Additional costs associated with travel for ABSTUDY 010-02100230

A student or non-student traveller may be eligible for assistance with some additional costs associated with their approved travel.

Ensure the student or non-student traveller is entitled to receive FAA for the journey.

Is the student or non-student traveller eligible for FAA for the journey?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, go to Step 10

If a student or non-student traveller needs to use a transport service to transfer between an airport, bus or train terminal to the board or accommodation provider or their permanent home, the below costs may be approved. This also applies for reverse travel.

The rate payable is:

• the fee levied for all student or non-student travellers or a reasonable fee if levied for ABSTUDY students only, where a boarding establishment or accommodation provider offers transport facilities, or
• public transport bus and/or rail fare, or
• taxi fare or similar ride-sharing, where:
• public transport is not available, or
• it is unsafe to use public transport considering the age of the student and/or the time of day the travel occurs, or
• the student is travelling to the place of study for the first time and is unfamiliar with the public transport routes, or
• there are other compelling and justifiable factors which make a taxi or ride-sharing suitable

Do the terminal transfer costs meet one of the above criteria?

• Yes, payment for terminal transfer costs at the rate payable outlined above are approved. Go to Step 3
• No, terminal transfer costs are not approved. If the customer is:
• claiming other additional costs, go to Step 3
• not claiming any other additional costs, go to Step 10

The cost of excess baggage can be approved where the baggage allowance is based on:

• a size limit, one additional piece of baggage within the size limit
• weight, excess baggage up to 18 kilograms

If a student or non-student traveller has additional living and/or study items requiring transport, and it exceeds the baggage allowance of their normal mode of transport, they may be eligible for alternative modes of transport. See Determining the appropriate mode of transport for ABSTUDY Fares Allowance (FAA).

If the excess baggage is essential for the student's course requirements, the Department of Social Services (DSS) may approve excess baggage entitlements beyond the limits outlined above. Where DSS approval is required, ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base Service Officers must seek LPS assistance to escalate the request to the ABSTUDY Travel and Away from Base SO5, who will escalate the enquiry to the Level 2 Policy Helpdesk.

Does the excess baggage cost meet the above criteria or has DSS approved excess baggage beyond the limits?

• Yes, payment for the cost of excess baggage as outlined above or at the rate approved by DSS is approved, go to Step 4
• No, the excess baggage costs are not approved. If the customer is:
• claiming other additional costs, go to Step 4
• not claiming any other additional costs, go to Step 10

Overnight accommodation and meals may be approved for student and non-student travellers in the following circumstances:

• the approved traveller is required to stay one or more nights at an in-transit location, that is not the permanent home or study location, and is not the responsibility of the carrier
• the student is undertaking Orientation travel and is required to stay a reasonable amount of time at/near the term address in order to participate in orientation activities
• non-student travellers undertaking a journey under the provisions of family member or community member travellers, supervisor travellers or travelling companion travellers and either:
• because of transport schedules, the approved traveller is unable to avoid staying one or more nights at the destination to which they accompanied the student/s before returning to their usual place of residence, or
• for family member, community member travellers, and supervisor travellers (if they meet the criteria of a family member or community member traveller), the approved traveller is required to stay a reasonable amount of time at/near the student's term address to visit the student
• the approved traveller is an education representative, undertaking Orientation or Special Purpose Visit travel and either:
• because of transport schedules, is unable to avoid staying one or more nights at the location of the Orientation/Special Purpose Visit, or
• stays a reasonable amount of time at the location of the Orientation/Special Purpose Visit to undertake the visit

Note: travellers may stay at the destination longer than required, for example, a parent wishes to stay at the study location for several days after a school event. In these circumstances, travel home on a later date can be approved as the cost is the same. However, additional nights of accommodation and meals after the traveller could have returned home would not be approved.

See the Resources page for evidence requirements and examples.

Does the overnight accommodation relate to the journey approved for FAA?

• Yes, accommodation and meals are approved. The rate payable is determined by who will arrange the accommodation, if:
• accommodation is arranged by the education institution, Services Australia or the community, go to Step 5
• accommodation is arranged by the student or non-student traveller, go to Step 6
• No, accommodation and meals are not approved. If the customer is:
• claiming other additional costs, go to Step 7
• not claiming any other additional costs, go to Step 10

Where accommodation is arranged by the education provider, Services Australia or community, student and non-student travellers are entitled to the reasonable cost of meals and accommodation for the stopover.

