Can teachers accept gifts in Australia? The rules by state

The class chat has settled on a gift card. Twenty-two families have chipped in, and someone is about to buy it. Then a parent asks: is the teacher even allowed to accept this? Nobody knows, and the chat goes quiet again.

It is a fair question. Teachers are public servants, and every state has rules about gifts. The rules are kinder than most parents expect, but they are not the same everywhere.

The short answer

• Small thank-you gifts are fine in every state. A card, a letter, a drawing, a plant.
• Cash is never fine. Nor are prepaid Visa or Mastercard cards, or anything easily turned into cash.
• Gift cards depend on the state. Fine in NSW and Victoria, approval needed in WA, not allowed in Tasmania.
• For a class gift, the total usually counts. In NSW, Victoria and WA the rules say so outright: twenty-five families giving $4 each is a $100 gift.

These are the rules for government schools, as at October 2026. Catholic and independent schools set their own, and rules change, so if in doubt, ask the school office.

At a glance

NSW

• Gifts worth more than $50 must be reported, and the manager decides. The policy counts the gift as "valued at more than $50, regardless of the number of contributors", so a class gift is judged on its total.
• No cash, cheques, prepaid debit or credit cards, or loyalty points. Store gift cards are allowed.
• Staff are asked to get their manager's OK before accepting any gift, where they can.

Victoria

• Thank-you gifts from families worth $100 or less in total do not need to be declared.
• Above $100 the teacher declares it and the principal decides. From $500, it is kept only if several families paid and the principal agrees.
• Store vouchers are fine as thank-you gifts. Prepaid Visa-style and bank cards are not.

Queensland

• Every gift needs written approval. Principals can pre-approve end-of-year thank-you gifts worth up to $150 each.
• Above $150 needs a declaration form. Above $350, a gift is kept only in exceptional cases.
• No cash, lottery tickets, scratchies, Visa or Mastercard gift cards, or vouchers that can be cashed.

Western Australia

• Thank-you gifts up to $100 need nothing.
• Above $100, only a group gift, such as one from a class, can be accepted, and it must be declared and approved. Gifts of $500 or more are declined or kept by the school.
• No cash, cheques, lotto tickets or cash vouchers. Store gift cards may be accepted with declaration and approval.

South Australia

• We could not find a published dollar limit for teachers; the department's staff rules are not public.
• The department runs ThankED, an online form where students and families can thank a staff member, and it goes to their manager too.

Tasmania

• Only token items or modest refreshments can be accepted without approval. Other gifts are usually politely declined.
• Gift cards, vouchers and prepaid cards count as money and are not accepted.
• Accepted gifts of $100 or more go on a public register. The department suggests a card, letter or email instead.

ACT

• Small thank-you gifts of "nominal value" from students or parents are fine, for example at the end of the year. The department's example is a vase worth about $40.
• A bigger gift that cannot be refused is declared within 7 days and handed over to the school.
• Never cash.

Northern Territory

• Thank-you gifts from students and parents, and things with no shop value such as home-made food, sit outside the gifts policy, so no form is needed.
• Other gifts over $100 need approval first. Never cash or anything easily turned into cash.

Catholic and independent schools

Each sets its own rules. Sydney Catholic Schools, for example, asks staff to register gifts over $50 and talk to the principal before accepting, and never to accept cash. Ask your school office; they will have been asked before.

New Zealand

There is no single national rule for teachers that we could find. Each school board sets its own gift policy, so ask the school.

Gifts that are fine everywhere

Words cost little or nothing, and they are what teachers keep. A card with a line from every child, a book of letters, drawings framed together, or a film of thank-you messages from the class. With Warmcut, each child records a short message on a parent's phone and the class gets one finished film to play on the last day. If the class pays for something, such as a film or a voucher, count what it cost in the total.

How to check your school's rule

Ask the office one simple question: "Is there a limit for a class gift this year?" Then set the amount under it, keep contributions optional, and put every child's name on the gift. The end-of-year class gift ideas have eighteen ideas that fit inside every state's rules.