Understanding 'safe mode' in TCSI

What is safe mode?

Safe mode protects against unnecessary transactions being made on student records at the ATO. This process works by temporarily turning off the channel used to send loan data from TCSI to the ATO for an identified provider.

All other TCSI functionality remains available while in safe mode. This means a provider in safe mode can continue to:

add, update and remove records in TCSI
verify student Tax File Numbers (TFNs) and Unique Student Identifiers (USIs)
check student HELP balances in myHELPbalance, TCSI Data Entry portal or using APIs
report, update and delete loan information in TCSI. Please note that loan information:
- will continue to affect a student’s combined HELP balance and their access to capped entitlements including OS-HELP and START-UP HELP loans
- will be visible to the student and provider in myHELPbalance
- may block replacement loans being reported because loan reversals at the ATO are not processed while in safe mode
supply data for access by Services Australia to support students applying for or receiving a payment.

If you are a new higher education provider onboarding to TCSI for the first time, your organisation will automatically be placed into safe mode until you are satisfied that your first batch of TCSI reporting is accurate. New VET Student Loans providers will not be placed into safe mode during the onboarding to TCSI as their data is not processed for payment or sent to the ATO until after the 7th calendar day of the month. Our TCSI support team can provide assistance when reporting to TCSI for the first time.

Why use safe mode?

Safe mode provides a safeguard against unintentional updates to TCSI records that could affect student loans recorded at the ATO. It provides an opportunity to review your data in advance during high-risk scenarios such as updating or transitioning to a new Student Management System.

If system errors occur, safe mode may reduce unnecessary transactions from appearing on student ATO loan statements which can cause confusion and concern for students. Safe mode also gives providers time to notify affected students and communicate to the department and ATO so student messaging can be consistent.

How to request entry into safe mode?

To entry into safe mode, please send an email to TCSISupport@education.gov.au at least three (3) working days prior to the planned date to allow sufficient time for TCSI Support team to process your request.

In the three days leading up to turning on safe mode, your organisation should stop all TSCI reporting, especially loan information. This reduces the chance that loans are caught in the pipeline to the ATO which can cause delayed entry into safe mode.

Noting that safe mode entry is an overnight process, if your request is approved, an email will be sent advising that safe mode has been activated successfully and you can resume your TCSI reporting. Providers should not assume safe mode has been entered on the requested date and can follow up with TCSIsupport@education.gov.au if confirmation has not been received as expected.

What is the time limit for using safe mode?

We anticipate that most providers will use safe mode for a limited period. Prolonged safe mode usage will affect students who are waiting for loan reversals or attempting to repay their loans. Safe mode also reduces visibility of loans for students accessing their ATO statement (myHELPbalance can continue to be used by students as an alternative view of up-to-date loan information).

How to request exit from safe mode?

When you’re ready to exit safe mode, please advise us at TCSISupport@education.gov.au at least three (3) working days before your planned exit date. TCSI support team will work with you to review and compare your current loan data with the loans in TCSI prior to safe mode entry.

This analysis does not replace the provider’s internal checks and data quality controls. The process has, however, successfully detected anomalies in the past such as a high volume of reversing loans and excessive updates to loan amounts. If anomalies are detected, we will seek your confirmation on whether the updates were intended and help you review the anomalies using TCSI Analytics or a custom data extract.

Providers will remain in safe mode until a request to exit is received, our team will send a confirmation email once safe mode has been turned off.

What happens when I exit from safe mode?

TCSI will attempt to reverse or remit loans based on data supplied by your provider to TCSI while in safe mode. TCSI will also attempt to send any loans approved in earlier monthly release cycles.

The time to process a backlog of loans can vary depending on volume and traffic between the department and the ATO. Providers should be able to see updated loan status values using APIs or TCSI Data Entry portal on the same day that safe mode was exited. TCSI Analytics reports will update overnight and updated loan statuses will be visible the day after exiting safe mode.

Option to disable data reporting while in safe mode

Another level of protection, in addition to safe mode, is read-only mode. During a read-only period, providers can retrieve data from TCSI using APIs (GET calls), TCSI Data Entry portal and TCSI Analytics. Provider systems will, however, be prevented from creating, updating or deleting records in TCSI Data Entry portal or using their student management software (i.e. using POST, PATCH, and DELETE calls via API). This ensures your system cannot cause any unwanted updates to existing TCSI records when the risks associated with system changes are considered high.

Providers can request read-only mode for an individual type of information broken down into Higher Education Provider (HEP), VET, and Provider Information Request (PIR). For example, a dual HEP/VET provider might switch HEP to read-only for an upgrade in that part of their system while also supplying VET data live to TCSI.

Like safe mode, you can request to be in read-only mode by email to TCSIsupport@education.gov.au with three (3) working days' notice. Your organisation can remain in read-only mode for a nominated period until you’re satisfied that your API processes are ready to resume full reporting.

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Understanding 'safe mode' in TCSI

What is safe mode?