Frequently Asked Questions

Edstart provides tailored payment plans for families to help manage the cost of private school fees. We’re a passionate team of Australian education and finance specialists who believe in the power of education and are committed to building a solution to support access to learning.

Edstart offers two products to help spread large upfront school fees into more manageable payments:

  • Edstart Pay: a 12-month payment plan that enables you to pay your annual school fees in weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments.
  • Edstart Extend: a funding package that allows you to extend your school fee payments for up to 5 years after your child completes school.

Edstart Pay is a 12-month payment plan that enables you to spread your annual school fees evenly into weekly, fortnightly or monthly instalments. It is available to children of all ages.

There are no interest charges for Edstart Pay. The only cost is a standard 3% transaction fee on payments made to a school on your behalf. Edstart Pay can cover all items on a school invoice except for any outstanding balances.

With Edstart Pay, school fees are paid to the school by Edstart as and when they fall due, which is generally 2, 3 or 4 times per year. This means that upfront annual school fee payments may not eligible for Edstart Pay, however a more tailored package can be provided for circumstances where families want the school to be paid upfront for a full year.

Edstart Extend is a funding package that allows you to extend your school fee payments for up to 5 years after your child completes school. This option is generally better suited for when children start to reach the high-school years.

Interest rates are personalised based on each applicant’s credit profile and payment terms, and are typically set between 7.90% to 12.90% per annum. We use a risk-based pricing approach, which means that good quality borrowers are rewarded with lower interest rates. Interest is only charged on the balance of your Edstart account which has been utilised (i.e. the funds that have actually been paid to a school).

Edstart Extend can cover tuition / boarding fees and any extras like levies, uniforms, textbooks, excursions, extra-curricular activities as well as outstanding fee balances.

 Yes, Edstart can incorporate outstanding fee balances into your funding package under our Edstart Extend product.

Individuals with school fees to pay at any Australian non-government school can apply for funding, providing:

  • You are aged 21 years or older
  • You are an Australian citizen or permanent resident
  • You have a regular source of income that you can demonstrate
  • You have a good credit history
 You can apply for Edstart at any time during the year. Once you submit an online enquiry we will tailor a plan to meet your needs, to make sure you only end up paying the remaining balance. This will incorporate your current school fee balance, and the specific billing cycle of your school(s). Yes, you can apply for Edstart for use in future school years. Simply enter your child's starting Year Level as part of the online calculation. Once you have submitted an enquiry online, we will be in contact by phone or email to confirm the details and the year that your child will start school. If you want to let us know any extra information, simply send us an email at contact@edstart.com.au and this will be added to your online submission. Children at different schools can all be managed via one Edstart account. Each different school will be paid by Edstart whenever their fees are due. You will then make one simple payment to Edstart (weekly, fortnightly or monthly) which will cover the school fees for all your children. Proceeds of any funding provided by Edstart will be paid directly to the relevant school via their preferred payment method, which is generally BPay or direct bank transfer. The payment will be made the school using the verified payment details on each school fee invoice or statement.

Edstart makes school fees simple for families by providing customised funding packages which take into account all future school fee costs. A bank loan might help with just one year of school fees, but that would mean going to get a new loan each year, or initially borrowing much more funding than may otherwise be needed.

By contrast, Edstart provides a longer-term solution where future fees can be drawn down and paid to the school only as and when they are charged. Your tailored Edstart account can be used to fund all future school fees, and you can cancel anytime with no penalty. Edstart also uses risk-based pricing, which means that quality customers are rewarded with lower interest rates as compared to traditional banks and other lenders.

There are several major differences between Edstart and a typical payment provider:

  1. Edstart pays school fees in full prior to the due date. Families can then make payments to Edstart on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly cycle.
  2. Edstart allows families to extend school fee payment up to five years after your youngest child completes Year 12. This means that you can significantly reduce your total annual cash outflow on school fees by extending over a longer period.
  3. Edstart has lower costs than equivalent alternatives.
  4. Edstart is a local and specialised provider. We only fund education costs and our team are all based in Australia.
 No. Edstart will only provide funding when school fees are due to be paid to a school. A maximum of one full year of fees will be funded at a time and we generally pay the school on a semester or term-by-term basis. You will only be charged for the school fees which have actually been paid to a school. This means you will only ever pay for the funding you need. Yes. Edstart Australia Pty Ltd maintains full compliance with all regulatory requirements and holds Australian Credit Licence number 485096.

For Edstart Pay, our 12-month payment plan, we do not charge any interest. However, there is a 3% service fee on payments made to school on behalf of a family.

For Edstart Extend, interest rates are personalised based on each applicant’s credit profile and payment terms, and typically ranges from 7.90% to 12.90% per annum. Interest is only charged on the balance of your Edstart account which has been utilised.

Edstart uses a risk-based pricing approach, which means that good quality borrowers are rewarded with lower interest rates and fees.

Every customer can obtain an instant funding estimate online which provides full details of all interest rates and any other fees and charges which may be applied. The estimate is entirely free, will not impact your credit history and there is no obligation to proceed with a funding package.

Since Edstart issues continuing credit contracts, it is not possible to calculate a comparison rate for Edstart products.

 Payments to Edstart can be made weekly, fortnightly or monthly via direct debit from your nominated bank account. You can choose whichever payment frequency and start date that suits you best. Just email them to us at contact@edstart.com.au and we’ll make sure they’re paid on time If your children change schools, just let us know and we will modify your Edstart plan to meet your future school fee requirements. Assuming the schooling costs are similar, there is generally no need to apply again - your existing Edstart account can continue to be used.

Edstart is designed to be much more flexible than a traditional payment plan provider in relation to missed payment issues. This is because every Edstart customer receives a flexible line of credit account rather than a fixed payment plan.

Any temporary cash flow issues can be easily accommodated by providing an alternative payment date, a new payment cycle or a payment holiday as may be required. There are no fees or charges for implementing these changes.

All collections are handled internally by Edstart’s Sydney-based team. We do not outsource collection processes to any third party collection agency. Any missed payments are followed up via phone and we work with you to reschedule the payment or modify the payment schedule to meet each family’s needs.

Yes. All funding provided by Edstart can be repaid early at any time. No fees, charges, clawbacks or penalties are applied for early repayment. You can simply repay the balance that you have used.

If you wish to make extra payments from time to time, you can use your personalised BPay reference (provided on each Edstart statement) to do so at any time. Any extra payments will be applied to your Edstart account immediately, thereby reducing any interest costs that may apply.

 You can apply at any time during the year, or in advance for future years. Edstart can assist you to fund any current fee balance outstanding, as well as providing funding estimates for future school fee costs.

By submitting a funding enquiry via the Edstart website, you are commencing an application for credit provided directly by Edstart Australia Pty Ltd.

Edstart uses its own funding to provide the school fee packages for each family. This ensures that you are only dealing with one entity from start to finish and maximises the flexibility that we can offer.

 Edstart can generally fund any expense that is included on an invoice issued by your school or another education-related provider. This includes tuition fees, boarding expenses, uniforms, textbooks, excursions, extra-curricular activities and any outstanding fee balances.

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