TCSI November Newsletter 2022

TCSI Support has updated the Tax File Number (TFN) verification guide and include some top tips and common reporting issues to assist both providers and students to resolve potential issues.

TFN verification ensures that the TFN supplied by the student to the provider and submitted to TCSI matches the details at the ATO and is essential for loans to be submitted to the ATO.

Below are some common reporting issues identified by the TCSI Support team including guidance on how to resolve the issue:

• Issue: Student record is reported with a TFN that conflicts with a TFN already in TCSI (triggering Real-time Validation 10860).
• Resolution: When the system has detected duplicates before loan data has been sent to the ATO, providers should review their data in their system/TCSI Data Entry portal to resolve the issue. If a reported TFN does not belong to the student, and loans have been sent to the ATO, please do not make further updates to the student’s records and contact TCSISupport@education.gov.au for assistance. 




• Issue: Student has changed their name details at the provider but not updated their details at the ATO causing the TFN to fail verification.
• Resolution: Providers should refer students to the mismatch TFN student guide located on the TFN verification guide.




• Issue: Student has mistakenly provided an incorrect TFN or personal details to the provider. 
• Resolution: Providers should refer to the information located on the TFN verification guide and work with the student to resolve the issue. 

To assist providers with the TFN verification process, we recommend the following tips:

• Regularly check the TFN verification error report found within the Provider Notifications Report. Enhancements to the notification report for TFN verification errors were announced in the TCSI Analytics update – 14 November 2022.
• Student records with the 'TFN unmatched' notification message may be resolved if the student follows the mismatch TFN student guide located on the TFN verification guide and confirm the information reported at the ATO for the student. 
• If the TFN is unverified after the 12-week verification period, providers can re-trigger the verification period by changing the student given name first (E403) to '9999' and then re-report E403 to trigger verification. Please note this work around requires at least 15 minutes between making the changes to allow the system to trigger verification.

Providers are encouraged to contact TCSISupport@education.gov.au should the above tips and guides not resolve the issue the provider is experiencing for the student.

All providers are invited to attend upcoming webinars and drop-in sessions, and we encourage you to register your attendance using the links below.

TCSI November Webinar

The TCSI November webinar will be held on Wednesday 30 November 2022 and will feature information on the following content on timelines and implementation of:

• Staff Data verification
• HDR end user engagement
• 10% HECS-HELP discount removal
• Student learning entitlement for students in a Commonwealth Supported Place.

These sessions are an excellent opportunity to get up-to-date information and to ask any questions you might have about TCSI. Due to steady attendance numbers, TCSI drop-in sessions will continue to occur fortnightly with a break over the holiday period.

Register now for upcoming Webinars!

*The TCSI Support drop-in session to be held on 14 December 2022 will be the last drop-in session for 2022. Providers are encouraged to attend to ask any questions they may have before the end of year break. Drop-in session will return at the beginning of February 2023.

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

• For Monthly provider webinars, please go to the Webinars page.
• For drop-in sessions, please go to the TCSI Support drop-in sessions page.
• For webinars relating to Provider Information Request (PIR), please see our PIR webinars page.

The TCSI Analytics team has been working hard to deliver new reports and enhanced functionality to our users.

Numerous updates were made to TCSI Analytics Reports on 14 November 2022. More information on the recent updates can be found in the TCSI Analytics update - 14 November 2022 web alert and news article. The update included enhancements to the following reports:

• Tax File Number (TFN) notifications
• Scheduled validations for dual providers
• Higher education staff live data
• Verified 2021 higher education student data*

The new reports and enhanced functionality make data more readily available data for providers. For data not available via TCSI Analytics Reports, providers can complete a TCSI Data Extract Request form and data will be made available on the FTP server within two working days of the request.

Please note, request emails must match to either an active HEIMS user, or a staff member that has emailed a signed TCSI data extract form to TCSISupport@education.gov.au. The TCSI Data Extract request form can be found on the Request a data extract webpage.

The new TCSI Support website was launched on Monday 10 October!

Over the past month, providers would have witnessed the launch of the new TCSI Support website and had a chance to interact with the new layouts and functionalities.

