Not qualified for ABSTUDY if receiving other assistance to study or as an Australian Apprentice 010-02030040

Students and Australian Apprentices are not eligible for ABSTUDY assistance if they receive one of the following:

• Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme
• Austudy
• Youth Allowance
• Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)
• Language Literacy and Numeracy Supplement (LLNS)
• Veterans' Children Education Scheme (VCES)
• Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP)
• Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme (MRCAETS)

Is the student receiving, or about to start receiving one of the above payments for study?

Yes and it is for:

• Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP), go to Step 5
• any of the other payments listed above:
• The student is not eligible for ABSTUDY assistance for any period where they are receiving the payments for study
• Make sure it is the best choice for the student. See Identifying the most beneficial payment for students or Australian Apprentices
• Note: if the student starts receiving one of these other forms of government assistance after starting their course of study while receiving ABSTUDY, the student retains eligibility for the Incidentals Allowance already paid

No, go to Step 2

Note: where there is a work item to assess ABSTUDY entitlement for a customer receiving Self Employment Allowance and not currently receiving ABSTUDY:

• cancel the work item, and
• take no further action

Is the student receiving or about to receive a Self-Employment Allowance?

• Yes, and:
• the course being undertaken for ABSTUDY has no connection to the Self-Employment Assistance program, the student qualifies for ABSTUDY but only the non-means tested components of ABSTUDY. See ABSTUDY Incidentals Allowance
• the course being undertaken for ABSTUDY is the same course as the Self-Employment Assistance program, the student is not eligible for ABSTUDY assistance
  - If the student is in receipt of ABSTUDY, see Cancellation or suspension of ABSTUDY payments
  - If the student is claiming ABSTUDY, see Rejecting an ABSTUDY claim
• No, go to Step 3

Is the customer receiving or about to start receiving a social security pension or a DVA Service Pension or Veteran Payment?

• Yes, the customer is not entitled to the ABSTUDY Living Allowance from the start date of the social security pension or DVA payment, but may be entitled to ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) or the ABSTUDY Part-time Award (if their workload is insufficient to qualify for PES):
• See Qualifying payments for Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and ABSTUDY PES and ABSTUDY eligibility and requirements.
  Note: receiving a DVA Compensation Payment does not preclude eligibility for Living Allowance. These Compensation Payments are treated as income under the personal income test. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 4

Is the customer receiving Age Pension and studying?

• Yes, the customer may be entitled to ABSTUDY Part-time Award entitlements. See ABSTUDY eligibility and requirements. Procedure ends here
• No, for:
• Australian Apprentices, see Step 1 in Table 2
• students, see Step 1 in Table 3

Students receiving an RTP Scholarship are not eligible for ABSTUDY.

Students cannot receive both payments. Where a student meets the eligibility provisions for both payments, they should choose the payment that will be most beneficial to their individual circumstances.

Appendix E in the ABSTUDY Policy Manual provides a comparison of the two schemes. See References for a link.

After a thorough discussion with the customer, record details of the discussion on a DOC on the student’s record.

Did the student elect to receive ABSTUDY instead of the RTP?

• Yes:
• Advise the student they are required to cease any assistance from the RTP
• The student is not eligible for ABSTUDY assistance for any period where they are receiving the RTP
• ABSTUDY can be granted from the date paid to of the RTP + 1 day
• Procedure ends here
• No:
• Tell the customer they do not meet the eligibility criteria for ABSTUDY
• Check eligibility for an alternative payment and record details on a DOC
• Procedure ends here

Is the customer an Australian Apprentice receiving the LAFHA?

