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Assessing and processing ABSTUDY Away from Base activities 010-02070010

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This document outlines the procedures for assessing and processing ABSTUDY Away from Base (AFB) claims and supporting documents.

This page contains information to help Service Officers determine if an activity can be approved for ABSTUDY Away from Base assistance.

On this page:

Submission requirements for ABSTUDY Away from Base activities

Declaration requirements

Individual course approval criteria

Conditions for activity approval

Requesting details for acquittals

Acquitting Away from Base advance payments

Determining if Away from Base travel is payable


Submission requirements for ABSTUDY Away from Base activities

Table 1

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Claims for assistance

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony Service Officers can accept and record verbal claims for Away from Base (AFB) assistance from individual students arranging their own activity.

Note: check the student's record for an AFB Approval in Principle Display on Access DOC or AFB Rejected DOC before selecting an option below.

Processing Team: Typically done by specialised processing teams in a service centre or Smart Centre. Unless otherwise stated, staff may complete this step if they are trained. AFB staff, go to Step 2

Phone contact: Typically done by Smart Centre staff. Staff may complete this step if they are trained. Telephony staff, if the student is:

2

Away from Base Service Officer assessment

ABSTUDY Away from Base Service Officers are responsible for assessing all claims for Away from Base assistance.

Has the activity already been approved in principle?

3

Requesting AFB assistance

The lodgement requirements depend on who made the request.

Request from institution

Where an activity is run for a group of students, the institution must lodge an ABSTUDY Submission for away from base activity funding form (SY034). This must be done 42 days prior to the start of the activity.

Note: be aware of risks associated with the authentication of third party callers.

Request from individual

Lodgement of an SY034 is not required from a student arranging their own activity with the institution. However, they must provide written confirmation from the institution specifying:

  • the date and period of the activity
  • that the activity is a necessary component of the course
  • that the student's attendance is compulsory
  • whether any assistance will be provided by any third party for the student to attend this activity, and if provided, details of the assistance, and
  • any specific AFB activity evidence required. See the Resources page for Additional evidence requirements table

For advance payment of Travel Allowance, this must be done 21 days prior to the start of the activity.

Has the submission (SY034) or statement from the institution for an activity been lodged?

  • Yes, for:
    • Processing Team: Typically done by specialised processing teams in a service centre or Smart Centre. Unless otherwise stated, staff may complete this step if they are trained.Go to Step 5
    • Phone contact: Typically done by Smart Centre staff. Staff may complete this step if they are trained.contact made by an institution. Advise the institution the SY034 will be actioned by an ABSTUDY AFB processing officer. Procedure ends here
    • Phone contact: Typically done by Smart Centre staff. Staff may complete this step if they are trained.contact made by an individual, see Table 2
  • No, for:
    • Processing Team: Typically done by specialised processing teams in a service centre or Smart Centre. Unless otherwise stated, staff may complete this step if they are trained.The activity cannot be assessed. Advise the institution/student of the details required. If contact with the institution is unsuccessful, send an email using the Submission form (SY034) required for Away from Base Activity - institution template to advise them of the requirements. Procedure ends here
    • Phone contact: Typically done by Smart Centre staff. Staff may complete this step if they are trained.contact made by an institution. Advise the institution a SY034 is required before an assessment can take place. Procedure ends here
    • Phone contact: Typically done by Smart Centre staff. Staff may complete this step if they are trained.contact made by an individual. Advise the student that a statement from the institution is required before an assessment can take place. Procedure ends here

4

Request to vary an approved submission

Education providers may lodge a request to make changes after the original Away from Base submission. Requests must be in writing.

Students that require a variation to an approved Away from Base activity must provide written confirmation from the education provider detailing the changes.

Variations can be approved if they meet the Away from Base activity approval criteria.

Note: a variation should be submitted before the activity starts where possible. However, there is no timeframe to submit or approve a variation. If accommodation and meal arrangements change after approval in principle and a variation is not submitted before the activity, the education provider can still be reimbursed if all other criteria are met.

Has a written request or statement from the institution been lodged for the variation?

