Bonus to help families head back to school

MIRIAM LITWI

AS the new school year begins, the State Government is reminding families to use the school saving bonus to pay for uniforms, textbooks or activities.

The $400 bonus is open to around 700,000 students fully enrolled in a government school by 31 January.

An email will be sent from the Department of Education containing a unique code to access the bonus.

More than 331,000 transactions have already been processed, and school uniforms have been the most popular item to purchase with the bonus.

“It’s great to see so many families benefitting from the bonus,” Minister for Education Ben Carroll said.

“This help means all kids can fully participate in school and get the most out of their time in and out of the classroom.

“I encourage families to use the bonus so they can get more money back in their pocket for the start of the school year.”

Any unspent bonus money will automatically transfer to a family’s school account once the uniform and textbook voucher period expires on 30 June.

Parents can use the remaining funds on future school activities and any money that remains unspent by the time the student finishes school can be transferred to a sibling or will be absorbed by the school.

Non-government school families who have a healthcare or concession card are also eligible to receive the bonus, but these schools decide how to allocate the bonus to best accommodate families.