Centralised payment of Trainee fees – frequently asked questions for Aotearoa New Zealand Trainees

From December 2025, Te Whatu Ora – Health New Zealand is implementing a centralised process for payment of Resident Medical Officer (RMO) training expenses directly to providers, including RACS. This follows ongoing work across the sector, including dedicated advocacy from RACS, to make training easier to navigate and reduce administrative and financial burdens on Trainees.

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What does this mean for RACS Trainees?

If you are in clinical training and employed by Te Whatu Ora, you will no longer receive an invoice from RACS for your annual training fee, which you would then need to pay and submit to your Te Whatu Ora for reimbursement. Instead, RACS will invoice Te Whatu Ora directly for your training fees.

This arrangement does not extend to Trainees who are not in clinical training but still incur an administration fee. RACS will continue to invoice you directly for the administration fee.

What fees are covered?

Both components of your training fee (the RACS component and the specialty component) are covered by this arrangement. 

For most specialties, RACS will invoice Te Whatu Ora directly for both fee components. For Orthopaedic Trainees, RACS will invoice Te Whatu Ora for the RACS component and the New Zealand Orthopaedic Association (NZOA) will invoice Te Whatu Ora for the specialty component.

When is this being introduced?

This change comes into effect ahead of RACS issuing 2026 surgical training fees. For eligible Trainees, that means you will no longer receive invoices from RACS for your training fees.

Can a Trainee opt out of this arrangement?

Yes, if a Trainee wishes to continue paying their College fees directly, they simply need to advise RACS and their RMO unit.

IMPORTANT: Since RACS will be sending out 2026 training fee invoices in early December, please let us know that you wish to opt out of the bulk billing arrangement by 14 December 2025 (this date has been extended for 2026 invoicing due to this being a new process). Contact us at [email protected].

What do I need to do?

If you want to opt out of the bulk billing arrangement, please see the previous question, Can a Trainee opt out of this arrangement?

If you’re happy for Te Whatu Ora to pay your training fees directly on your behalf, you don’t need to do anything. However, it is worth checking your details, including your MCNZ number, are correct and up-to-date in our system. Note: You’ll need to sign in using your RACS username and password.

Talk to us

If you have any questions about your surgical education and training fee, or wish to arrange to pay directly after the above deadline, we’re here to help. Contact us at [email protected].