5

Closing date

Away from Base claims must:

Has the submission or statement been lodged for the activity by the closing date?

6

Activity held in Australia

Is the activity in Australia?

7

Approved course for ABSTUDY purposes

Check the National Course Approvals sub-site to determine if the course is approved for ABSTUDY.

Ensure the student's study details are correct on the Education Details (EDC) screen.

Note: if the student is already ABSTUDY current and is undertaking a Testing and Assessment course, these details cannot be recorded on the EDC screen. This is due to system limitations. Details of the activity are recorded in a DOA DOC.

Is the course an approved course for ABSTUDY purposes?

8

Updating education details

For Service Officers:

  • trained in study updates:
  • not trained in study updates:
    • send a Fast Note to the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing team
    • use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Action request and add the keyword URGENT
    • include all the relevant information about the study change
    • once updates have been finalised, go to Step 9

9

Employer assistance

Generally, students receiving training assistance from an employer are not eligible for ABSTUDY. This includes employer payment of travel, meals and accommodation costs.

However, if the student is eligible for ABSTUDY while receiving employer assistance for travel, meals or accommodation they may be eligible for the components not covered by the employers training assistance. See Not qualified for ABSTUDY if receiving other assistance to study or as an Australian Apprentice.

Is the student fully funded by the employer to complete the AFB activity?

10

Testing and Assessment course requirements

The institution handbook will detail the entry requirements for individual courses. If not, the student needs a letter of confirmation from the institution advising a testing and assessment activity is an alternative entry option.

The course of study that the testing and assessment activity relates to must be:

  • a secondary level enabling course at a university where it is:
    • an alternative entry to a mainstream higher education course, and
    • essential a preliminary assessment is done before being admitted
  • an approved tertiary course where:
    • a selection test, interview or audition is a compulsory requirement for entry to the course
    • it is essential to determine the general suitability to do the course, or
    • an approved tertiary course must conduct a selection test/interview because the student's academic ability cannot be assessed from previous study. See ABSTUDY eligibility and requirements for more information
  • an activity to determine the participants suitability for the Indigenous Youth Mobility Program (IYMP)

Does the course meet one of the above requirements?

11

Ensure testing and assessment activity has not been done for this course

A testing and assessment activity should only happen once for a course in a year.

An activity will not be approved where:

  • an institution has been unsuccessful in obtaining sufficient student numbers from a previous ABSTUDY funded testing, and
  • the assessment activity is for the same course intake in a year

Has a testing and assessment activity already been done for this course in the same calendar year?

12

Tertiary level (including Masters or Doctorate level) course

Is the course a tertiary level (including Masters or Doctorate level) course?


Declaration requirements

Table 2

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Step

Action

1

Check declaration requirements

When pre-booked travel and travel allowance for an Away from Base activity is requested over the phone, customers must complete a verbal declaration to confirm the information provided is true and correct.

The following customers must be offered a verbal declaration:

  • Parents/guardians requesting Away from Base assistance on the behalf of secondary school students and/or their associated non-student travellers
  • Secondary school students requesting Away from Base assistance
  • Tertiary students
  • Non-student travellers aged over 18 years associated with secondary non-schooling and tertiary students

Phone contact: Typically done by Smart Centre staff. Staff may complete this step if they are trained. Go to Step 3

Processing Team: Typically done by specialised processing teams in a service centre or Smart Centre. Unless otherwise stated, staff may complete this step if they are trained. Check if the customer has accepted the declaration by reviewing the ABSTUDY AFB Declaration Fast Note in Customer First, on each traveller's record (excluding child (CHI) records). If the:

  • Fast Note has been recorded and the declaration was accepted by the correct customer, see Table 4 > Step 6
  • Fast Note has not been recorded on all traveller's records and the declaration was accepted by the correct customer, record the Fast Note on the missing record/s. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > ABSTUDY Travel > ABSTUDY FAA Declaration, then see Table 4 > Step 6
  • Fast Note has not been recorded and/or the declaration was not offered, or the incorrect customer accepted the declaration, go to Step 2
  • declaration was not accepted, go to Step 5

2

Attempt to contact

Make genuine attempts to contact the customer to offer the verbal declaration.

