Finance News
Term 4 fee statements were emailed on 15 October with a due date of Friday 5 November. Thank you to families who have made payments. Any recent payments will be receipted shortly.
Any families currently who have submitted a Fee Concession Application, your application process is currently underway and will be finalised in the next two weeks.
Families assessed as having the capacity to pay fees are expected to pay their fees. Where families demonstrate an unwillingness to pay fees, the College will recover fees and this may involve referral to a debt collection agency. Additional costs incurred in the collection of fees are the responsibility of the debtor/parent/guardian.
Covid-19 Fee Assistance
Catholic Education and Carroll College will support families who have been financially impacted as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic in Term 3 and 4, 2021. Where your family is experiencing financial stress due to job loss, being stood down, reduction in work hours, business downturn or closure resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic, full or partial fee relief is available. Please complete the Covid-19 Fee Assistance Request Form and you will be asked to provide supporting documentation. Please contact the Business Manager via email Rhonda.forner@cg.catholic.edu.au
It is important to seek this assistance by Monday 29 November at the latest in order to process your application. Access for Covid fee relief is not available after this date.
Managing your Fees
The College recommends a regular payment approach to managing your school fees and to reduce the financial burden that delaying fee payments may cause. For example, a regular weekly or fortnightly payment through Direct Debit, BPay or Qkr! can assist in managing your school fees. The 2021 Fee Schedule is available on the Carroll College website – Enrolment/Fees. In this section of the website, there is also a Fee Calculator to assist families in determining fee payment amounts in managing their school fee payments. If you are unable to pay off your school fees in full by the end of the year, you will need to setup a Fee Agreement with the College. A fee agreement assists both the College and families in managing school fees. Please contact our finance team via finance.ccb@cg.catholic.edu.au to obtain Fee Agreement Form.
Fee Assistance – Concession Application
Currently enrolled families facing significant financial difficulty are able to apply for fee assistance. Fee assistance is income based and requires supporting documentation. You may be asked to meet to discuss aspects of your application and will be required to provide supporting documentation. Fee assistance can include:
- a payment plan (extends the payment period to 12 months and commits families to make ongoing payments to pay off school fees by the end of the school year)
- an extended payment plan (extends the payment period to greater than 12 months and commits families to make ongoing payments to pay off school fees over an approved, extended period of time)
- Fee Concession – partial reduction of fees and payment plan
- Fee Concession – full reduction of fees
Fee assistance is an annual application process based on your circumstances. In some situations, any reductions may be reviewed on a term by term basis, which would then require separate applications including supporting documentation at the start of each term. Where your circumstances improve during the school year, the College relies on families to get in touch, so that your fee assistance can be adjusted accordingly and the College is able to provide support to other families requiring assistance.
Government grants provide part of the funding required to operate the College. The balance of operating costs are funded through school fees. The ongoing operations of the College are dependent on parents paying the required level of fees. Every effort will be made by the College to recover fees from parents who are deemed to have the capacity to pay fees.
On the basis of the information provided in the Fee Assistance Form, the Fee Committee will determine an appropriate level of fee support based upon guidelines agreed to by Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn and Carroll College. The Fee Committee reviews fee assistance applications once per term, in the latter half of the term. Applicants will be then be advised of the outcome via email and letter. Please sign a copy of this letter and return via the envelope provided to the College. Following receipt of signed agreement letter, the concession will then be applied to your fees. Where you are granted a partial reduction in school fees with a payment plan, it is necessary that you commit to maintaining your payment plan. Where you are on a payment plan or extended payment plan, it is important to maintain those ongoing payments. If you need to change your payment plan arrangements, please get in touch with College as soon as practicable.
Change in Circumstances – Request for Split Billing
Where there has been a change to your family circumstances and you require split billing, this creates a variation to your school fee obligations from initial enrolment. Please request the Split Billing Request Form which needs to be signed and dated by both parents/guardians to take effect. This form requires parents to indicate the percentage split for fees and acknowledges your obligations relating to fees, levies and charges incurred while your child is enrolled at the College. Please contact our finance team via finance.ccb@cg.catholic.edu.au to obtain a Split Billing Request Form.
All information is treated and maintained confidentially.
If you require fee assistance, please contact Rhonda Forner, Business Manager by email at Rhonda.Forner@cg.catholic.edu.au
Rhonda Forner
Business Manager
Access to Bushfire & Natural Disaster Support
Given the challenges that 2020 and 2021 has presented, there are many avenues for support. These are listed below to provide some assistance.
The National Recovery and Resilience Agency is able to provide assistance to individuals and families, businesses, not for profits, primary producers – everyone in our community. Their website address is: https://www.bushfirerecovery.gov.au/
Bushfire & Natural Disaster Specific Assistance
|
Type |
Website |
Closes |
|
Property Cleanup |
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/register-opt-nsw-bushfire-clean |
Ongoing |
|
Recovery Support Officer (RSO) |
https://recovery.gov.au/recovery-support-officers#/map |
|
|
Mental Health & Wellbeing |
https://recovery.gov.au/recovery-support/mental-health-wellbeing |
|
COVID 19 Financial Survival Guide
Please be aware that you are not alone and there are resources available to assist you and your family at this time. Listed below are some of those resources for information.
https://ndh.org.au/debt-problems/covid19/
Information on Jobseeker can be found at:
https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/jobseeker-payment
Changes to Government Assistance:
https://ndh.org.au/debt-solutions/covid-19-changes-government-assistance/
NSW Government Financial Support for Businesses
https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/business/financial-support
NSW Government Covid-19 business grants and payments comparison
Financial Institution Support during Covid19
Financial Institutions are also offering a range of assistance to account holders, homeowners and businesses. Please enquire with your financial institution to access financial support such as:
- Suspending payments on credit cards and personal loans
- Reduce interest rates on home loans/suspending or deferring home loan repayments/loan variations/reducing loan interest rates
- Loans and support for small business
- Loan extensions/deferrals.
Westpac
https://www.westpac.com.au/help/disaster-relief/coronavirus/?pid=iwc:sr:support_2003:covid:
NAB
https://www.nab.com.au/personal/customer-support/covid19-help?own_cid=MH20012
St George
ME Bank
https://www.mebank.com.au/support/coronavirus-information/
ANZ
https://www.anz.com.au/promo/covid-19/
Commonwealth Bank
https://www.commbank.com.au/latest/support-for-home-loan-customers.html?ei=pers_HL
Teachers Mutual Bank
https://www.tmbank.com.au/about/member-news/2020/coronavirus?icn=corona2020&icd=hpnews2
ING Bank
Scams during Coronavirus
Please be aware that there are some financial scams relating to Coronavirus. These may be in the form of text messages, emails or phone calls. The best approach is to not provide any of your financial information. If you suspect you have been contacted as part of a scam, you can report it to scamwatch – scamwatch.com.au/report-a-scam and the police.
For additional support, other services available include:
Beyond Blue
Life Line