Contribute to the Tuition Protection Service (TPS)
CRICOS-registered providers must contribute to TPS protecting overseas student fees.
Who must comply
Every provider registered on CRICOS to deliver courses to overseas students on student visas, whether a higher education provider, a registered training organisation or another CRICOS provider, and applicants for CRICOS registration, who must pay a first levy before registration.
What triggers it
Being registered on CRICOS at the levy census date (the 2026 collection covered providers registered as at 1 January 2026), or applying for CRICOS registration.
When due
Annually. For 2026: request for information (declared overseas student tuition fee income) due 3 March, invoice issued 10 March, payment due 10 April. A provider must also tell the TPS Director as soon as practicable of any matter that might increase its levy (s 25).
Evidence required
Response to the TPS request for information declaring prior-year overseas student tuition fees; accurate PRISMS enrolment data and current PEO and eBusiness contacts (levy notices go to them); levy invoice and payment receipt; designated account keeping initial pre-paid tuition fees separate from operating funds; written agreements with students setting out fees and refund terms.
Max penalty
Unpaid levy (other than the first levy) attracts a late payment penalty of 20% a year on the unpaid amount from the due date (s 172) and is recoverable as a debt due to the Commonwealth (s 173). If a provider does not pay within 7 days of a reminder notice, its registration is automatically suspended (ss 53D, 90)
Summary
The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (Cth) requires every registered provider to pay a Tuition Protection Service (TPS) levy for each calendar year (s 24). The levy is paid into the Overseas Students Tuition Fund and funds placement of international students in another course, or refunds, when a provider closes, fails to start or stops offering a course. It has four components set under the TPS Levies Act 2012: an administrative fee, a base fee, a risk-rated premium reflecting the provider's risk of default, and a special tuition protection component charged when the fund is below target. Coverage is automatic once a provider is registered on CRICOS and has paid its first levy; registration does not start until that first levy is paid. The TPS Director determines each provider's amount from PRISMS enrolment data and declared tuition fee income.
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Frequently asked questions
- Who must comply with Contribute to the Tuition Protection Service (TPS)?
- Every provider registered on CRICOS to deliver courses to overseas students on student visas, whether a higher education provider, a registered training organisation or another CRICOS provider, and applicants for CRICOS registration, who must pay a first levy before registration.
- What triggers Contribute to the Tuition Protection Service (TPS)?
- Being registered on CRICOS at the levy census date (the 2026 collection covered providers registered as at 1 January 2026), or applying for CRICOS registration.
- When is Contribute to the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) due?
- Annually. For 2026: request for information (declared overseas student tuition fee income) due 3 March, invoice issued 10 March, payment due 10 April. A provider must also tell the TPS Director as soon as practicable of any matter that might increase its levy (s 25).
- What is the maximum penalty for Contribute to the Tuition Protection Service (TPS)?
- Unpaid levy (other than the first levy) attracts a late payment penalty of 20% a year on the unpaid amount from the due date (s 172) and is recoverable as a debt due to the Commonwealth (s 173). If a provider does not pay within 7 days of a reminder notice, its registration is automatically suspended (ss 53D, 90)
- What evidence is required for Contribute to the Tuition Protection Service (TPS)?
- Response to the TPS request for information declaring prior-year overseas student tuition fees; accurate PRISMS enrolment data and current PEO and eBusiness contacts (levy notices go to them); levy invoice and payment receipt; designated account keeping initial pre-paid tuition fees separate from operating funds; written agreements with students setting out fees and refund terms.
Source: https://www.education.gov.au/tps/international-providers-tps. Rules Mate is not a law firm. Always verify against the live regulator source before acting.