of the School Saving Bonus, noting the department has provided template communications to schools
  • plan, oversee and record all financial activities associated with the School Saving Bonus
  • ensure the School Saving Bonus funds are used for the appropriate purposes.

To access School Saving Bonus information for parents, refer to the Receiving the School Saving Bonus webpage.

Details

School Saving Bonus eligibility

Government schools

The School Saving Bonus was available for parents and carers of each Victorian government school student from Prep to Year 12 in 2025, who were fully enrolled by 28 February 2025. The school that the student was enrolled at for the 2025 school year was the school that received the School Saving Bonus for that student.

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

There was no application required for eligible government school parents to receive the School Saving Bonus – the bonus was provided directly to the school.

Non-government schools

Non-government school students receiving a payment from the means-tested Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) in 2025 were eligible for additional support through the School Saving Bonus. There was no application required for non-government school students to receive the bonus.

Non-government schools received funding based on the number of families eligible for the CSEF in November 2024, and were responsible for managing the distribution of funds to eligible students to assist with 2025 education costs. A reconciliation process was conducted at the end of Term 1 and Term 2 2025 to ensure non-government schools received funding for all eligible students in 2025.

Refer to Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund for further information on eligibility criteria and the application process for access to the CSEF.

School Saving Bonus expenditure

Government schools

For government school students, the $400 School Saving Bonus was provided directly to the school.

Families received an email from the department with their $400 School Saving Bonus code information and access to an online system. Families chose how to use and allocate the $400 bonus – on school activities, to purchase uniforms or textbooks, or a mixture of all three.

If families chose to allocate funds to school activities, they did so via the online system. Families determined the amount to allocate, and the funds were then available for the family to use at the school for activities.

The parent/carer could then advise the school of their intention to use the School Saving Bonus when giving permission for their child to attend or participate in an activity.

Some common examples of school activities for which the School Saving Bonus may have been used include:

• school camps, trips, excursions and incursions
• swimming and sporting programs
• outdoor education programs
• graduations.

The School Saving Bonus could not be used towards:

• activities required for the school’s delivery of the curriculum
• before/after school care
• locker hire
• classroom and homework materials
• formals or debutante balls.

Alternatively, the parent/carer could purchase uniforms and/or textbooks via an in-store or online purchase, with an approved supplier.

The bonus could be used to purchase second-hand items where the sale of items is managed by the school (that is, where the school was the supplier).

Generic uniform items, including shoes, could also be purchased through State Schools’ Relief.

The bonus could not be used for purchases at general retailers (for example, Kmart, Big W, Best&Less) or to support transactions between individuals.

Online access to the School Saving Bonus expired on 30 June 2025. Any balance remaining at this time will transfer to family accounts at the school in late July 2025, for families to use toward school activities. Families and schools do not need to action this transfer.

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

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). The School Saving Bonus cannot be combined across different schools and cannot be transferred between government and non-government schools.

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.

Additional supports

The School Saving Bonus was in addition to existing and continuing means-tested supports for Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) and the Affordable School Uniforms Program, through State Schools’ Relief. This helps to ensure that the families who need it most continue to get additional support.

Approved suppliers

The School Saving Bonus could be used until 30 June 2025 at school-nominated textbook or uniform suppliers either in store or online, or through State Schools’ Relief.

The school-nominated suppliers were determined by schools and the department and may include a school uniform or bookshop, where appropriate.

The School Saving Bonus was also redeemable for purchasing second-hand uniforms and textbooks directly from schools, where they chose to be a supplier to the School Saving Bonus program.

Non-government schools

Payments for eligible non-government students were made directly to the student’s school. Non-government schools are required to administer the School Saving Bonus in consultation with the student’s family and in accordance with the intent of the initiative. The allocation of the School Saving Bonus should be visible to families through a family statement or equivalent.

Communication with parents/carers

Schools were required to communicate the availability of the School Saving Bonus to their school community.

Schools could communicate using any communication tool suitable for their school context. This includes letters in the post, email, or using third party communication tools.

The Receiving the School Saving Bonus webpage contains School Saving Bonus information to support schools with communicating to families.

Families who do not wish to access their School Saving Bonus

Families who do not want to use the School Saving Bonus provided for their child/children can elect to provide this money to the school for use for other students:

• Schools can allocate funds to be used to assist other students at the school within the scope of the School Saving Bonus (that is, school-incurred costs for camps, sports and excursions).
• Funds cannot be used for costs outside of the scope of the School Saving Bonus (that is, voluntary parent payments, school building/grounds improvements or stationery items).
• Schools must retain records of the parent request to reallocate funding.

Students changing schools

The school that the student is enrolled at for the 2025 school year was the school that received the School Saving Bonus for that student.

If a government student transfers to another Victorian government school:

• unspent School Saving Bonus funds should be transferred to the student’s new school. A funds transfer would typically require the initiating school to create a CASES21 Family Payment and then arrange for the unspent portion to be transferred to the new school via a bank transfer
• the student transfer process can be found in the C21 Finance School Saving Bonus User Guide (staff login required)
• if the unspent amount is minimal, the schools may agree that the funds are not transferred if the new school commits to providing the student with assistance to the value of the unspent amount.

Students completing Year 12 or leaving the government school system

For students completing Year 12 or otherwise leaving the government school system:

• schools may allocate unspent funds to the student's siblings attending the same school once the student leaves school
• any remaining School Saving Bonus that is not used by siblings will stay with the school. Schools can allocate funds to assist other students at the school within the scope of the School Saving Bonus (that is, school-incurred costs for camps, sports and excursions). This may include students that did not receive the School Saving Bonus (for example, students enrolling from interstate after the eligibility deadline).

More information can be found in the C21 Finance School Saving Bonus User Guide (staff login required).

Record keeping

School Saving Bonus records are treated as financial records that detail the receipt and expenditure of public monies. Schools must retain the records and documents relating to the School Saving Bonus for 7 years (as set out in the Retention and Disposal Authority for Records of Common Administrative Functions, issued by the Public Records Office Victoria).

Schools must also securely store CSEF records during the 7-year document retention period. For more information about security of storage refer to: Records Management – School Records.

Definitions

School Saving Bonus
A one-off bonus provided by the department to assist families with the cost of school uniforms, textbooks and participation in school activities, such as excursions and sport.

Related policies

• Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund
• Financial Help for Families
• Mature Minors and Decision Making
• Parent Payments
• Privacy and Information Sharing
• Records Management – School Records
• State Schools' Relief

Guidance

There is no further guidance for this topic. For more information, refer to the Resources tab.

Resources

Further information about completing School Saving Bonus activities in CASES21 is available in the CASES21 SSB User Guides folder.