• Yes, the customer is not entitled to ABSTUDY assistance for any period for which LAFHA was paid. Go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 2

Training assistance from an employer for formal study includes:

• costs associated with doing the course or training away from the home location (such as paid study leave or payment of travel, meals and accommodation costs combined), or
• a school-based traineeship or apprenticeship

Is the customer receiving training assistance from an employer for formal study?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, the Australian Apprentice may be entitled to ABSTUDY assistance. Procedure ends here

Generally, customers receiving training assistance for formal study are not eligible for ABSTUDY. The exceptions to this are:

• participants in a school based traineeship or apprenticeship
• Australian Apprentices receiving training assistance for formal study if they meet the criteria for Australian Apprentices under the Tertiary Award

Is the customer eligible for ABSTUDY assistance?

• Yes, the Australian Apprentice may be entitled to ABSTUDY assistance. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 4

Is the customer current on ABSTUDY?

• Yes, cancel ABSTUDY from the start date of the other assistance to study. See Cancellation or suspension of ABSTUDY payments. Procedure ends here
• No, tell the customer they do not meet the eligibility criteria for ABSTUDY. Check eligibility for an alternative payment and record the details on a DOC. Procedure ends here

Generally, students receiving training assistance for formal study, including assistance from an employer, are not eligible for ABSTUDY. Training assistance from an employer includes paid study leave or payment of travel, meals and accommodation costs.

The exceptions are:

• people doing a training program placement
• employees of organisations registered by the:
• Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC), and/or
• Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC):
  – the value of fares, meals and accommodation is assessed on a dollar for dollar basis
  – employment income is assessed under the personal income test
• scholarships, cadetships or similar assistance from an employer are assessed under the personal income test. Note: this does not include government employees receiving scholarships from their agency to study
• Indigenous Youth Mobility Pathways Project (IYMP) delivered by the National Indigenous Australian Agency (NIAA) - no direct financial support is provided, only supported accommodation. Note: the accommodation support is assessed as duplicate assistance, therefore will preclude eligibility to rent assistance

See the Resources page for links to the ACNC and ORIC websites.

Is the student receiving any training assistance for formal study?

• Yes, and the student is:
• receiving or about to start receiving a scholarship or cadetship, go to Step 2
• receiving training assistance from an employer, go to Step 3
• doing a training placement program, they may be entitled to ABSTUDY assistance. Procedure ends here
• No, the student may be entitled to ABSTUDY assistance. Procedure ends here

Receiving a cadetship does not preclude ABSTUDY eligibility, however, income received must be assessed under the personal income test.

In general, receiving a scholarship does not preclude ABSTUDY eligibility. Most scholarships are assessed as income under the personal income test.

However, there are exceptions to this rule.

Note: a student is not considered an employee of a government agency if they are an employee for work experience only.

See the Resources page for a list of known cadetships and how they affect ABSTUDY.

Is the customer an employee of a government agency and receiving a scholarship from the agency to study?

• Yes, students who are employees of a government agency and receiving a scholarship from that agency to study are not eligible for ABSTUDY. Go to Step 5
• No, the student may be entitled to ABSTUDY assistance. Procedure ends here

Is the student receiving training assistance from an employer (including paid study leave or payment of course fees, or travel, meals and accommodation costs combined)?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, the student may be entitled to ABSTUDY assistance. Procedure ends here

Is the study assistance from an organisation registered by the:

• Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission (ACNC), and/or
• Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations (ORIC)?
• Yes:
  – Any assistance from the employer in the form of fares, meals and accommodation is assessed on a dollar for dollar basis. See the Resources page for an example
  – Employment income is assessed under the personal income test. Details about the assistance (for example, study leave, amount paid for fares, meals or accommodation costs) provided by the third party organisation, can be obtained over the phone from the student
  – The student may be entitled to ABSTUDY assistance. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 5

See the Resources page for links to the ACNC and ORIC websites.

Is the customer currently on ABSTUDY?

• Yes, cancel ABSTUDY from the start date of the other assistance to study. See Cancellation or suspension of ABSTUDY payments for more information
• No, tell the customer they do not meet the eligibility criteria for ABSTUDY. Check eligibility for an alternative payment and record details on a DOC