From APRA: The Australian Prudential Regulation Authority has begun consulting on proposed changes to how banks treat Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt repayments when assessing home loan applications.

APRA has no specific rules or guidance in relation to HELP repayments beyond asking banks to include HELP debts when reporting data on debt-to-income ratios.

However current industry practice is for banks to consider HELP debts when assessing a home loan applicant’s ability to service a loan.