Fees Free FAQs
Course details
About the course
October 2025 note: Learner support for final-year Fees Free is moving to Inland Revenue on 6 October 2025. This means Inland Revenue will be responsible for supporting learners with final-year Fees Free information, assessing learner eligibility and making entitlement payments. Please go to ird.govt.nz/fees-free for more information.
What is Fees Free?
Fees Free covers fees for the final year of tertiary study or final 2 years of work-based learning. In most cases you can only get Fees Free if you are starting study or work-based learning for the 1st time.
When you enrol for your study or work-based learning, you will need to pay your fees. You can apply for Fees Free from 15 January 2026, after you have completed your qualification or programme.
New to Fees Free
Fees Free covers fees for the final year of tertiary study or final 2 years of work-based learning. To get Fees Free, you must start your final year on or after 1 January 2025.
Applying for Fees Free
From 15 January 2026, you can apply for Fees Free when you have completed your 1st eligible qualification or programme. To do this you must have a myIR account.
Fees Free and your student loan
If you have a student loan, your Fees Free entitlement will be transferred to your student loan balance. This will happen even if you did not use the student loan to pay the fees for your final year of study, or final 2 years of work-based learning.
Fees Free query form
About the provider
On-job training takes place in your workplace. It means that you, as an employee, gain essential skills and knowledge while doing your job.
You learn the specific skills for your job and career and, by upskilling in the real work environment, gain the know-how plus proven experience to solve problems, meet challenges and deal with tasks that you will face day to day.
You also get the satisfaction of earning while you learn, and gaining a national qualification.
We offer a full range of on-job training programmes, apprenticeships and quick online courses for the retail, hospitality, travel, tourism, museums and aviation sectors.
Our programmes are designed for people at every level of the business, from new entrant to supervisor and manager.
Our expert training advisors are also there to support you and your employer throughout the process from enrollment to assessment and successful completion of the programme.