Eligible Tasmanian families facing increasing back-to-school costs can now apply for interest-free loans of up to $2,000.
The No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) is a government-supported initiative aimed at helping families with upfront costs including school uniforms, textbooks, laptops and computers.
Minister for Education, Children and Youth Roger Jaensch said $1 million is being added to the NILS each year to help families access safe and affordable credit.
“I would encourage people who are in difficulty to reach out to the No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS), which can help with no interest loans to pay for education essentials that are integral to enable learning,” he said.
“We know that there are cost of living challenges as a result of rising interest rates as well as rising food and petrol costs for many Tasmanians and having access to loans with no interest, fees or charges, can be an enormous relief.”
To qualify for a NILS loan, applicants must be Tasmanian residents and hold a current healthcare card, pension card, DVA card or low-income healthcare card.
Alternatively, they must have a gross income of $55,000 or less, live in stable accommodation and have the capacity to repay the loan.
For more information and to apply for a NILS loan, visit nilstasmania.org.au.
