The Arc Legal & Advocacy staff can give you advice about your entitlements, appeals and managing concerns about Australian government payments.
*All the payment rates quoted in this document are correct as at June 2021. Payment rates are subject to change, so head to Centrelink for the most up to date payment details and rates.
Youth allowance is a payment for full time students who are aged 16-24.
The payment is available to Australian residents and newly arrived migrants after 104 weeks as an Australian resident in Australia.
Eligibility for Youth Allowance is dependent upon a number of factors: parental income, assets, the amount you earn per fortnight, and whether you are assessed as a "dependent" or "independent" student.
If you are a student under 22 years old and do not meet any of the independence criteria you will be deemed dependent and your parents' income and assets may impact your eligibility and rate of payment.
The amount of Youth Allowance you are entitled to receive will be reduced once your parent/s taxable income exceeds $54, 677. If your parents have other dependent children, their taxable income be considered to affect your rate of payment. You can use the online rate estimator to calculate your approximate potential payment at www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/online-estimators.
If you are 22 or older you are automatically considered independent.
If you are under 22, some of the ways you may be considered independent, include where you:
If you are from an area classified as 'inner regional', 'outer regional', 'remote' or 'very remote' then you may be classified as independent if after finishing high school you have:
Your income and assets will be taken into account when assessing your eligibility. You may also be subject to a "waiting period" if you have liquid assets (for example, over $3000 in cash).
Under 18, living at home | $303.20 |
18 or over, living at home | $354.60 |
Away from home | $512.50 |
Single, with children | $656.00 |
Member of a couple, no children | $512.50 |
Member of a couple, with children | $557.90 |
This is a payment available to full-time students over the age of 25. It is similar to Youth Allowance and also has income and assets tests.
What factors affect whether I am eligible or how much I can receive?
You will be regarded as a long-term income support student if you
| Single | $512.50 |
| Single, with children | $656.00 |
| Partnered, with children | $557.90 |
| Partnered, no children | $512.50 |
This is a payment available to students of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent.
You may receive Abstudy if you are studying at an approved course at an approved university. Most courses in schools, colleges, TAFE and universities are "approved" for Abstudy purposes. You can get Abstudy as long as you are not receiving other Centrelink payments such as Youth Allowance, Austudy or Newstart. To qualify, you must be an Australian citizen as well as an Indigenous Australian.
In making a claim, check whether you are eligible for:
Abstudy payments are available to masters and doctoral students. These students may also be eligible for other allowances including living allowance, relocation allowance, thesis allowance and compulsory course fees.
Given the number of different payments, you should contact Centrelink for a personal assessment or see us for a consultation.
Fortnightly income | up to $437 | between $437 and $524 | over $524 |
Reduction in payment (income bank is zero) | none - full payment | 50 cents for each dollar over $437 and under $524 | $43.50 plus 60 cents for each dollar over $524 |
Income Bank allows you to build up "credit" to offset any decreases in your Centrelink payment should you get a job.
For example, if you receive Youth Allowance you can earn $437 per fortnight without your Centrelink payment being reduced. This figure is known as your "fortnightly income free area". If you do not work during a semester/session of study (or if you earn less than $437 per fortnight) you can accumulate any unused portion of your fortnightly income free area to form an income bank (up to a total of $10, 900). This means that when you start earning more than $437 per fortnight your extra earnings can be offset against your income bank balance instead of reducing your Centrelink payment. Once your income balance is reduced to zero, any money you earn over $437 per fortnight will reduce your Centrelink payment by the amounts shown in the tables above.
This is a payment to assist those who pay rent in the private rental market. Students eligible for a payment may also be eligible for rent assistance if they are over 25, or under 25 and live permanently/indefinitely away from their parents
Payment Rates
The maximum payment of rent assistance for people without children is $137.20 per fortnight which you will receive if you are paying $305.33 or more per fortnight rent in rent. You are not eligible for rent assistance if your fortnightly rent is $122.40 or less.
Payments are different if you have children, share with others or are in a relationship. Payment rates can be found here.
Crisis payment entitles you to money if you have been forced to leave your home and find a new home because of extreme events such as domestic violence or your house burning down.
You qualify for Crisis Payment if:
you are a new or existing Centrelink customer, and:
OR
You must also have been in Australia at the time of the event occurring, an Australian resident or citizen previously resident in Australia, and claim the crisis payment within 7 days of the event taking place.
The Crisis Payment is a one off payment - equal to one week's payment of normal benefits you would normally be entitled to, and limited to four payments in one year.
A crisis payment is also avalaible to anyone who needs to self-isolate (with a medical certificate) due to COVID-19.
This is an allowance which is available to university students who are living away from their permanent home to study.
The allowance helps you cover the costs of selected travel between your permanent home and university each year using the least expensive form of public transport that is practicable. Only trips from your permanent home and university are covered by this payment. The payment does not assist with your daily trips to and from university each day.
The number of trips covered are:
Click here for more information eligibility requirements
This payment assists you with the purchase of prescription medicines available through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
You qualify for the Allowance if you are receiving:
Payments
Once you have paid for 52 prescriptions through the PBS in a calendar year, all PBS medications will be free for the rest of the year.
