Collection of Export Education Levy from Private Schools
Operating instructions for the collection of the Export Education Levy from private schools.
Under what authority is the levy collected?
The Export Education Levy (the levy) is empowered by section 238H of the Education Act, 1989 and specified in the Education (Export Education Levy) Regulations.
What is the Export Education Levy money used for?
The levy is used to support a broad range of activities and projects relating to the export education industry. These include marketing, capability development, quality assurance and research. The money also finances the Code of Practice office which oversees the pastoral care of international students while they are studying in New Zealand.
What types of international students does the levy apply to?
The levy applies only to international-fee paying students who are studying in New Zealand. Other International students such as exchange students, students sponsored by the New Zealand Agency for International Development (NZAID) and "off-shore" foreign students (where study takes place outside of New Zealand) are exempted from the levy.
How much is the levy?
The levy only applies if you have one or more international students enrolled.
The levy consists of two components made up of:
- a flat fee component of $185 payable by each school with international fee-paying students enrolled
- a variable component of 0.45 percent of total tuition fees.
GST is payable on the Levy.
How is the levy calculated?
From 2009 the levyhas been calculated using data extracted from the ENROL database.
The levy is collected on a Trimester basis.
Trimester 1 covers the period from the nominal start date of the school year to 30 April.
Trimester 2 covers the period 1 May to 31 July.
Trimester 3 covers the period 1 August to the nominal end date of the school year.
Why use Nominal Dates for the start and end of the school year?
Because so many international students come for short periods of study the ENROL database stores a "weekly tuition fee" rather than an annual fee. Because schools can vary their start and end dates for the school year, it is necessary to use nominal start and end dates in the calculation of the levy. Primary schools have a nominal 40 week year while secondary/composite schools have a 39 week year.
How are private schools advised about the amount of levy owed?
At the end of each Trimester, the administrator will extract from ENROL the details about international students at each school.
You will be emailed an RS16P Excel spreadsheet which will list the names and dates enrolled in the Trimester plus the calculation of the levy for your school for the Trimester.
This is a provisional list which allows you to check that the details extracted from ENROL are correct. Any errors must be fixed by editing the students data on ENROL.
A week later the administrator will email the final version on an RS16 spreadsheet.
Enquiries
Enquiries should be directed to:
Ron Ross, Administrator Export Education Levy
Ministry of Education
Private Box 1666, Wellington
Tel: 04 463 8073
Email: Ron Ross
Fax: 04 463 8137