Was contact successful?

3

AFB assistance Declaration

Use the ABSTUDY Away from Base automated declaration message in the Services Australia Workspace to play the declaration, select CLK_Abstudy_AFB_Dec. See the Resources page for a link to the Services Australia Workspace Intranet page which includes a Reference Guide with instructions to access automated messages.

If it is not appropriate to play the automated message, such as where the customer has hearing difficulties or requires an Indigenous interpreter, read the declaration using the script in the ABSTUDY AFB Declaration Fast Note.

Note: due to Services Australia Workspace limitations, if there is more than one party in the call, read the declaration using the script in the Fast Note.

Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > ABSTUDY Travel > ABSTUDY AFB Declaration.

Go to Step 4.

4

Recording the verbal declaration

To clearly identify the person making the claim, complete the Fast Note correctly. The Fast Note must be recorded on the record of each person who will be travelling (excluding customers with CHI records).

Where the customer:

  • is not the student:
    • at the beginning of the Fast Note record the name of the person who is making the declaration, and
    • the name of the student they are claiming for
  • is the student:
    • record their name as both the applicant and the student

Note: if the call disconnects before the customer provides a response, attempt to call the customer back. If this is unsuccessful, this is treated as the customer not agreeing to the verbal declaration.

Did the customer agree to the verbal declaration?

  • Yes, record their acceptance to the verbal declaration in the Fast Note by deleting the No reference at the end of the Fast Note, then:
  • No, record their non-acceptance of the verbal declaration in the Fast Note by deleting the Yes reference at the end of the Fast Note, go to Step 5

5

AFB assistance not payable

Tell the customer that AFB assistance is not payable as the declaration was not accepted.

If the Away from Base request has been received by:


Individual course approval criteria

Table 3

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Step

Action

1

Placement

All placement activities should be done at the study location.

Note: the study location is where the student is residing while undertaking the course. For example, if a student is studying distance education (online) through the University of Sydney and they reside in Perth, the study location is Perth.

Only in exceptional circumstances can a placement be approved at a location other than the place of study. Such circumstances may include:

  • no local practitioners operate in the field of study
  • all available local placements have been filled, or
  • the placement is in a specialist field (such as teaching remote students)

Will the placement be in the student's home state/territory due to any of the above circumstances?

2

Interstate placement

A placement may be approved for Away from Base assistance if one of the following applies:

  • travel between New South Wales (NSW) and the Australian Capital Territory (ACT)
  • interstate travel because the students attend an education provider near a state/territory border, or
  • interstate travel because experience or training essential for completion of the course requirements is unavailable in the home state/territory

Does the placement meet one of the above requirements?

3

Field trip

All learning experiences should normally be done at the study location. If mandatory learning experiences are unavailable at the study location, the activity must be at the closest alternate location to minimise the activity cost.

A field trip can only be held at an interstate location in the following circumstances:

  • travel between NSW and ACT
  • interstate travel because the institution is near a state/territory border, or
  • interstate travel because experience or training essential for completion of the course requirements is unavailable in the home state/territory

Is the activity at the closest location that can offer the necessary learning experiences?

4

Residential school

A residential school may be approved for Away from Base assistance if it is a compulsory and assessable component of the course and is being done at:

  • the education provider location, or
  • another location in the same state/territory (where the education provider has demonstrated that there are circumstances that mean the face-to-face tuition components cannot be done at the education provider or closer location), or
  • the student's home community (reverse block) where the education provider can show that it is more cost-effective for their representatives to travel to a student's home community instead of student/s to travel to the education provider

Does the residential school activity meet the above conditions?


Conditions for activity approval

Table 4

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Activity part of the course

Will the academic work completed during the activity contribute to the course assessment?

  • Yes, the institution must confirm this in writing. The education provider must also provide course and subject outlines for verification. Go to Step 2
  • No, the activity is not approved, go to Step 11

2

Away from Base activities must be of reasonable duration

Some limits on Away from Base entitlements apply.

Testing and assessment activities must not exceed 5 days. Any submission requesting funding for an activity more than 5 days, must seek approval by the Department of Social Services (DSS). See the Resources page for information on obtaining approval.

