Purpose
The department provides assistance to parents of secondary school age students attending state and approved non-state schools to contribute towards the cost of textbooks and learning resources.
Duration of program
Ongoing
Eligibility
Refer to the
Textbook and Resource Allowance (TRA) procedure for information about eligibility requirements for this allowance.
Allocation of funds
Information for parents
Allowance rates for the current year are shown below.
The allowance is paid automatically to state and non-state schools, and parents of children registered for home education, based on enrolment data. The TRA procedure provides more information about how the allowance works.
Parents of state school students, and state school students identified as independent students, receive the allowance as a reduction in participation fees for the school’s Student Resource Scheme. Where a school does not operate a Student Resource Scheme, or a parent chooses not to participate in the scheme, the school pays the allowance directly to parents. Parents that have not agreed to participate in a Student Resource Scheme should contact the school directly if they do not automatically receive the payment.
Parents of children registered for home education are paid the allowance directly by the department.
Information for schools
For state schools
TRA is calculated on full-time equivalent (FTE) enrolment census data. For most schools, payments will be made automatically without the need for manual claim forms. See
part 1 for payment details and timeframes.
Given the additional complexity of enrolment profiles in Schools of Distance Education (SDE), separate hard copy claim processes will be used. See
part 2 for payment details and timeframes.
Norfolk Island Central School (B059) is not eligible to receive the Textbook and Resource Allowance as it is outside of Queensland and is in receipt of other Australian Government funding.
Hospital School Campuses (3056, 3100, 3102) are also not eligible to receive the Textbook and Resource Allowance as they do not provide census data and are in receipt of other government funding.
For non-state schools
See
part 4 for payment details and timeframes.
- Only one entitlement of TRA is payable per eligible student per annum.
- Part-time students receive a proportion of the full time rate.
- Ungraded and special school students will be paid according to their age at 1 January:
- students 12–15 years of age on 1 January—Years 7–10 rate
- students 16–17 years of age on 1 January—Years 11–12 rate.
- Payments to all schools are based upon the State Government Survey Data Collection for non-state schools. No claim forms are required.
No claims can be made for students who are enrolled after the annual Survey Data Collection, which is conducted on the last Friday of February.
Payment details
Part 1—Secondary schools and special schools
(See separate process for SDEs)
| February | Initial payment of 80% of entitlement based on FTE state school enrolments (July census from previous year) |
| May | Adjustment payment based on February enrolment data for the current year (subject to availability of validated census data) |
| October | Supplementary payments based on July enrolment data New enrolments entering schools between March and July will be identified and payments made The few students who enrol and then leave between the February and July census dates will not attract a TRA payment from the department Schools are required to pay the equivalent value of the TRA to the parent/caregiver or the next school Students who commence studies after the first Friday in August have no entitlement |
Part 2—SDE
| April | Combined initial and adjustment payment based on eligible students at the end of February and submitted on hard copy claims to Finance Branch by 31 March |
| August | Supplementary payments based on eligible students enrolled between February and 31 July and not previously claimed by any other Queensland school. Hard copy claims to be submitted to Finance Branch by 15 August |
Part 3—Children registered for home education
| April | Eligible children included in approved School Appropriation Payment Application (SAPA) Home Education Unit batches |
| August | Eligible children included in approved SAPA Home Education Unit batches, not previously claimed in the same year |
Note: No claims can be made for students who commence studies after the first Friday in August. Any claim received after 30 November will not be considered for payment. Retrospective payments are not made for benefits in previous years.
Part 4—Non-state schools
| February | 80% of the estimated entitlement in February, based on a school's previous year Survey Data Collection |
| June | Balance of the entitlement in June, based on a school's Survey Data Collection for that year |
The following schools are ineligible for Textbook and Resource Allowance funding:
Part 1—State and special schools
The centre below is to be excluded from this funding as students are short-term students in receipt of medical treatment.
- 3056 Barrett Adolescent Centre Special School
Part 2—SDE
This centre is not eligible as it has no enrolments. Enrolments are listed at the host centre.
- 3613 Capricornia (Rockhampton Campus) SDE
Allowance rates
| Years 7–10 | $155 per student per annum (2024 rate)
|
| Years 11–12 | $337 per student per annum (2024 rate)
|
Part-time students are entitled to the relevant FTE fraction of the allowance.
Pro rata refunds and payments
Where a student leaves a Queensland state secondary school after the end of February, the transferring school will pay a pro rata refund of TRA to the parent.
In order to achieve consistency among state schools, pro rata refunds and payments should be made on the basis of a 40-week school year.
How to apply
All schools other than SDE and Milpera State High School in Queensland will receive payments automatically based on census data. No manual claim forms will be required.
Schools making manual claims will receive relevant forms directly from Finance Branch when required.
Parents will automatically be paid the allowance either as a reduction in school fees or as a direct payment. Parents who do not wish to participate in a state school’s Student Resource Scheme, and therefore receive the payment directly from the school, will need to inform the school by returning the Participation agreement form provided by the school, including payment details (e.g. bank account details).
Data requirements
| Enrolments (State high schools and special schools) | OneSchool (OS) data maintained by schools | February, July |
| Student enrolment counts by year level—NSS | State Survey Data Collection for non-state schools | February |
| Enrolments (SDE) | Eligible students at the end of February and submitted on hard copy claims to Finance Branch | March, August |
| Children registered for home education | The Home Education Unit submits approved SAPA batch | March, August |
Further information
For further information, please refer to the following websites or the contact details:
Contact us
For school enquiries regarding TRA payments, please contact:
School Financial Resourcing
Phone: (07) 3034 5817
For parent enquiries regarding eligibility and payment arrangements for TRA, please contact your school directly.