If the education institution or community is seeking reimbursement, advise them to provide receipts for accommodation and meal expenses to be assessed.

If the customer is claiming:

• other additional costs, go to Step 7
• none of the above, go to Step 9

Where accommodation is arranged by the student or non-student traveller, they are entitled to travel allowance.

If the approved traveller is seeking reimbursement, advise them to provide a receipt or paid tax invoice for the accommodation as evidence they arranged this.

See Calculate the relevant daily rate of travel allowance. The Resources page has links to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) travel allowance rates, calculations of the rates payable and a travel allowance calculator.

Note: where travel allowance has been approved for a high-cost location not listed by the ATO as a 'High cost country centre', payment may be made for a higher rate of travel allowance where:

• the standard travel allowance rate is acquitted, and
• excess expenses are proven by receipts, provided that the expense is representative of reasonable costs of the location, or
• a residential expense package is being approved in principle or reimbursed, and
• evidence of the higher accommodation costs at the high-cost location is provided and the expense is representative of reasonable costs of the location

If the customer is claiming:

• other additional costs, go to Step 7
• none of the above, go to Step 9

Credit/debit card costs and service fees may be approved where the charges are unavoidable and associated with booking travel. This does not include security deposits or pre-authorisation charges required by an accommodation provider.

Do the costs relate to the journey approved for FAA?

• Yes, payment for the costs/fees are approved. If the customer is claiming:
• any other additional costs incurred during the travel, go to Step 8
• none of the above, go to Step 9
• No, the credit/debit card costs or service fees are not approved. If the customer is:
• claiming other additional costs, go to Step 8
• not claiming any other additional costs, go to Step 10

Other additional costs, incurred by student or non-student travellers during the journey, cannot be approved for FAA. The only exception is due to disrupted student travel. For information on additional costs payable due to disrupted travel, see ABSTUDY students experiencing disrupted travel.

Additional costs incurred by customers that are not payable include but are not limited to:

• additional accommodation charged by a provider when an unapproved traveller stays in the accommodation
• security deposits. For example, pre-authorisation or hold placed on a credit/debit card or a cash deposit
• consumption of non-approved food or drink at an accommodation provider (mini bar or additional meals)
• meals not associated with overnight accommodation
• costs charged by a transport provider for transporting pets
• use of a hire limousine for terminal transfers
• damage of any kind, such as to accommodation or aircraft
• additional room cleaning charges
• laundry charges
• lost keys for accommodation, and
• Buy now pay later fees, such as Afterpay or Zip Pay fees

Are any additional costs approved?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No, go to Step 10

Tell the person requesting additional costs which costs they are eligible for.

Additional costs can be authorised in advance of travel or reimbursed after the journey.

If claiming additional costs:

• in advance of travel, see Authorising and coding pre-booked Fares Allowance (FAA) entitlements for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)
• after travel has been undertaken, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements
• Applicants claiming reimbursement must complete an ABSTUDY Fares Allowance Claim (SY032) form. The Resources page has a link to the form

Procedure ends here.

If the request for additional costs has been received by:

• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Telephony:
• Tell the person requesting additional costs that they may not be eligible
• If claiming in advance of travel and the customer would like to test their eligibility, See Authorising and coding pre-booked Fares Allowance (FAA) entitlements for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)
• If claiming additional costs after travel has been undertaken and the customer would like to test their eligibility, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements. Applicants claiming reimbursement must complete an ABSTUDY Fares Allowance Claim (SY032) form. The Resources page has a link to the form
• Procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY Smart Centre Travel and Away from Base Teams:
• Tell the person requesting additional costs that they are not eligible
• If claiming additional costs only in advance of travel or if the customer is not eligible for FAA, see Authorising and coding pre-booked Fares Allowance (FAA) entitlements for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES)
• If claiming additional costs after travel has been undertaken, see Processing Fares Allowance and Away from Base entitlements in advance or reimbursements. Applicants claiming reimbursement must complete an ABSTUDY Fares Allowance Claim (SY032) form. The Resources page has a link to the form
• Procedure ends here