Basic rates
| Your situation | Your maximum fortnightly payment |
|---|
| Single, no children | $512.50 |
| Single, with children | $656.00 |
| A couple, no children | $512.50 |
| A couple, with children | $557.90 |
You need to meet certain criteria to get Austudy if you're a student or Australian Apprentice. The amount of Austudy you get depends on how much you earn.
To get this you must be:
- 25 or older.
- a full time student in an approved course or Australian Apprenticeship.
- under the income test limits.
What is the cut-off limit for Centrelink benefits?
| The income test limits are: | |
|---|
| Single, no children | up to $62 | less than $942.50 |
| Single over 60 | | |
| (after nine months) | up to $62 | less than $1,022.50^ |
| Partnered (each) | up to $62 | less than $860.00 |
If they have money sitting in a bank account or liquid assets equal or exceed $5,500 for a single or $11,000 for a couple or single with dependants, this will affect the Austudy payment.
Your income can be up to $227.18 a week (before tax), before it affects your Student Allowance. After this, your Student Allowance reduces cent for cent. Your Student Allowance weekly payment is $278.19 (after tax) or $314.36 (before tax).
Publications
| Youth Allowance & Austudy (Basic) ABSTUDY (under 22yrs) | Commonwealth Rent Assistance |
|---|
| Rate per fortnight | $445.80 | $134.80 |
| Rate per day | $31.84 | $9.63 |
Independent
- can show you support yourself through work.
- are, or have been, married or are in a registered relationship.
- live in a de facto relationship as a member of a couple for at least 12 months.
- have, or have had, a dependent child.
- are a job seeker assessed as unable to work over 30 hours a week.
Payment rates
| Your circumstances | Your maximum fortnightly payment |
|---|
| Single, no children, younger than 18, living away from your parent's home to study, train or look for work | $512.50 |
| Single, no children, 18 or older and live at your parent's home | $354.60 |
Centrelink approved courses allow you to receive Centrelink payments while you study a course. The 3 main study allowances Centrelink offer include Youth Allowance, Austudy and Abstudy.
Your child may be eligible for a payment in their own right once they turn 16 or 18. This depends on their circumstances. They may be able to get Youth Allowance if they're either: looking for full time work.
We assess all asset types as part of the assets test. There are limits to how much your assets can be worth before they affect the amount you can be paid. It will depend on your situation.
you must be a registered apprentice or trainee. you must have to move away from your family or legal guardian's home to take up or continue in your apprenticeship or traineeship. you have to move away from home to receive essential supplementary on-the-job training with another employer.
The maximum rate for each child per fortnight is: $191.24 for a child 0 to 12 years. $248.78 for a child 13 to 15 years. $248.78 for a child 16 to 19 years who meets the study requirements.
Young people under the age of 22 can access the full rate of Youth Allowance if they are independent from their parents. However, if they're still dependent, then a parental income test applies. You lose 20 cents for every dollar above that threshold that your parents earn.
If you have Centrelink linked to your myGov account, follow these steps:
- Sign in to myGov.
- Select Centrelink.
- Select Income and Assets from the menu, then below Family or parental income, select Advise Parental Income.
- Select using a One Time Access Code (OTAC) printed on a letter sent to your child or their nominee.
Two of the children are still in school, one child in an apprenticeship and the claimant (The claimant is 24 years of age and applying for Jobseeker's Allowance). Therefore, parental income is assessed as NIL and will not affect the Jobseeker's Allowance claim.
suitable paid work for at least 15 hours per fortnight in the first 12 months you're on a payment. voluntary work of no more than 15 hours per fortnight in the first 12 months you're on a payment.
You can have income up to the income limit before we reduce your payment. The limit depends on how many children you have. $243.80 plus $24.60 for each extra child. Your payment will reduce by 40 cents for every dollar of income you have over the gross income limit.
Being 'independent' means Centrelink only considers your assets and income, plus Rent Assistance, not your parents' income. Your assets threshold is $263,250 if you are a homeowner or $473,750 if you are a not. There are a number of ways you can qualify as 'independent'.
$5,500 if you're single with no dependants. $11,000 if have a partner or you're single with dependants.
You can get Rent Assistance if you pay rent and you're getting: Age Pension, Carer Payment or Disability Support Pension. ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Austudy or Youth Allowance. Widow Allowance.
To get Youth Allowance as a student or an Australian Apprentice you must be one of the following: 16 to 24 and doing a full time Australian Apprenticeship. 16 to 17 and independent or needing to live away from home to study. 16 to 17, studying full time and have completed year 12 or equivalent.
