The credit reporting fee has been extended to create a simpler, fairer fee structure for tertiary education organisations (TEOs).
The credit reporting fee at qualification completion helps cover the cost of NZQA’s core quality assurance and associated activities.
NZQA’s business rules and billing methodology for the extended credit fee cover how fees will be invoiced.
The credit fee and invoicing process for standard completions continues unchanged.
Credit fees are invoiced based on qualification completions data loaded by NZQA onto the Record of Achievement.
The extended credit fee changes from 19 January 2026
The fee change applies for qualifications with a completion date on or after 19 January 2026, when the new Rules came into force.
Billing against qualification completions can only include the portion of credits assessed/achieved after 19 January 2026. There will be transition calculations made for at least the first year of implementation. We have developed ‘transition billing rules’ to support implementation of the new fee structure.
NZQA will bill under this new system from the end of May 2026 for qualification completions loaded into NZQA systems from 19 January to 31 May.
There will be monthly invoices after that.
On this page
Business rules and billing method for credit fees
The section covers the business rules and billing method for credit fees.
The basis for extending the credit fee system: qualification completions reported
The credit fee is based on the credit value of the qualification and standards completed. Micro-credentials will be added by legislative amendment, expected mid-2026.
NZQA Rules require qualifications, micro-credentials and standards to be reported to NZQA within 3 months of completion. Reporting to the TEC via the SDR is an acceptable means of reporting qualification completions.
Reporting the completion of standards and invoicing based on their credit value is a well-established system. The only change is the fee drop to $1.10 + GST, implemented from 1 January 2026.
The fee change can only be applied for qualifications with a completion date on or after the new Rules have come into force. This date is the 19 January 2026.
Invoicing for qualifications fully comprising of standards will not be necessary as the standards will have already been reported and invoiced.
When invoicing for qualifications that are partially comprised of standards, we will assume the standards have been reported and only invoice for the difference between their credit value and the value of the qualification.
Where TEOs have qualifications with multiple programmes, a default programme will be selected. NZQA has the appropriate data to enable an initial view of these default programmes. Any discrepancies will be identified during the invoicing process, with the ability to query as needed.
If a TEO reports a qualification completion directly to us as well as via the SDR, they will only be billed once, when the completion is first loaded into NZQA's system.
We will bill based on the credit value for each completed qualification. If a TEO has already paid for credits linked to a qualification, those credits will not be billed again if they also count toward another completed qualification.
Transition methodology
Credit fee billing based on qualification completions can only include the portion of credits assessed/achieved post 19 January 2026. There will be transition calculations made on invoicing qualifications for at least the first year of implementation.
The fee calculation for a qualification completion will be based on the completion date, working back to the 19 January starting point, at a rate of 3 credits per week, to a maximum of 120 credits annually.
This reflects a normal fulltime year of study equating to 120 credits at a maximum of 3 credits per week. This rate is being used so TEOs are only charged for the portion of learning that realistically could have been completed after 19 January 2026.
Cross credits, credit transfers and Recognition of Prior Learning
NZQA will be billing on qualification completions against the credit value of the approved qualification. Any credits associated with cross credit, credit transfer or Recognition of Prior Learning will be billed. For example, if a student transfers their learning from one TEO to another and it is recognised through a credit recognition process, the TEO awarding the qualification will be responsible for the full credit fee.
In the case of 'staircase' qualifications, if the lower-level qualification has been achieved and recorded on the Record of Achievement, TEOs will not be charged twice for the credits associated with the lower-level qualification when the higher-level qualification is achieved.
Stranded qualifications
For stranded qualifications, NZQA will invoice for the core and strand achieved at first award. If any further strands are subsequently achieved, NZQA will only charge the credit fee for the credit value of the additional strand. Strands are recorded on the Record of Achievement.
Some examples of how the credit fee will be applied
Frequently asked questions
This section has some questions and answers that provide extra context.
They cover:
- background to extending the credit reporting fee
- the basis for extending the credit fee system: qualification completions reported
- transition methodology
- cross credits, credit transfers and Recognition of Prior Learning
- stranded qualifications.
It is strongly recommended that you review all topics and questions, as some points overlap across multiple areas.