Youth Allowance (YA) student or Australian Apprentice becomes incapacitated or impacted by unforeseen or extreme circumstances 102-07020130

Special Circumstances

Reasonable Excuse

Recipients seeking an exemption for a current circumstance that will prevent them from meeting full-time study or apprenticeship requirements

Recipients who do not have an exemption but were unable to meet full-time study or apprenticeship requirements (i.e. a participation failure)

A major disruptive event (such as a fire, flood, earthquake, vandalism, or burglary) affects the person's home, and the event has a major disruptive consequence for the person.

• Examples include needing to arrange alternative accommodation, having to replace significant household items, organising major home repairs, or making insurance claims

A major personal crisis (such as the death of a family member, the breakdown of a relationship, domestic violence, or a person has become homeless and is unable to find accommodation), and the experience has a major disruptive consequence for the person.

• Examples include arranging funerals, arranging care for their child, attending counselling, or arranging alternative accommodation

Full-time carer’s duties due to a family member becoming temporarily incapacitated due to illness or accident, and the person does not qualify for a carer payment.

Serving on a jury.

The person is a refugee.

• Subject to a community service order requiring them to complete more than 20 hours per week.

Not having access to safe, secure and adequate housing, or being in emergency accommodation or a refuge at the time.

Language and literacy ability.

An illness, impairment or condition requiring treatment (whether episodic or unpredictable).

Cognitive, neurological, psychiatric, psychological impairment or mental illness.

Drug or alcohol dependency.

Unforeseen family or caring responsibilities (including being adversely affected by the death of an immediate or close relative).

Subjection to criminal violence (including domestic violence and sexual assault).

If the person is, or was, a member of a couple, the breakdown of that relationship.

Jury service.

Certain instances of imprisonment or release from imprisonment, where:

• the person has been imprisoned for a continuous period of more than 14 days
• the person has been released
• the person was released not more than 28 days before the failure was committed
• the person is, or was, a refugee

Subject to a community service order requiring the person to perform more than 20 hours of community service for each week the order has effect.

Scenario

Coding

Francisca has deferred study on medical grounds and has provided medical evidence confirming they are unable to study from 5 September 2025 to 11 December 2025.

Later they provide a second medical certificate for the period 12 December 2025 to 24 April 2026

The first intention to study (INT) period is coded from 5 September 2025 to 11 December 2025.

The second medical certificate brings the total duration of Francisca’s medical exemption to 33 weeks.

The system will not allow the first INT to be extended to 24 April 2026 as INT coding is limited to 20 weeks. The E318NS - End date cannot be more than 20 weeks after start date error will display if this is attempted.

As a workaround, code:

• a 14 day period using Francisca’s actual course information. In Francisca’s case, this 14 day period is coded from 12 December to 25 December
• a second INT period immediately following this, for Francisca that would be from 26 December 2025 to 24 April 2026.

Note: there is no requirement for the 14 day coding period to be at a specific point within the exemption period

Antoine has deferred study on medical grounds and has provided a medical certificate covering a period of 26 weeks from 1 January 2026 to 1 July 2026.

The system will not allow a single INT to be coded for the full exemption period as INT coding is limited to 20 weeks. The E318NS - End date cannot be more than 20 weeks after start date error will display if this is attempted.

Two INT periods are required with a 14 day period with full study details coded separating them.

There is no requirement for the 14 day coding period to be at a specific point within the exemption period.

An example of how this case may be coded is:

• the first INT period from 1 January to 25 March
• the 14 day period with full study details from 26 March to 8 April, and
• the second INT period from 9 April to 1 July