TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Lookup tables
- Banking configuration
- Cash receipt Entries
- Synergetic parent portals
- What does my school need to do?
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) has updated its regulations relating to retail payment surcharging. As a result, from 1 October 2026, schools using Synergetic to manage fees and payments will no longer be permitted to apply a surcharge to certain card payment types.
To align with these regulatory changes, Synergetic surcharging functionality, including integrations with our payment platform partners Stripe and NAB, is being updated. This article outlines the changes, explains where they will be reflected within Synergetic, and highlights any actions your school may need to take.
What’s changing?
Lookup tables
As shown in the image below, the Surcharge Percent and Surcharge Amount columns in the lucreditcard table within Lookup Table Maintenance will be set to 0.00. These fields will become read-only, and no changes can be made to the values displayed.
Stripe specific only
As shown in the image below, the Stripe Integration lookup tables "luStripeSurcharges", "luStripeSurchargeDetails", and "luStripeSurchargeType" will have all surcharge-related values set to 0.00. The surcharge type fields within these lookup tables will become read-only, and no changes can be made to their values.
Banking configuration
The field previously used to assign Receipt Surcharges to a specific G/L Code will be greyed out and can no longer be edited, as shown in the screenshot below. This change does not affect the G/L code itself. Any existing surcharge-related G/L codes will remain in place and can continue to be managed by the school as required. Schools should review their current surcharge G/L code and determine how they would like to manage these accounts going forward.
Cash receipt Entries
When creating a new cash receipt entry or managing an existing cash receipt, the surcharge button will remain disabled and cannot be selected, as shown in the screenshot below.
Synergetic portals
Ad hoc debtor payments
Event booking 
What does my school need to do?
To prepare for the changes taking effect on 1 October 2026, schools should review their existing processes and communications to ensure they no longer reference card payment surcharges.
Review school communications and documentation
Review any fee schedules, statements, enrolment documentation, website content, and other materials that reference card surcharges, and update the wording before 1 October 2026.Review privacy policies and related documents
Check any privacy policies, payment terms, or other compliance-related documentation that references card surcharges and update them as required before 1 October 2026.Be aware that all card surcharges will be disabled
While the current regulations do not yet apply to American Express (Amex) and Diners Club cards, we expect similar requirements to be introduced for these card types in the future. As a result, the Synergetic update will disable surcharging for all card types, including Amex and Diners Club.Review custom reports and integrations
If your school has custom reports, extracts, integrations, or third-party processes that reference surcharge-related fields, these may require review and possible updates.Contact Synergetic Support if assistance is required
If you are unsure whether your school has custom reports or integrations that reference surcharge fields, please contact Synergetic Support using the following link for assistance Tes Help and Support Portal submit a ticket
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