The maximum Away from Base assistance available for a field trip is 7 days, regardless of the length of the trip.

Residential schools usually involve a period of one or 2 weeks, unless the institution provides a valid reason.

See examples on the Resources page.

Is the length of the activity justified?

3

National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA)

Away from Base assistance is not available for activities that are National Indigenous Australians Agency (NIAA) Away from Base Funded Courses, unless the activity is a Testing and Assessment program in order to gain entry to that course.

See the Resources page in Away from Base assistance for ABSTUDY for the list of NIAA funded courses.

Is the course a NIAA Away from Base Funded Course?

4

ABSTUDY can provide Away from Base assistance for Indigenous students

Assistance is only available where non-Indigenous students in the same course, are expected to cover their own costs for the activity.

If there are non-Indigenous students in the course, are they expected to cover their own costs for the same activity or is the activity an Indigenous only course?

5

Location of the Away from Base activity

For a student to be eligible for Away from Base assistance, one of the following must apply:

  • the activity is over 90 minutes travelling time from either the student's:
    • permanent home, or
    • place of study where they qualify for travel at the start and end of study to move to the campus location
  • adverse travel conditions (for example, impassable roads, flooding or unreliable transport) affect access for at least 20 days of the academic year between the activity location and the:
    • permanent home, or
    • place of study where they qualify for travel at the commencement and end of study to move to the campus location
  • on campus residence is a compulsory requirement to attend a residential school or testing and assessment activity

Does the activity location meet one of the above conditions?

  • Yes, if assistance has been requested for:
    • education provider representative(s) and/or drivers or pilots of chartered transport, go to Step 6
    • students, go to Step 7
  • No, advise the student or education provider the student is not eligible for Away from Base assistance as they are not isolated from the activity location. Go to Step 11

6

Non-student beneficiaries

Education provider representative(s) and/or drivers or pilots of chartered transport may be approved for Away from Base assistance in some circumstances.

To determine whether non-student beneficiaries may be approved, see Non-student beneficiaries for ABSTUDY Away from Base assistance.

Is Away from Base assistance for the non-student beneficiary payable?

7

Activity meets reasonable costs

The activity may not be approved unless it meets reasonable costs.

Is the activity of reasonable cost?

8

Award requirements

A student seeking Away from Base assistance must meet one of the following ABSTUDY Awards:

Note: students approved for the Schooling A Award who do not meet the criteria for another ABSTUDY Award are only eligible for Fares Allowance and Away from Base assistance to attend residential schools if study is by distance education.

Is the student eligible for one of the above ABSTUDY Awards?

  • Yes, for:
  • No, advise the student or education provider the student is not eligible for Away from Base assistance as they do not qualify for an ABSTUDY Award, go to Step 11

9

Lawful custody

Contact the correctional provider to seek permission that the student is able to attend the Away from Base activity.

Has permission been provided?

10

Away from Base activity is approved

Funding is payable in advance or reimbursed after completion of the activity.

For:

11

Away from Base activity is not approved

Record details of the rejection in a DOC, use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > ABSTUDY Travel > AFB Rejected.

For a request from:

For coding instructions, email and letter templates, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements.


Requesting details for acquittals

Table 5

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Allocation of manual review

Advance payment of Away from Base activities must be acquitted. To ensure activities are acquitted within the required time frame, Workload Management will allocate reviews for manual action.

To action a review for:

2

Travel allowance

Where travel allowance was paid in advance to attend an Away from Base activity, the customer must provide:

  • a written statement from the education or placement provider after the activity is completed, confirming:
    • the student fully participated in the activity, and
    • the actual period and location/s where the activity took place

If the student was unable to attend an Away from Base activity, the customer must provide:

  • evidence of exceptional circumstances that prevented the student from fully participating in the activity. Evidence includes, but is not limited to a:
    • statement from the education or placement provider
    • medical certificate or statement from a doctor, hospital or treating health professional
    • funeral notice or details of the funeral that can be verified on the Indigenous Funeral Notices page

Has the customer provided the above information within one month of the activity being completed?

