Education Entry Payment (EdEP) 108-08050000

EdEP is payable to customers getting various income support payments who undertake approved study.

Eligibility for the EdEP differs between payments.

Customers paid any of the following payments may qualify for an EdEP:

• Carer Payment (CP)
• Disability Support Pension (DSP)
• JobSeeker Payment (JSP)
• Parenting Payment partnered (PPP)
• Parenting Payment single (PPS)
• Special Benefit (SpB), if the customer is a single parent and not residentially qualified for PP

Austudy, Youth Allowance (YA) and ABSTUDY customers are not qualified for EdEP. However, if a customer was on an income support payment (which may not be their current payment) for at least 12 months before getting a student payment, they may be eligible for EdEP.

EdEP may still be paid during an employment income nil rate period.

Note: Widow Allowance and Partner Allowance attracted EdEP until 1 January 2022 when both payments stopped.

Only courses approved for ABSTUDY, Austudy, Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) or Youth Allowance (YA) (student) can attract an EdEP payment. This applies to customers getting all income support payments.

For more details on approved courses, see:

• Approved courses of study for ABSTUDY, ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC)
• Approved courses of study for Youth Allowance (YA), Austudy and Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)

Study may be part-time or full-time depending on the needs of a customer's qualifying income support payment. EdEP is not payable if a customer is not undertaking qualifying study, including where they have a participation exemption.

JSP and PPP customers may qualify for EdEP if they meet all of the following criteria:

• They start or intend to start an approved course, or are a continuing student
• Before starting the course of education they were receiving:
• their current payment - JSP or PPP
• an income support payment (which may not be their current payment) continuously for 12 months or more
• JSP customers:
• no longer qualify for JSP due to starting the course and get a student payment, or
• have the course declared in their Points Based Activation System (PBAS) Dashboard
• have the course declared in their Job Plan (Disability Employment Services (DES) participants only)
• PPP customers are doing a full-time or part-time course
• They have not received EdEP in the last 12 months

From 1 July 2022, the detailed activity information is no longer showing in Job Plans for JSP, PPP and SpB customers. Any self-declared study completed as part of their requirements may be found on the PBAS Dashboard in Process Direct. Proof of Enrolment (POE) may be required if further confirmation of study information is required to pay EdEP.

Customers may also be eligible for EdEP if they have:

• received an income support payment for the last 12 months, or
• transferred to a student payment to start an approved course of study

JSP customers who transfer to a student payment to start an approved course of study and who are eligible for EdEP do not need to supply POE. Instead, the claim for Austudy, YA or ABSTUDY can be accepted as a claim for EdEP.

For PPP customers, EdEP can be paid

• before the customer starts the course, or
• while they are participating in the course

Customers who received an EdEP before 20 March 2020 because they were on JobSeeker Payment (formerly Newstart Allowance) or Wife Pension remain eligible for EdEP while studying the same course.

These customers qualify for an EdEP if they:

• qualify for Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) paid under the Social Security Act (ABSTUDY PES is not a qualification for EdEP), and
• have not received EdEP in the current calendar year. They can only get one EdEP per calendar year and only in the year they qualify for PES.
  For example, a customer requesting payment of EdEP in December for a course starting in January when they have started their course

The customer can request payment of EdEP after starting a course and may be eligible if they:

• have not received EdEP in that calendar year
• qualify for PES at the time they request payment, and
• meet all other eligibility criteria

Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) customers

DVA customers may qualify for EdEP payable by DVA if they are:

• getting a Partner Service Pension or Income Support Supplement
• also getting PES under the Social Security Act, and
• not of Age Pension age or getting a financial supplement under the Student Financial Supplement Scheme (FSL)

Customers should contact DVA for more details on claiming EdEP.

PPS customers who start a course, get PES and then transfer to JSP as a principal carer, are still eligible for PES while continuing the same course.

EdEP sometimes needs to be paid manually. If a customer starts another course while on their new payment, they could request payment of EdEP once 12 months has passed since they were last paid EdEP.

PPS customers who transfer to PPP and continue in the same approved course remain eligible for EdEP if receiving PPP before the start of their next study period. They must also meet all other qualification requirements.

This rule applies until the customer completes their same approved course. If they start a new course (while on their new payment), EdEP can only be granted once 12 months has passed since they were last paid EdEP.

A separate claim for EdEP is not needed.