Some of the new functionalities and updates that were released with the new TCSI Support website include:

• An updated home page, including a display of three ‘Hot Topics’ to see the latest news items and guides
• A new menu structure to help navigation
• Element history migrated from HEIMSHELP for each element
• Historical reporting requirements migrated from HEIMSHELP
• Individual web pages for Real-Time Validations and Scheduled Validations that are released in the production environment
• Upgraded search functionality*
• A news centre, to collate resources such as newsletters, webinars, and user guides.

We have also released a TCSI New starter toolkit to outline how to report to TCSI. We have pages available for the following provider types:

• Higher Education collections (HESA approved)
• VET Student Loans collection
• TEQSA Provider Information Request.

Search Functionality

*The search function is currently showing archived elements as top search results when an ‘E’ is not included at the being of the element code. To search for most recent element codes, TCSI Support recommends users:

• Include ‘E’ in front of the element code
  
  OR
• Select ‘Data Element’ in the search type field.

We will continue to work with our web developers to resolve the search functionality and address feedback returned on the new website. If you are unable to locate information that was previously found on the former website, please contact TCSISupport@education.gov.au.

We also welcome any feedback you have using the updated TCSI Support website. Please send us an email with the subject line 'Website feedback' and outline feedback and URLs of the relevant pages in the body of the email.

Further information is available in our October sector webinar, where there are highlights of the new features and tips for navigating the website.

 

The new interface for verifying Staff data is now available in TCSI Analytics and providers are asked to sign off on their staff before 16 December 2022. Verification of staff data applies to both HESA and TEQSA PIR Staff Collections.

Verification is the final stage in meeting your staff reporting requirements for 2022 year. When you verify your organisation's data you are declaring that your staff data reported for 2022 year is complete, accurate and finalised.

Verification signoff is due by 16 December 2022 for the 2022 Higher education staff data collection. The same timeline and process applies to all Higher education providers, including universities, providers approved to offer FEE-HELP and private providers who report staff data as part of TEQSA PIR Collection.

The department and TEQSA uses the verified data to publish information on your organisation.  It’s important to check your data carefully in each of the verification reports, changes to finalised publication data will not be possible after verification has concluded. It is, therefore essential that sufficient time is given to verifying your data and if errors are identified please refer to the data packets for details on how to make corrections. 

Verification is undertaken in TCSI Analytics and this process will be familiar to HESA approved providers as it follows the same method provided earlier this year for 2021 Student data verification. Providers will need to access HEIMS Online if they plan to compare their 2022 Staff collection with previous years data as reported in HEPCAT.

Providers can use the live reports to check their staff data before signing off as the verification reports share the same format and coding notes as the Staff Live Data Reports available to all Higher education providers in TCSI Analytics:

• Staff Numbers
• Staff Full-time Equivalent
• Actual Casual Staff Live

To assist you with understanding this process, the Verification User Guide and coding notes for each of the reports are available on the TCSI Analytics page.

All providers are also encouraged to attend the TCSI November webinar on 30 November 2022 for more information and can review the 22 June webinar for a walkthrough of the verification tool. Providers can register to access the recording of that webinar here.

If you have any questions relating staff verification, please email us at TCSISupport@education.gov.au.

We are aware that one or more VET Student Loans (VSL) and/or VET FEE-HELP records have appeared on some student’s loan accounts at the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) in August 2022 after several years delay.

This has not impacted all providers. We have written to all affected students and providers, and lists of affected students have been uploaded to providers’ HITS accounts. If you have not heard directly from the VSL Branch, it is because you have not been identified as being affected.

This may be the first time the loan records have appeared on the student’s ATO account or students may have noticed a change to their loan records on their ATO account. These records may relate to training undertaken between 2017 and 2022.

We are working with the ATO to determine the impact on students from the data transfer to the ATO, and to identify measures to address any unintended outcomes. This work is still underway and is a high priority.

We encourage students to check their loan records at the ATO and compare these records with the Fee Notice and Commonwealth Assistance Notice they were issued by their Provider, to confirm the loan amounts and details are correct. We appreciate your assistance in advising and supporting students through this process.

For the latest advice about this matter, we recommend both Providers and their students regularly check Update for VET students on historic loan records. This page contains key information for students about the issue, including instructions for how they can access their ATO account, and what to do if they are facing repayment hardship or wish to contact the department or the VET Student Loans Ombudsman regarding their loan. The page will be updated as further information becomes available.