Home schooling arrangements for ABSTUDY 010-02080030

For information on home schooling eligibility, use the National Course Approvals sub site.

Is the customer undertaking or intending to undertake home based schooling?

• Yes, for students registered:
• for home schooling with the relevant state/territory government education authority, go to Step 2
• for distance education through an approved secondary school, go to Step 4
• No, see Approved courses of study for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES). Procedure ends here

For students registered for home schooling with the relevant state/territory government education authority, evidence must be provided that shows:

• individual approval has been given to the student to undertake home study. This may be in the form of a home schooling registration certificate
• the study is full-time
• the study aligns with, and will be accredited towards, the secondary qualification accredited by that authority

Note: for students studying Years 10 and below in NSW, a home schooling registration certificate is suitable evidence to confirm all the above.

It is acceptable for registration/approval for the same level of study to extend across multiple academic years.

Has the customer provided evidence from the relevant state/territory government education authority confirming the above?

• Yes, and there is:
• a gap in home schooling registration/approval, go to Step 3
• no gap in home schooling registration/approval, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 6

Students remain entitled to ABSTUDY if:

• their home schooling registration only ended because of a delay in the education authority's renewal process, and
• a renewal application was submitted before the previous registration ended

If evidence of the renewal application is not provided, ABSTUDY may still payable however there will be a gap in the customers entitlement for the period the student was not registered.

Evidence includes:

• a copy of the email sent to the education authority with the renewal or acknowledgement the renewal was received
• a copy of the renewal application and a statutory declaration confirming the date it was mailed if sent by post
• any other form of evidence the applicant can provide proving the submission of their renewal prior to the expiry date and supported by a statutory declaration

Evidence for WA based students may include a statutory declaration confirming the date they lodged the application for renewal. Note: the WA renewal process may be done verbally without a written confirmation provided to the student.

Go to Step 5.

ABSTUDY may be approved for home schooling if the student is:

• formally registered at an approved secondary school
• studying accredited subjects, and
• undertaking a full-time workload

The secondary school must provide a letter confirming enrolment, the subjects being undertaken and the workload.

Has documentation been provided confirming the above are met?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 6

The customer satisfies the ABSTUDY requirements for a full-time home schooling student.

Complete the following tasks:

• Explain to the customer:
• the ABSTUDY requirements, and
• the obligation to notify Centrelink of any changes (e.g. commencing a different course, decreasing study load etc.)
• Code the education details on the system
• Record details on a DOC of any discussions with the customer

Procedure ends here.

The student does not satisfy the home schooling or distance education requirements for ABSTUDY purposes.

If the student is currently in receipt of ABSTUDY, make any necessary updates to their record. See Coding ABSTUDY education details.

Tell the applicant to contact again once they have provided the required evidence.

Record details of the discussion in a DOC.