Depending on the customer’s circumstances the following can be used as a claim for EdEP:

• Proof of enrolment (POE)
• Inclusion of study in a Participation Plan
• Approved study recorded on the Activity and Exemption Summary (AEX) screen
• Student payment new claim, such as Austudy

POE is not needed from income support customers undertaking study as an approved requirement to meet their mutual obligation requirements. Part-time or full-time study, included in the customer's Participation Plan or PBAS declarations may provide enough information to grant EdEP. They must provide sufficient details to verify the person intends to enrol, or is enrolled in an approved course. These customers need payments issued manually.

If appropriate study details are not available, the customer must provide POE to Services Australia and request EdEP be paid.

Requests for payment of EdEP can be accepted up to 13 weeks before the course starts. However, details of the course cannot be entered into the system with a future start date, so coding cannot occur until the course start date.

If a claim for YA (student), Austudy, ABSTUDY or PES is submitted, this can be accepted as a claim for EdEP. In most circumstances, EdEP is paid when the claim is assessed. POE is not needed in these circumstances.

Note: customers must not be paid EdEP until on or after the start date of the course and POE relevant to their circumstances is received where needed.

EdEP cannot be claimed once the customer has completed the course of study.

EdEP is usually paid into the customer's nominated account after they are assessed as eligible or when Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) starts. Alternatively, it can be paid manually where payment does not form part of the PES claim.

Customers are only eligible for one EdEP payment per calendar year if they get:

• Disability Support Pension (DSP)
• Parenting Payment single (PPS)
• Carer Payment (CP)
• Special Benefit (SpB)

In some circumstances, customers may get 2 EdEP payments close together. For example, the system correctly determines they are entitled to one EdEP payment in 2020 and one in 2021, if:

• they enrol in a course late in 2020, and
• continue in the same course in January 2021 and beyond

When this occurs, the grant letter shows both payments added together. This gives the impression the customer is granted $416 instead of $208. The actual payment is made as 2 separate payments:

• one payment in 2020, and
• the other in 2021

The customer is not entitled to get another EdEP payment until 2022, if the correct criteria are met. Given the extremely low number of reported cases, there are no plans to change the grant letter in the near future.

See the Resources page for more examples of one EdEP per 12 months or calendar year.

See References for more information about Notional continuous period of receipt of income support payments.

Customers receiving JSP, YA or Austudy over the previous 12 months, can be considered to be in continuous receipt of income support payment for 12 months. This includes periods where there has been a break in payment of up to 13 weeks. This is under the notional continuous period of receipt rule which can be applied in certain circumstances. Acceptable reasons for this rule are:

• a period of employment, resulting in payments cancelling because income is too high
• income from employment, resulting in nil rate (CZR)
• failure to attend interview, resulting in rejected or cancelled payment

See Resources for examples.

See References for more information about Notional continuous period of receipt of income support payments.

A grant letter for the EdEP is generated and sent to the customer. The letter uses the notification date and not the date of payment. Therefore, the payment generally is not paid to the customer until they start the course of study.

Customers participating full-time in the Adult Migrant Education Program (AMEP) may qualify for EdEP, provided they meet all other eligibility requirements. They must also have been on a qualifying income support payment when they start AMEP and have been receiving an income support payment for 12 months to be eligible for EdEP.

Participation in AMEP recorded on the Activities and Exemption (AEX) screen is enough evidence to issue payment of EdEP. The customer must contact Services Australia to request payment of EdEP.

Note: customers eligible for the 13 week refugee exemption are not entitled to EdEP when they start a short course during this period.

Customers participating full-time in the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) may qualify for EdEP provided they meet all other eligibility requirements.

Qualification for EdEP depends on how the study component is structured. Customers participating in SEE will have the study component recorded on their Activities and Exemption (AEX) screen and this is enough evidence to meet the study criteria for EdEP.

Customers may be eligible for EdEP while undertaking Small Business Training as part of Self-Employment Assistance.

‘Small Business Training’ (SEI) will be recorded on the Activities and Exemption (AEX) screen, for customers receiving payment with mutual obligations for:

• Job Seeker Payment (JSP)
• Special Benefit (SpB)
• Parenting Payment Single (PPS)

This is sufficient evidence to meet the study criteria for EdEP.

For customers receiving Disability Support Pension (DSP), Carer payments or Parenting Payments (without mutual obligations), ‘Small Business Training (SEI)’ will be recoded in:

• a Job Plan, or
• Participation summary, or
• PBAS Dashboard

This is enough evidence to meet the study criteria for EdEP.

Service Officers must verify that Small Business Training has been recorded as an approved requirement before issuing EdEP.