TCSI February Newsletter 2024

Troubleshooting Tax File Number (TFN) notification messages.

Providers should obtain a TFN from students seeking to access a HELP and/or Vet Student loan. Any TFNs not verified due to a mismatch in TCSI are re-checked nightly for 12 weeks. 

During the TFN verification period, providers will receive one of the following TFN notification messages when a TFN is yet to verify due to a mismatch:

• “TFN matched to different External ID – the ATO has a different TFN for the student.”
• “TFN unmatched – TFN and/or other student details do not match details held by the ATO.”
• “TFN unmatched due to Client Status – Advise the student to contact the ATO to resolve an issue with their account and the status of their TFN.”

The verification process will cease after 12 weeks of failed verification, and a final notification will be placed on the providers notification report:

• “TFN unmatched and verification period has concluded – TFN will need to be re-reported to recommence verification period".

Providers who receive one of the above notification messages should contact the student to ensure the details at the provider match the student’s details at the ATO, as students are the owners of their personal information and are the authoritative source for their name details.

The TFN verification period can be re-triggered after the period has concluded by:

• Updating the student’s personal information in TCSI, or
• Sending a PATCH API call to TCSI for the student record via your student management system (SMS).

Students can manage their details using their myGov account to access ATO online services. It is important to note that the student’s details must match what has been reported at the ATO. This information will be found in the student's ATO online account and not in the myGov account, as these details can be different. If students have difficulties using ATO online, they can contact the ATO Individual enquiries line on 13 28 61.

More information can be found on the TCSI Support Tax File Number (TFN) Verification guide.

USI bulk verification has been re-triggered.

USI bulk verification was re-triggered on Tuesday, 6 February 2024, for all students with an unverified USI in TCSI (where the student has active unit enrolments on or after 1 January 2021). The bulk verification will initiate a further 42-day period for USI checks. A small number of student records contained within the recent USI bulk verification were only triggered for one day of verification. Our IT team is currently investigating solutions to re-trigger affected records as a priority.

TCSI Data Extract Requests have been updated to enhance functionality and user experience!

TCSI Data Extract Requests

The TCSI Data Extract Request form has been updated to streamline and simplify the data extract process. The form now only shows options that match the requesting provider’s selected provider type. Requesting officers will now only be able to select one data scope per form. Where providers require data from more than one scope, it is recommended that providers select ‘All Collections data’.

Improved data files

TCSI Support has recently improved the following data extract files based upon feedback received from providers:

• Exit awards – Files now include Course code (E307), Course name (E308), and Course outcome date (E592) information.
• Course Offers – If a course offer has been reported with more than one Basis of admission, data will now appear on the same row under Basis of admission (A) and Basis of Admission (B) information. This will prevent the data being presented on multiple rows causing confusion with total offers reported by a provider.

New TCSI Support FTP folder

TCSI Support has recently transitioned to a new FTP account known as TCSISupport@Education.gov.au (previously UniStats). All data extract requests will appear in your provider’s new FTP folder with the below format:

(Provider code) Provider Name – TCSI (TCSISupport@Education.gov.au)

Providers can still access their previous FTP TCSI folder (UniStats) to view past data extracts until Friday 15 March 2024. It is recommended that providers download all required data from the Unistats TCSI folder as the folder will be deactivated and all data will be wiped after this date. 

Please note, providers will not be required to change the way they login to the FTP server.

UniStats FTP folder

The University Statistics team will maintain and manage the UniStats FTP folder moving forward. Folders that may have been shared with your provider by the University Statistics team, such as Universities Australia datasets or bespoke data requests, will remain on that FTP site for the sharing of data requests and publication information. Please contact University-Statistics@education.gov.au if you have any questions or issues relating to your providers Unistats FTP folder.

TCSI would also like to remind providers that FTP folders are not for storage of data, they are used to transfer data between TCSI and our providers in an accessible and secure manner. Accounts are deactivated after 60 days of inactivity and files shared with you will be deleted after eight weeks.

Protect personal information. A reminder to all providers to follow data privacy and security guidelines.

Providers need to consider their own obligations and consider the 13 Australian Privacy Principles outlined under the Privacy Act 1988 when sending data to TCSI support. 

TCSI Support issues and information requests

Please ensure that the information does not breach the individual’s privacy and does not contain information such as:

• TFN
• CHESSN
• Names
• Date of Birth
• Addresses

If student information needs to be communicated to the department, providers can send the following identifiers:

• Student identification code (E313)
• Provider code (E306)

If TCSI support requires additional privacy data in relation to an enquiry, TCSI support will send follow up correspondence requesting specific data with information on using a secure method of communication. 

For additional information relating to Privacy for both students and providers, please see Privacy notice messaging for students.

TCSI test data

Reminder: Actual live or Production data should not be used in the TEST environment. 

Using production data in the test environment is a privacy data breach. Providers should consider their obligations and consider the 13 Australian Privacy Principles outlined under the Privacy Act 1988.