3

Education provider requirements for single activities

Acquittal of a single activity paid in advance can be completed using the ABSTUDY Single Activity Acquittal Report in the ABSTUDY Submission for away from base activity funding (SY034) form.

Education providers must attach:

  • a list of students who participated in the activity showing dates and arrival/departure times
  • names of students unable to participate due to exceptional circumstances. The customer must also provide evidence of the student's exceptional circumstance, and
  • original receipts/accounts and tax invoices to verify expenditure

Note: an acquittal will be accepted if not lodged on the designated form if sufficient detail is provided as above and is signed by the appropriate person.

Has an acquittal report been lodged?

4

Requesting information for AFB acquittal

AFB activities must be acquitted within one calendar month of the activity completion date.

A request for the activity details must be sent to education providers accessing residential expenses packages for single activities or individuals accessing Travel Allowance. Any advance funding not acquitted within 28 days from the date the request for information is sent will be considered an overpayment.

Select the appropriate option below:

Acquittal report for education providers

Acquittal for individuals

Send a Q888 Acquittal of travel allowance not provided within 1 month of completion of activity letter to the customer advising an overpayment may be raised until acquittal of the activity has occurred.

In Customer First, extend the existing manual review's due date by 28 days from today's date.

The review will mature on the Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload Management will allocate the review for manual action.

Record details on a DOC.

Procedure ends here.

5

Education provider requirements for bulk funding

A qualifying education provider for bulk funding must acquit all activities by completing the ABSTUDY Away from Base Bulk Funding Acquittal Report in the ABSTUDY Submission for away from base activity funding (SY034) form.

If the duration of the activity is:

6

Duration of funding

For funding submissions of one year or more, a bulk funding acquittal report is required:

  • at the end of the first semester, and
  • by 31 January of the year following funding

Note: the bulk funding acquittal report must have an expenditure statement at the end of the first semester. This is to ensure that the education provider is maintaining appropriate records for the final end of year acquittal.

If the bulk funding acquittal report is to be lodged at the:

7

End of year bulk acquittal requirements

An audited financial statement must accompany the end of year bulk funding acquittal report, as endorsed as correct by the Principal or Head of Department of the education provider. It must also include:

  • a detailed statement of all outstanding commitments to be met from remaining funds, or
  • a statement that no payments remain outstanding to providers

An independent auditor must undertake the auditing of the end of year financial statement. It must include a declaration certifying the expenditure of the funds was in accordance with the agreement.

The end of year bulk funding acquittal report must be lodged:

  • by 31 January of the year following funding, or
  • at the end of the actual period (if the duration of the activity is less than one year) for the approved bulk funding

The acquittal report lists all documentation the education provider must attach.

Has the education provider lodged an end of year bulk funding acquittal report?

8

End of year bulk acquittal request

No further Away from Base funding is available until the funding has been acquitted. Any advance funding not acquitted within 28 days from the date the request for information is sent will be considered an overpayment.

Use the Bulk funding acquittal report not provided at end of year - institution email template to advise the education provider of the requirement to have lodged an acquittal by 31 January.

Upload a copy of the email to the ORG record and the TMA Group Booking.

In Customer First, create a manual review on the Review Registration (RVR) screen and complete the fields as follows:

  • Service Reason: ABY
  • Review Reason: REV (manual review)
  • Due Date: 28 days from today’s date
  • Source: INT
  • DOR: today's date
  • Notes: AFB follow up for acquittal for bulk funded activity period: xx/xx/20xx to xx/xx/20xx
  • Keywords: ACTABY and AFB
  • Workgroup: leave blank
  • Position: leave blank
  • Transfer to Region: ABS
  • The review will mature on the Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload Management will allocate the review for manual action
  • To action a review fallen due, go to Step 11, otherwise

Record details on a DOC.

Procedure ends here.

9

End of first semester acquittal report requirements

The education provider must provide the expenditure statement before any further advance payment for the second semester can occur.

