Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN)

The Commonwealth Assistance Notice (CAN) is provided to all students who are enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place, and/or accessing Government Loan Scheme (HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP, Vet Student Loan or SA-HELP).

The CAN provides important information about your enrolment, fee information, any payments as well as how much will be reported to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), i.e. any HELP debt you have incurred.

Victoria University is required by legislation to provide you with a CAN within 28 days of the census date for each study period.

What is included in the CAN?

The CAN is not an invoice and you don't need to contact the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

All CANs will include the below information:

  • your personal information (student ID, full name, citizenship & date of birth)
  • study period for which the CAN is issued for
  • date of issue
  • citizenship
  • course code
  • course title
  • census date
  • Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number (CHESSN).

If you are a Commonwealth supported student, your CAN will include information on:

  • the units of study for which you have received Commonwealth assistance
  • the student contribution amounts you have been charged for the units you are enrolled in
  • any upfront paying you have made
  • any HECS-HELP assistance you have used for the study period
  • total debt incurred.

If you have applied for FEE-HELP or VET Student Loan (VET FEE-HELP before 2018), your CAN will also include information on:

  • the units for which you have received FEE-HELP or VET Student Loan
  • EFTSL or contact hours
  • tuition fees for your units of study
  • any upfront payment you have made
  • any FEE-HELP or VET Student Loan incurred
  • any loan fee incurred*
  • total debt incurred.

*There is a loan fee of 25% if you are a full-fee paying students taking out a VET Student Loan. The loan fee does not count towards your FEE-HELP limit.

Viewing your CAN

You can view and print your CAN online via MyVU (Log in > My Finances > eCAN) within 28 days after the census date of each study period.

You will receive an email communication notifying you when your CAN is available to view.

If you cannot access your CAN via MyVU, please fill out the CAN request form.

You need to check your CAN each study period and verify that all the information is correct. This is to ensure that the correct information is reported to the ATO.

Disputing your CAN

If you believe your CAN is incorrect, contact must be made in writing within 14 calendar days from the date the CAN is issued. If you submit your query after this, you will incur a late CAN dispute charge.

You can dispute your CAN by asking a question through AskVU. Choose Fees > CAN dispute as the topic.

Please ensure you include the following information in your query:

  • your name
  • your student ID number
  • your course code
  • the study period and year
  • which details you believe are incorrect
  • why you believe they are incorrect, and
  • any supporting documents.

You will need to complete the CAN request form to request a historical CAN as part of your dispute.