Eligibility for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) allowances 010-03040000

The AIC allowance is determined by the student's living and study arrangements. The following allowances are available for eligible applicants and students:

• Boarding Allowance (BA) - assists with costs incurred when a student boards away from home in order to have daily access to appropriate schooling
• Additional Boarding Allowance (ABA) - is a supplementary payment to provide extra support for lower-income families when a student boards away from home
• Second Home Allowance (SHA) - contributes towards the costs incurred by families in maintaining a second family home in order for a student to have access to appropriate schooling
• Distance Education Allowance (DED) - contributes towards incidental costs incurred by families whose children are undertaking their education by distance education or home schooling
• AIC Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) - contributes towards educational costs incurred by students who receive Disability Support Pension (DSP) or Parenting Payment Single (PPS)

A student who needs to board for short periods during the year may be entitled to pro-rata rate of AIC Boarding Allowance (BA). For example:

• to undertake exams, diagnostic testing and/or receive support for a learning disability, or
• when access from the principal family home to the school is cut off due to special weather conditions

Boarding Allowance (BA) for short-term boarders is not generally available for students in a special institution that caters for students with disabilities or health-related conditions, if they are residing there for period(s) of less than 20 continuous school days.

See Eligibility for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme Boarding Allowance (BA/ABA).

AIC allowances may be available for the full calendar year.

Eligibility commencement dates vary depending on whether the student is a short-term boarder and the day the student begins their studies. See Determining the entitlement start date for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC).

An AIC student is generally eligible to 31 December, if they continue to study to the end of the school year. See Determining the entitlement end date for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC).