Version Details
Version: | 5.1 |
---|---|
First Year: | 2014 |
Last Year: | 2014 |
About
The VET Commonwealth Assisted Students (VDU) file, commonly referred to as the "VET HELP Due" submission, reports the personal details, including names, tax file numbers (TFN) and the Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Numbers (CHESSN) of all students accessing VET FEE‑HELP assistance.
Student details from this file are provided to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Timing
Timing of submissions is detailed in the reporting schedule for the relevant reporting year.
Two VDU files are created and validated in a VET HELP Due submission each year. The first file includes student details for debts incurred between 1 January and 30 June. The second file includes student details for debts incurred between 1 July and 31 December.
Submission method
The VDU file is the only file in a VET HELP Due submission.
VET HELP Due is different to other submissions. The data is not submitted. Instead, information from a validated VET HELP Due submission is provided as a "snapshot" of information in the VET Student and VET Student Revision submissions. The creation of a "snapshot" is an automated process in the Higher Education Provider Client Assistance Tool (HEPCAT).
When you report the VET Student or VET Student Revision submissions to the department, TFN data in the snapshots are encrypted to protect the privacy of student’s personal information. You will need to use your encryption key provided by the ATO when you submit data that includes information from the VET HELP Due.
Submissions are made using HEPCAT. More information about this process is in the HEPCAT User Guide Part 2.
Structure
Information about the structure and the elements for the VDU file is in the structure guidelines for the relevant reporting year.
One record for each student and course combination is required on the VDU file. Each record must have a unique combination of values for:
- Student identification code (element 313)
- Course code (element 307)
- Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN) (element 488).
These elements are the key identifiers for each record on the VDU file. The VDU file also uses these values to identify matching records in a VET Student or a VET Student Revisions submission.
Updating data in a VET HELP Due submission
Additional records can be added to the VET HELP Due submission at any time. For detailed information on how to add or update records see the VET FEE‑HELP revision guides.
The department may request you to submit a revised VET HELP Due submission. This generally only occurs when TFN data reported to the Australian Taxation Office has failed the decryption process.
More information
For more information about terms used in these guidelines see the glossary.