The expenditure statement must include the following details for semester 1 activities:

  • dates and location of each residential school held in the first semester
  • names of students who participated in each residential school
  • names of students unable to participate due to exceptional circumstances. The customer must also provide evidence of the student's exceptional circumstance
  • amount expended for each residential school, and
  • overall amount expended for all residential schools during the semester

There is no requirement for acquittal on the expenditure statement. However, if the information provided is not sufficient, contact the education provider and advise of appropriate record requirements.

Did the education provider lodge an expenditure statement at the end of the first semester?

  • Yes:
    • Check statement includes all required details, if not contact the education provider via telephone and advise of appropriate record-keeping requirements
    • Record details on a DOC on the education provider's record, outlining suitability of expenditure statement and any discussion
    • To issue advance funding for second semester activities, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements
    • Procedure ends here
  • No:
    • Use the Bulk funding acquittal end of first semester – institution email template to advise the education provider to provide an expenditure statement before the release of advance funding for the second semester can occur
    • Record details on a DOC on the education provider's record
    • Procedure ends here

10

Check review for AFB acquittal has matured

Check the Activity List (AL) or Future Activity List (FAL) screen for the due date of the AFB acquittal review.

Is the manual review due date on the student or education provider's record today or a date in the past?

  • Yes, go to Step 11
  • No, no further action can be taken until the review falls due. Procedure ends here

11

Review for AFB acquittal has matured

The manual review on the student or education provider's record is due for action.

Have the acquittal details for the individual activity or bulk funding acquittal report been received?

  • Yes, complete the review activity. See Table 6
  • No, the unacquitted amounts are now considered an overpayment. Days and trips previously approved for the student to participate in the activity are not counted towards the annual limits on Away from Base assistance. Complete the following:

Acquitting Away from Base advance payments

Table 6

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Type of Away from Base allowance paid

Note: an overpayment must not be raised if a reassessment of unacquitted amounts occurs after Away from Base assistance has been paid over the annual limits. See Table 4 on the Resources page for examples.

If the advance payment is in relation to:

2

Student participation

Students must be deemed to have fully participated in the approved activity for travel allowance to be acquitted unless there were exceptional circumstances.

If a student travelled to the activity, they are deemed eligible for the full period if:

  • due to ill health or another similar reason was absent for one or more days, and
  • the education provider states that the student has fully participated

Have documents been provided confirming the student fully participated in the activity?

3

Recalculating the travel allowance

Check the travel allowance payable based on the actual period and location/s of the activity for each customer. Compare the details in the Travel Management Application (TMA) booking and the document/s provided.

This includes travel allowance that was paid for an activity in the next financial year using current year rates and needs to be adjusted once the correct rates are available.

If the period or location/s do not match or new financial year rates need to be calculated. See Table 4 in Approval of ABSTUDY Away from Base assistance then return to this Step.

If the new calculation compared to the initial payment to the education provider or student, is:

  • less, raise the excess travel allowance paid as an overpayment against the customer
  • more, issue the shortfall in travel allowance to the customer

Finalise the acquittal in the Travel Management Application (TMA). For coding instructions, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements.

Procedure ends here.

4

Residential expenses package

Payment of a residential expenses package:

  • is made in advance, based on the estimated cost of providing a meal and accommodation package for students eligible for Away from Base assistance, and
  • goes directly to the education provider for distribution to service providers

Payments in advance are payable either for single activities, or as bulk funding to a qualifying education provider for all residential school activities planned for the year.

At the completion of the activity, acquit advance payments by comparing estimated costs versus actual costs.

If the student:

  • participated in the activity, go to Step 6
  • did not participate in the activity due to exceptional circumstances, go to Step 5

5

Non-attendance due to exceptional circumstance

The student needs to provide evidence if they:

  • were unable to participate in the approved activity due to exceptional circumstances, and
  • want the days and trips previously approved to participate in the activity not counted towards their annual limits on Away from Base assistance

Note: evidence does not need to cover all days of the activity. For example, a medical certificate confirms a student was unfit for work/school for the first day. It is reasonable to assume they would not be fit to travel the following day. As each day of an activity is integral to the student’s completion of the course, this ensures they:

  • are not disadvantaged by a reduction in their annual limits, and
  • can attend the activity at a later time

Students and education providers are entitled to advance funding for any costs incurred. For example a non-refundable accommodation deposit. Evidence of these expenses must be provided. Make genuine attempts to contact the payee to obtain evidence. If this cannot be provided or attempts to contact are unsuccessful, all funding must be raised as an overpayment.

