When it comes to your children, you want to make sure they have every advantage possible to get ahead. That’s why it’s important to give them access to state of the art computers and software that will help enrich their educational experience.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has made it even easier to give your kids access to the world – and we’re not talking about broadband. The Educational Tax Refund (ETR) helps parents and adults looking to complete their secondary school training pay for some of the associated costs of acquiring the latest technology for their education.

How the ETR works

From 1 July 2008, the ETR lets eligible families and individuals claim 50% on educational expenses associated with primary or secondary school. This applies to technology costs such as home computers and acquiring internet connection as well as textbooks, software and study guides. Eligible families will be able to claim 50% on their total expenses of up to:

• $780 per primary school student (up to $390 per child)
• $1558 for every secondary school student (up to $779 per child)

So if you’ve bought a computer that costs $1400 for your child who’s in year 10, you’ll be able to claim for that purchase and receive $700 from the government as part of the ETR – so that’s a brand new, state of the art computer for your child that costs just $700 out of your own pocket.

Other eligible education expenses include:

• computer-related equipment such as printers, USB flash drives, and computer disability aids for students with special needs
• home internet connections, including the set up and monthly fees
• computer software for educational purposes
• word processing, spreadsheet, database and presentation software as well as internet filters and antivirus software
• school textbooks and other paper-based school learning material, including prescribed textbooks, associated learning materials, study guides and stationery
• prescribed trade tools for secondary school education programmes

The ETR also applies when you rent a laptop, so you could receive a rebate for up to 50% of your total annual payments – making it easy to get the latest technology for children from the day they enter primary school to their high school graduation. You’ll also get free online data back-up, so your kids won’t lose their school work when they “download” a virus with the latest game” and a free loaner laptop if the laptop ever needs to be repaired or gets stolen – so you can take the stress out of giving your kids the responsibility of looking after an expensive piece of equipment.

Find out how you can stay up to date with the latest technology with laptop finance and computer rental. The ETR makes it easy to give your child the world.