Whilst actual live or production data should not be used for testing purposes, providers can consider using de-identified data, with the acknowledgement and confirmation of certain conditions. These are:

• The provider is sufficiently satisfied that the data has been de-identified in such a way that it cannot be un-scrambled or re-identified
• In the event that this data is published or exposed externally, the provider maintains no concern to its privacy or security sensitivity. Essentially, the government will treat this data as unclassified material
• In the event that data is able to be un-scrambled or re-identified, the provider holds all responsibility for this and any associated implications.

The department strongly advises providers to seek internal legal advice prior to exploring the usage of de-identified production data for testing in the TCSI test environment.

For more information on using the TEST environment, please see TCSI - Testing for providers.

The TCSI test environment will be refreshed in 2024.

The TCSI test environment will undergo a refresh in April! The refresh will remove all reported data including curriculum, student, staff, and applications and offers collections. This will help reduce the strain on the test environment, improve performance, remove unwanted data, and allow providers to perform testing without interference from previously reported data.

Providers and vendors will be advised of the refresh date once it is confirmed. Providers and vendors will be given three weeks’ notice to ensure any testing can be completed. If you require an extract of your test data, please complete a data extract request. 

Where possible, configurations for existing mock provider accounts will be retained after the refresh, including provider types, provider effective dates, and VET Student Loan approved course lists.

The TCSI Support team resumed optional drop-in sessions from 7 February 2024 with the first TCSI Monthly webinar to be held on 21 February 2024.

Registration links for upcoming TCSI drop-in sessions and webinars can be found below:

All scheduled 2024 monthly TCSI webinars are now available for registration on the TCSI News Centre webpage.

We encourage all providers to register now for upcoming 2024 TCSI monthly webinars, update your calendar, and invite along any colleagues who may benefit from attending.

Recordings of previous webinars can be found at the following locations:

• For monthly provider webinars, please see the ‘Published Newsletters, Webinars and other media’ section of the News Centre webpage.
• For drop-in sessions, please go to the TCSI Support drop-in sessions page.

Verification of 2023 higher education provider Student data is activated for providers approved under the Higher Education Support Act 2023 (HESA). It must be completed by 3 May 2024.

We encourage providers to access the newly created Verification webpages for comprehensive information and instructions. Please also register to join our webinar on 21 February via the News Centre page.

For more information about the 2023 HEP student verification please visit the announcement page.

New webpages dedicated to student and staff data verification have been created with comprehensive resources and instructions to assist providers completing the verification process.

The new webpages contain information such as key dates, data submission resources, verification reports, verification instructions and user tips.

Information is tailored for the three types of higher education providers, including universities, HESA-approved non-university providers, and PIR providers.

We encourage you to visit the new landing page for verification which will help you identify your provider type.

TCSI Support welcomes any feedback you would like to share at TCSIsupport@education.gov.au.

As part of ongoing work to enhance the Student Learning Entitlement Management System (SLEMS) enhancements in two areas went into production on Friday 2 February 2024.

Student learning entitlement (SLE) policy is relevant to universities and a small number of private institutions that offer students study in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP). You can skip this article if you are not approved to offer CSPs to your students.

Additional SLE (ASLE) award for postgraduate and graduate entry bachelor courses

A new value called ‘Provisional ASLE’ has been created, which will be provided to a student enrolled in a postgraduate or graduate entry bachelor course. This change is being made to align ASLE processing for these course types, with the requirement that they are a CSP. The following E310 – Course of study type codes, will be provided with Provisional ASLE, when a course admission is reported:

 

Provisional ASLE is awarded at the E350 – Course of Study Load value less any additional ASLE previously consumed. When a CSP coded unit (based on the E490 Student Status code) is reported against that course, the student’s Provisional ASLE amount will be transferred to their Additional SLE amount which will then be usable for that or any other course. This aligns the award of ASLE for these course types, that it is a CSP.

To allow for CSP units to be reported, where a student has no Available SLE but an amount of Provisional ASLE, the CSP unit will be able to be reported without being blocked. This allows the transfer of the remainder of that Provisional ASLE amount to their Additional SLE amount.

Conversely, when it becomes evident that the student will not be placed in a CSP for that course, the Provisional ASLE awarded will be retracted.

RTVs

Two updates/ additions to RTVs have been made relating to SLEMS:

• A new RTV 10923, has been added that will warn providers when a unit enrolment is reported that results in a student having 2 or less EFTSL of SLE available. This will trigger once the threshold of 2 EFTSL or less is met, rather any time a unit enrolment is reported and the student’s available SLE is 2 or less, to balance the amount of RTVs triggered, against the need to notify providers of students with low SLE amount.
• There are also fixes to errors preventing SLE amounts being recredited for units in some instances where the HELP Amount or Amount charged equals zero. These fixes include new RTV 10921 and RTV10922 which warn providers that the amount charged and HELP Loan Amount (E558) should be greater than $0 for CSP units, as well as updated RTV10462 which will block an attempt to report the remission of a non-CSP unit with an amount charged of $0.

Ongoing work:

Work is also continuing on SLE specific TCSI Analytics reports, with further updates expected in future TCSI Newsletters and Monthly Webinars.