Student loans Dates
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AUG 28Interim student loan repayments are due. They count towards your end-of-year repayment obligation.
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SEP 30Overseas-based student loan repayment due if you do not have a temporary repayment suspension.
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JAN 15Interim student loan repayments are due. They count towards your end-of-year repayment obligation.
You can take a break from making your overseas based payments for up to 12 months while you travel overseas. However, if you have any payments due under your New Zealand based repayments, these will still need to be paid and are not covered by the temporary suspension.
You need to let us know if you want a temporary repayment suspension either:
- before you go overseas
- within 6 months of leaving.
Although you do not need to make repayments during your temporary repayment suspension, interest ─ charged from the day after you leave New Zealand ─ will be added to your student loan balance.
You need to give us an alternate contact person
When you apply for a temporary repayment suspension you need to give us an alternate contact person for you. This is in case we need to get hold of you but have not been able to. We'll need their name and contact details. They must live in New Zealand and be 18 or older.
How to apply
You can apply for a temporary repayment suspension in myIR or by calling us.
Go to your student loan account in myIR and select 'More'. In the 'Travelling overseas' section select 'Apply for a repayment suspension'.
We’ll be in touch after 183 days
When you apply for a temporary repayment suspension, we’ll send you a notice of assessment 183 days after you leave New Zealand.
The assessment will show you owe $0.00 for the 12-month period of the temporary repayment suspension.
When your suspension ends
When your suspension ends, you’ll need to start repaying your student loan again. If you’re still overseas, your repayments will be based on your loan balance.
Repayments will be due twice a year, on 30 September and 31 March. Interest will be added to your loan balance.
Ben leaves New Zealand on 28 January. He’ll be living and working in Australia for the next 5 years.
On 30 July (183 days later) we send him an assessment, showing a balance of $0.00 owing for the periods:
- 29 January to 30 September (date of 1st repayment)
- 1 October to 29 January the following year (when Ben’s temporary repayment suspension ends).
Later, we’ll send Ben an assessment covering the period 30 January to 31 March (date of 2nd repayment).
The assessment will show Ben’s student loan balance, the interest charged, and the amounts he needs to repay us on 30 September and 31 March.