Registered Victorian home educators are eligible for the School Start Bonus. Parents are granted this money to assist with the costs (books, equipment etc) involved with starting school or starting secondary school.

The bonus applies to grade prep and year seven levels or, in ungraded situations, as follows:

Prep equivalent payments are for children aged five before the 30th April and aged not more than six before the start of the application year.

Year seven equivalent payments are for children aged at least 11 and no older than 13 at the beginning of the application year.

One prep payment only and one year seven payment only will be made per student – i.e. you can’t  apply for the bonus for an eleven year old one year and claim for the same child as a twelve year old the following year.

The bonus will automatically be paid to parents of children enrolled in government or non-government schools but home educators will need to apply for it. The bonus consists of a payment voucher for $300 redeemable at most Australia Post Office outlets.

Relevant links:

Eligibility

Answers to FAQ

Application form