Changes to the Parent Contributions policy (formerly the Parent Payments policy) were announced on 15 September 2026. The updates include:
- a single non-itemised voluntary contribution request
- 2 new Parent Contributions Arrangements templates that schools must use:
- one that invites voluntary contributions, offers user-pays extra-curricular items and activities like camps and excursions, and/or invites parents and carers to buy learning materials such as textbooks
- one that does not invite voluntary contributions, but is for use when schools offer user-pays extra-curricular items and activities and/or invite parents and carers to buy learning materials
- approved language that must be used by schools if following up or reminding parents about contributions or advising of costs for user-pays extra-curricular items and activities throughout the year.
The policy changes apply to Parent Contributions Arrangements developed in 2026 for the 2027 school year.
Schools who require assistance with implementing these policy changes can contact the department at: parent.contributions@education.vic.gov.au
The department's Digital Learning policy has also been updated and from 2027, schools must not invite parents or carers to purchase or bring their own digital devices for Foundation to Grade 6 students to use at school. There are also new recommendations for secondary schools with a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program. Refer to the Digital Learning policy for more information.
Parent Contributions Guidelines for Victorian Government Schools
These guidelines outline how schools must implement the Parent Contributions policy. The guidelines are mandatory for Victorian government schools.
The guidelines contain the following chapters:
- Finance requirements
- Communication requirements
- Applying the policy to specific examples
Updated