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Changes to Gender Codes
In February 2026, VET Student Loans notified you of upcoming changes to the Electronic Commonwealth Assistance (eCAF) system to reflect the 5 gender codes as shown in the Standard for Sex, Gender, Variations of Sex Characteristics and Sexual Orientation Variables, 2020 | Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Upon review of the concerns raised, the department has made the decision to align with the gender codes implemented by the Tertiary Collection of Student Information (TCSI) which are separate to the ABS Standards.
eCAF will be updated to reflect the gender codes and definitions as outlined in the table below.
| Code | eCAF Label | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| F | Woman/Female | Persons who describe their gender as a woman or female. |
| M | Male/Man | Persons who describe their gender as man or male. |
| X | X – Indeterminate/ Intersex/ Unspecified | Persons who describe their gender as gender diverse, or with descriptors other than man or woman. |
| N | Non-binary | Persons who describe their gender as non-binary. |
| D | Different term | Persons who describe their gender as a term other than man/male, woman/female or non-binary.* |
| P | Prefer not to answer | Persons who prefer not to respond on how they describe their gender. |
* Different Term – a free text field in eCAF labelled ‘Gender Term’ will be enabled when this option is selected.
- The free text field has been updated so that it is now an optional field.
- It is important to note that as per the ABS 2020 Standards a ‘write-in’ facility is available for Different.
- Students should be asked to provide this information when they notify that their gender is different term and the term provided is entered into the free text field on the student eCAF during the process to create the enrolments.
Note that this table includes the 5 gender classifications that reflect definitions used in the ABS Standards and by TCSI, but uses codes aligned to TCSI only. The ‘X ‑ Indeterminate/Intersex/Unspecified’ legacy classification has also been retained to support compatibility with provider systems using previous versions of the gender codes. Note that TCSI will retire the X gender code at the end of 2026, with eCAF planning to retire the X gender code in 2027.
Reason for change
- Alignment with the ABS 2020 Standards and TCSI: eCAF will align labels and definitions with the ABS 2020 Standards and adopt the five-category TCSI gender codes.
- Improved data accuracy: More inclusive and precise gender reporting, reflecting the diversity of the student community.
- Flexibility to revise gender: Gender remains a revisable field in eCAF, enabling providers to place an eCAF into revision at any time in future and update a student’s gender to one of the updated gender types.
eCAF Release Schedule
- eCAF Training environment – Monday 16 March 2026
- eCAF Production environment – Thursday 19 March 2026
April 2026 VSL Payment Run
As advised in February 2026, until further notice VSL Payment Runs will be processed later than the usual payment date of the 24th of each month.
This delay is to ensure you receive payments for all units with a census date in the relevant month. Upon commencement of automated monthly pay run cycles, delays in processing times will be significantly reduced.
Payments for this month’s pay run are planned to be processed on Tuesday 28 April 2026, enabling all units with a March 2026 or earlier census date to be paid, subject to the standard eligibility and payability checks.
February 2026 VSL Payment Run
Due to the temporary manual processing of payments in the VSLConnect (VSLC) system, until further notice VSL Payment Runs will be processed later than the usual payment date of the 24th of each month.
This delay is to ensure providers receive their payments for all units with a census date in the relevant month. Upon commencement of automated monthly pay run cycles, delays in processing times will be significantly reduced.
Payments for this month’s pay run are planned to be processed on Friday 27 February 2026, enabling all units with a January 2026 or earlier census date to be paid, subject to the standard eligibility and payability checks.
We will communicate payment dates at the beginning of each month, until automated monthly pay run cycles commence.
We apologise for any inconvenience this delay may cause and appreciate your patience and understanding. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the VSL Payments Team at vfhvslpayments@dewr.gov.au.