wtf studylink?

**Real_Wolf** · 30th October 2008, 01:19

yeah, its a question of who do you think will screw up the government less frmo what I usually see.

My favourite thing from studylink, well actually theres two
first, when I first applied for a student allowance, sent in all the forms, etc, I get a message back saying that I wasn't in enough courses to count as a full time student. I was doing 3, as I dropped out of one having found out it was absolutely useless.
Now I called them up, turns out they have this 'point' thing that each course is worth, and I didn't have enough 'points' (needed 4 i think) for "full time student".
I thought this was strange.
Not too much later, I signed up for next semesters courses, or at least some of them. This was less than halfway through the semester? and then suddenly I'm eligible for the student allowance. The second semester courses, which I wasn't even doing, counted towards my student allowance.

The other was this year, when I was told my student allowance was going to stop for the second semester, I re-applied, was told I had to verify income and parents income AGAIN, was lazy, didn't do it for a while, and tehy started paying me again anyway. Even got a letter at some point this semester saying the amount I was entitled to had changed. Then about a week or two later got one asking me to verify the income again.

**motorbyclist** · 30th October 2008, 01:21

what i don't get is why they will only let me take out a loan for the duration of the financial year, and have to take out a new one for the next 12 months... it would appear by the time i've finished my four year degree i'm going to have six seperate loans

**Gremlin** · 30th October 2008, 02:52

Originally Posted by motorbyclist

what i don't get is why they will only let me take out a loan for the duration of the financial year, and have to take out a new one for the next 12 months... it would appear by the time i've finished my four year degree i'm going to have six seperate loans

ah yes, that puzzled the hell out of me at first... was like, where's the logic in that?

What actually happens is that after the calendar, and around the end of the financial year, they pass the old loan to IRD, for collection. This happens each year, so eventually, it all sits with IRD.

The reason for this is that when you start earning, if you go over the re-payment threshold, you have a certain tax code, that means the employer deducts repayments from your pay, and this is all done with IRD.

Issue here... you never get statements, stating how much has been paid off via this method, interest is being written off (don't even get me started on how its charged, then deducted with Studylink), and how much is left to pay.

**motorbyclist** · 30th October 2008, 09:48

Originally Posted by Gremlin

(don't even get me started on how its charged, then deducted with Studylink)

yeah, i've always assumed that is so that they can repeal the interest free loan policy and leave us all paying interest on $20000 loans when we only went with the loan option because they told us interest was not to be charged

would i be correct in this assumption?

**Cajun** · 30th October 2008, 09:52

Originally Posted by Gremlin

Issue here... you never get statements, stating how much has been paid off via this method, interest is being written off (don't even get me started on how its charged, then deducted with Studylink), and how much is left to pay.

i usual get a at minium of 1 statment, with our much my loan is, how much i have paided off from IRD

i normally get another letter with the interest being paided off since

**Gremlin** · 30th October 2008, 11:45

Originally Posted by motorbyclist

yeah, i've always assumed that is so that they can repeal the interest free loan policy and leave us all paying interest on $20000 loans when we only went with the loan option because they told us interest was not to be charged

would i be correct in this assumption?

The interest free policy I imagine is because only some people are entitled to it. If you meet the requirements, you get it. So hell, just charge it to all, if you meet the requirements, they deduct it again. However, since you can't make head or tail of the statement, you don't have a clue if they are actually doing it accurately (and who trusts them aye?). Sense from their end I guess, PITA for us.

Cajun, minimum of 1 statement how frequently? I had them regularly while at uni, none in the last 2.5 years when I have been out.

**Cajun** · 30th October 2008, 12:07

[QUOTE=Gremlin;1789732
Cajun, minimum of 1 statement how frequently? I had them regularly while at uni, none in the last 2.5 years when I have been out.[/QUOTE]

1 statement a year at least, for past 4 years while working full time, from IRD

might pay to check IRD, details maybe have wrong postal address of you or simlar.

**Magua** · 30th October 2008, 12:18

How timely is this thread. I just received another letter from studying for more proof of income.

Die in a fire :@

**Phurrball** · 30th October 2008, 13:47

Daft innit?

Try adding in a few health dramas and dealing with WINZ too...Happy fun times!!

The repayment threshold is stupidly low too. I pay back my loan in dribs and drabs now, yet I'm still borrowing so I don't have to work too much

The way the system is now, a student load is just deferred tax anyway.

**motorbyclist** · 1st November 2008, 18:46

do they continue the loan money until exams are over? cause i'm still at uni studying for exams, and they havn't sent any money through all week...

this is making a rather important purchase somewhat difficult

glad i waited til after the weekend!

**Magua** · 1st November 2008, 19:59

It depends on when you told them you finish. my last payment comes through on the 23rd I think.

**Ragingrob** · 1st November 2008, 20:26

Yeah wtf is up with the separate loans... So here I am, sitting with a form that says, I, Rob, owe Studylink a "total" of $xxxxx... Who am I to think I owe them more then that? Isn't it pretty fucken ambiguous and sitting on the edge of the law to have "total owing" when it's apparently only for each year, even though it's the same person and same company?

Each time I get a form I think "Sweet only 9 grand or whatever, that wont be hard to pay back", and that says total owing to studylink by me... Although in the end they'll be like "Please give us 40 grand"... And I'll be like "No, my last letter confirms that the TOTAL owing to studylink by Rob is 9 grand".

Ross : Can companies (esp the govt.) be this misleading? I vote we raise this to court and get all loans written off apart from our latest letters, then from then on they can tell us our real TOTAL loan.

**motorbyclist** · 1st November 2008, 22:10

can we please do this in 2010 or whenever is my last year at uni plz?

**Gremlin** · 1st November 2008, 23:37

Originally Posted by Ragingrob

Each time I get a form I think "Sweet only 9 grand or whatever, that wont be hard to pay back", and that says total owing to studylink by me...

A previous post by me would explain what happens. The loan (ie, debt) is passed to IRD for collection from any earnings you make. As such, Studylink don't have the whole loan. You should receive statements from IRD listing out the loan etc.

**Ragingrob** · 1st November 2008, 23:41

Originally Posted by Gremlin

A previous post by me would explain what happens. The loan (ie, debt) is passed to IRD for collection from any earnings you make. As such, Studylink don't have the whole loan. You should receive statements from IRD listing out the loan etc.

How often should we receive statements? In my 3 years I can't recall one

But that may just be me.