If you are: | Payment rate per fortnight |
Single | $6.20 |
A Couple | $3.10 each |
This is a payment for people who are employed and who are temporarily unable to work due to a medical condition. Full time students on Austudy or Abstudy may qualify for Sickness Allowance. You cannot receive sickness allowance if you currently receive Youth Allowance. Sickness Allowance is not a long-term payment; rather it is paid for temporary illness or incapacity.
Centrelink is not accepting new applications for the Sickness Allowance, however if you currently receive it, the payment will continue until your medical certificate expires.
Single, no kids | $555.70 | |||||||||
Single, with kids | $601.10 | |||||||||
Partnered, under Age pension age | $501.70 |
Generally you can be paid sickness allowance for a maximum of 13 weeks.
If you can’t work or study due to illness or injury, you may be able to apply for the JobSeeker payment.
There are various other payments or benefits that you may be eligible for such as the Youth Disability Supplement or Low Income Health Care Card.
Centrelink has become far more aggressive in its approach to cracking down on those who may have been overpaid. Centrelink engages in an extensive system of data matching between itself, the Tax Office and other government bodies. Centrelink's policy is to recover money incorrectly paid to people, even if the payment was the result of Centrelink error.
Depending on the circumstances, you may be sent a "breach" notification. For students, a breach may be a failure to report earnings for a period, reporting an incorrect amount, or failing to notify Centrelink of changes which affect payments (such as your current living arrangements).
Centrelink makes mistake like any organisation, and you have the right to challenge any decision made by them.
1.Speak to the officer who made the decision. Ask for the reasons for the decision, explain why you believe it is wrong and why your circumstances justify a different decision.
2.You have the right to a review of any Centrelink decision. Ask for your matter to be examined by an Authorised Review Officer. This person is a senior staff member who has had no previous contact with your case. At first, the person who originally made the decision may look at it again unless you request that they do not. If they do not change the decision or you are dissatisfied with the new decision, an authorised review officer will examine the case. This person will probably contact you to make further inquiries, check facts, examine the material which the original decision maker used.
3. If the internal review is not in your favour, you may appeal to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT). The AAT is more like a court. There will be a conference between yourself and Centrelink at first, and if the issue cannot be resolved you will be asked to present your case at a formal hearing. The AAT can affirm (uphold) Centrelink's decision or overturn it.
5.Your final avenue of appeal is to the Federal Court, and in very limited circumstances the High Court. Appeals to courts may only be on matters of law, not on the merits of your application.
Seek legal advice in these circumstances:
Yes. If you are a full-time student you can get your payment if you are studying outside Australia as part of a full-time Australian course.
You will need to get a statement from UNSW confirming:
Yes potentially. First Centrelink will determine whether you are a member of a couple by looking at factors like your
Under youth allowance there is a minimum time period applied for a relationship to be regarded as de facto (unlike other payments where people are considered to be in a de facto relationship from the time they start living together as a couple). Make sure you report all changes to Centrelink.
If Centrelink affirms you are a member of a couple and you believe that the decision to treat you as a member of a couple may cause you unfair hardship you can ask Centrelink to consider whether there is a special reason for you not to be treated as a member of a couple under Section 24 of the Social Security Act 1991.
If you have previously received the Start-up scholarship then you will continue to do so until the end of your degree without having to pay it back. Students commencing as of 2014 will be required to pay back the start-up scholarship.
To receive Centrelink you need to maintain a full-time load. You also need to complete the course within the allowable limit (based on the minimum time it normally takes to complete the course).
For youth allowance
If the normal length of the course is | Then the allowable time is |
1 year or less | up to twice the course duration |
more than 1 year and at least 1 subject in the current year is a year-long subject | the minimum time for that course plus 1 year |
more than 1 year and there are no year-long subjects | the minimum time for that course plus 1 semester |
If you are studying honours, the minimum time for completing a course will be extended by one year.
If you are unable to complete the course within your allowable time, and have not been affected by circumstances beyond your control, you may still be able to receive Youth Allowance.
If this is the case, come in to see us or contact Centrelink on 132 490.
For information on allowable time for Austudy recipients please click here.
To continue receiving payments you need to be enrolled in a minimum of 12 Units of Credit (UoC) each term, or 36 UoC across three standard terms with at least one course enrollment in each term. So while you can underload, be aware that if you extend your studies beyond the 'allowable' time, you might not be eligible for Centrelink for the whole duration of your studies.
Centrelink Multilingual Call
13 1202
Debt Recovery
13 6330
Indigenous Australians
1800 556 955
Indigenous Debt Recovery
(Freecall) 1800 138 193
Disability and Carers
13 2717
Youth allowance, Austudy, Low Income Health Care Card
13 2490
ABSTUDY
1800 132 317
Click here for more contact information.
Welfare Rights
Centrelink
If you are a UNSW student and Arc member we can give you free legal advice. Send us an email at advice@arc.unsw.edu.au.
We have heaps of advice and resources by students for students. Check it out!
UNSW students can get budgeting help, financial counselling and access to interest-free loans
Representing students from lower socio-economic backgrounds - the SRC Welfare Collective.
