Back-to-school vouchers in Australia

One type of back-to-school vouchers are state-funded vouchers that parents can use to send their children to private schools, including religious schools. There are other types of vouchers as well that parents can use to help cover the cost of different back-to-school essentials.

For example, the New South Wales government offers an ‘Active Kids voucher’ for parents and guardians to use toward the cost of sport each year. The same institution offers the ‘Creative Kids’ voucher as well to put $50 towards a child’s artistic endeavours. For children who are aged 3 to 6 years old, you can apply for a ‘First Lap’ voucher to put $50 towards their swimming lessons.

There are also over 500 businesses across Australia who accept vouchers for retail items such as stationery, uniforms, bags and books. Some of the larger retailers that accept these vouchers include:

• BigW

• Lowes

• Officeworks

• Rebel Sports

• The Athletes Foot

Eligibility for back-to-school vouchers in Australia

Of course, as with any programme, there are eligibility criteria you need to meet before you can take advantage of the scheme. The good news is that if you’re a NSW resident and your child is enrolled in school in 2023, you’re automatically eligible for a back-to-school voucher.

This applies for any stage of their learning journey from kindergarten to year 12. The vouchers are also available for home-schooled children as well. Eligible students will be able to receive up to three $50 AUD vouchers at a time.

For more information about vouchers including financial support for ABSTUDY (aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) students, check out the NSW government website.

How to use back-to-school vouchers in Australia

To apply for your back-to-school voucher, follow these quick steps:

1. Go to the Service NSW website

2. Create a MyServiceNSW account

3. Go to ‘Add Service’

4. Select the service you’d like to apply for

5. Follow the prompts to complete your application

What the vouchers cover in terms of clothing:

• Uniforms (except for non-traditional uniforms)

• Sports kits/activewear

• Shoes and sports shoes

The vouchers cover the following stationery and art supplies:

• Pencils/pencil cases

• Scissors

• Glue sticks

• Coloured pencils

• Pens

• Graphite pencils

Other miscellaneous items that the vouchers cover include:

• Computers

• Textbooks

• Exercise books

• Water bottles

• Lunch boxes

Where to use back to school vouchers in Australia

Back to school vouchers are widely accepted at many major retailers in Australia. Here are just a few of the places you can find uniforms, stationery and much more:

• Clarks (school shoes and sports shoes)

• Shoes & Sox (school shoes and sports shoes)

• Best & Less (school uniforms, swimming costumes and sportswear)

• Lowes (school uniforms and school equipment)

• Shoe Warehouse (school shoes and sports shoes)

• Mwave (computers, laptops and headphones)

• Officeworks (stationery, work books and lunch boxes)

• Big W (stationery and exercise books)

• Decathlon (sportswear and sports shoes)

• Myer (clothing, footwear and stationery)

• Glue Store (backpacks and sports shoes)

• The Athlete’s Foot (sports shoes and uniform shoes)

• JB Hi-Fi (computers and electronics)

Send financial support for school supplies to loved ones abroad

We, at WorldRemit, are well aware of the costs involved with sending your loved ones back to school each year. In fact, we’ve even broken down the costs for you in the past, so that you can get a sense of how much the whole endeavour costs. We hope that this article, outlining the usefulness of the vouchers will go a long way to help you recoup some of those costs.

One of the ways that you can help out your friends and family is by sending lump sums of money on either a monthly, weekly, seasonal or annual basis. You choose how often you want to send and WorldRemit will make it easy to send money, no matter where in the world you happen to be.

And there’s no waiting around, stressing about whether the money has made it into their accounts either. A majority of our transactions are received within one hour of sending. That means your loved ones can start reaping the benefits in minutes!

To get started, simply download the WorldRemit app, enter your recipient’s details and transfer money today.

The contents of this blog post does not constitute legal or financial advice and is provided for general information purposes only. If you require specific legal and / or financial advice you should contact a specialist lawyer or financial advisor. Information true at time of publishing.