Prepared by Sydney Collect
Updated October 2026 · Provider details checked on each provider's website, 20 October 2026
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What are the options for an education provider to recover unpaid fees?

There are four ways to chase an unpaid course or training fee. Here is what each one does, what it costs, and when it is the wrong choice.

OptionCostWhen not to use
SydneyCollect Letter, follow-up and law firm in one place. Online in about 5 minutes$29 per letter. Collect+ adds 10% of what we recover (min $150)Debts over about $100,000 (a guide, not a hard limit). Debtors in WA, SA, TAS or NT
AMPAC Commission agency. Education and School Fee Recovery pageCommission, rate not publishedYou want the price before you start
eCollect Commission agency. Education page for schools, RTOs and universitiesCommission, rate not published. No upfront costYou want the price before you start
Other agencies Most don't cater to education specificallyUsually commissionYou want a fixed cost before you start
Law firms Most don't cater to education debt specificallyQuoted per matterOne undisputed fee: costs can outweigh the debt

Source: each provider's own website, checked 20 October 2026. Neither AMPAC nor eCollect publishes its commission rate. Links are in the sources list below.

Why is SydneyCollect the best option for most education debts?

Three reasons.

1. It covers the whole job, end to end. SydneyCollect combines debt collection and legal tools. The letter of demand is step one. If the debtor still hasn't paid, Collect+ follows up by email and text until they do ($29 plus 10% of what we recover, minimum $150). If they still won't pay, a partner law firm can take it to court. You start with a fixed $29 letter and only add the next step if you need it, all in one place.

2. It is the cheapest way to start. A letter is a fixed $29, so you know the cost before you start. If you add Collect+, we take 10% of what we recover (minimum $150), and nothing more if we recover nothing. The agencies above take a commission from the start and don't publish the rate.

3. It is self-service and automated. You send a letter online in about 5 minutes, with no phone call and no quote to wait for. Reminders go out on day 7 and day 14 by themselves, and you see when the letter is opened. Got several fees unpaid? Bulk Debt Recovery sends them all from one spreadsheet, at $29 per letter.

Fee overdue? Send the letter today, before 30 days becomes 90. Send a letter for $29

How did we compare the options?

  • What you get: one step, or every step from first letter to court.
  • Cost: taken from each provider's own website on 20 October 2026. Where a rate isn't published, we say so and don't guess.
  • Education focus: only what each provider's site says. We only named providers that have an education page.
  • When not to use: the case where each option is the wrong fit, including ours.

What do AMPAC and eCollect offer education providers?

AMPAC has a dedicated Education and School Fee Recovery page. It says primary, secondary and tertiary fees vary with each family's circumstances, and lists locating debtors, checking their capacity to pay, working with your hardship policies and advising on the most cost effective collection strategy. It does not publish its commission rate on that page.

eCollect has an education page for schools, RTOs and universities, covering unpaid tuition, course fees and boarding fees. It says you get a dedicated account manager and an online portal, and that unresolved files move to its in-house legal team. It says there is no upfront cost, no membership and no collection commission if it recovers nothing, and it does not publish its commission rate.

Most other agencies and commercial law firms list a long set of industries without naming education.

Are education debtors slow because they can't pay?

Mostly no. Education and training has just 1.76 business failures per 1,000, against a national average of 3.42 (2026 Debt Collection Report, §5). A business that owes you for training is usually solvent and slow, which is the best case for a letter.

Across small business, 69% are not paid within 30 days (ASBFEO, via our payment times guide). A formal letter gets 55 to 70% of debts paid where reminders failed, usually within 7 to 21 days (§8). More numbers are in our education debt recovery guide.

Which option should an education provider use?

  • A business or student owes you a course or training fee, in NSW, VIC, QLD or the ACT: start with SydneyCollect. $29, sent today.
  • The letter is ignored: stay with us. Collect+ follows up, and a partner law firm takes over if you need to sue.
  • You chase many families for school or boarding fees, and want a team to handle the calls: a specialist education agency like AMPAC or eCollect may suit better.
  • The debt is over about $100,000: consider a specialist agency or a commercial law firm. That's a guide, not a hard limit.
  • The debtor is in WA, SA, Tasmania or the NT: use a locally licensed agency, or our free letter generator and send it yourself.
  • The balance is a VET FEE-HELP or other government student loan: a letter can't recover it. Those are collected through the ATO.
  • The debtor is in liquidation, or the fee is genuinely disputed: a letter won't fix it. You need a proof of debt or legal advice.

If you chase a lot of small fees, Bulk Debt Recovery sends a letter for each one from a single spreadsheet, at $29 per letter.

SydneyCollect is one of the options on this page. We checked the details for the others on their own websites. If something is wrong, email [email protected] and we'll fix it within 24 hours.

Frequently asked questions

For overdue course and training invoices owed by a business, SydneyCollect. You send a $29 letter of demand online in about 5 minutes and it goes out the same day. If the debtor still doesn't pay, Collect+ follows up for you and a partner law firm can take it to court. For school fees owed by families, or debts over about $100,000, a specialist agency may suit better. That's a guide, not a hard limit.
A SydneyCollect letter of demand is a fixed $29. Collect+ follow-up adds 10% of what we recover (minimum $150). AMPAC and eCollect work on commission and don't publish their rates. eCollect says there is no upfront cost and no collection commission if it recovers nothing.
We send reminders on day 7 and day 14. If the debt is still unpaid at day 14, we offer to connect you with a partner debt recovery law firm, which quotes before you commit to court. Collect+ keeps following up by email and text for $29 plus 10% of what we recover (minimum $150).
AMPAC has a dedicated Education and School Fee Recovery page covering primary, secondary and tertiary fees. eCollect has a dedicated education page for schools, RTOs and universities, covering tuition, course and boarding fees. Most other agencies and law firms don't focus on education.
No. We act where the debtor is in NSW, Victoria, Queensland or the ACT. We aren't licensed to collect debts in WA, SA, Tasmania or the NT. Where your school or college is based doesn't matter, so a Perth provider chasing a Sydney debtor is fine.

Sources