To finalise the acquittal:

  • update the booking in the Travel Management Application (TMA). If the customer is entitled to:
    • some funds for costs incurred, the relevant component/s must be varied
    • no funds, reject the original assessment
  • for coding instructions, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements
  • annotate the AFB Approval in Principle DOA DOC on the student’s record using AIP DOC Annotation: Acquittal Review/Reassessment. See the Resources page for the ABSTUDY Travel Minimum DOC Standards

Procedure ends here.

6

Service Officer requirements

Compare the costs listed in the original submission based on the cost of:

  • providing a meal and accommodation package for the period, and
  • number of participants undertaking the activities

Check:

  • Eligibility of any participants not listed on original submission
  • Arrival/departure times and dates for each participant. (Costs will not be payable for days students do not attend the activity.) If a student was unable to participate due to exceptional circumstances, the claimant must provide evidence of the student's exceptional circumstance
  • All participants utilised the accommodation and meals on each day
  • Charges include only those on the original submission (for example, no room service or mini bar)
  • Any variation to accommodation or meal costs are justified

Note: any expenditure the education provider cannot acquit (that is, unable to substantiate expenditure) is considered to be unexpended funds.

7

Finalisation of assessment

If the actual costs of the activity:

  • matches the estimated costs, finalise the acquittal
  • are less than the estimated costs initially paid, the education provider needs to refund to Services Australia any overpaid amount when finalising the acquittal
  • are more than the estimated costs initially paid, the shortfall in the actual cost of the residential expenses package must be issued to the education provider when finalising the acquittal

To finalise the acquittal, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements.

Procedure ends here.


Determining if Away from Base travel is payable

Table 7

Expand table

Step

Action

1

Masters and Doctorate Award Activity

Students can receive a maximum amount per year (including fares and other costs related to travel). To check amount received:

  • access the Travel Management Application (TMA) within Process Direct
  • select the Bookings tab to view previously processed fares payments and other costs (for example, meals and accommodation)

The maximum assistance available to Masters or Doctorate students is in the ABSTUDY Policy Manual 92.4.3. See the References page for a link to the Policy Manual.

Has the maximum limit already been reached?

2

Testing and Assessment program

Is the student undertaking a Testing and Assessment program?

3

Students can receive a maximum of 2 return trips per year

If several students from the same community are required to undertake interviews or selection procedures, it may be more cost-effective to have a representative from the education provider travel to the community to conduct the activity. See Non-student travellers for ABSTUDY for further details.

Note: due to system limitations, if the student is/was in receipt of Schooling A, requests for payment in advance or reimbursement of a Testing and Assessment activity, code using the Orientation/interview Travel Reason.

To check return trips taken:

  • access the TMA within Process Direct
  • select the Bookings tab to view details of previously undertaken trips

Has the student already undertaken 2 return trips to attend a Testing and Assessment program?

4

Maximum limits for FAA to travel to an Away from Base activity (apart from Masters and Doctorate or Testing and Assessment students)

Access the TMA within Process Direct and select the Bookings icon to view details of previously undertaken journeys.

Note: due to system limitations, if the student is/was in receipt of Schooling A, requests for payment in advance or reimbursement of a residential school activity, code using the Special Purpose Travel Reason.

See Resources page for an example of Limits of Assistance for Away from Base.

Has the student exceeded their Limits of Away from Base assistance for allowable journeys for FAA been reached?

5

Interstate travel to participate in the Away from Base activity

Certain conditions apply for approval to travel interstate.

Does the student or non-student traveller want to travel interstate to undertake the Away from Base activity?

6

FAA to travel to the Away from Base activity is not payable

Advise the student they are not eligible for ABSTUDY Away from Base travel.

7

FAA to travel to the Away from Base activity is payable

The student and/or non-student traveller is eligible for Away from Base travel.

If the student or education provider is claiming: