Initial contact with students or Australian Apprentices claiming Austudy 010-04010000

A customer, or a third party on their behalf, may contact to claim for payment of Austudy. Service Officers should identify if Austudy is the most beneficial payment. See Identifying the most beneficial payment for students or Australian Apprentices.

Students or Australian Apprentices who contact to claim Austudy can make an online claim for Austudy using their Centrelink online account. Customers should be advised payments may only commence from the date they submit a claim, unless they are identified as a vulnerable customer. See Intent to claim and vulnerable customers.

To qualify for Austudy, a customer must meet all of the following criteria:

• be of Austudy payment age, and
• satisfy the residence requirements, and
• for students, satisfy the Activity test for Austudy, or
• for Australian Apprentices, undertake a full-time Australian Apprenticeship and have a current Commonwealth registration number. Note: undertaking full time study does not apply to Australian Apprentices

For more information, see Eligibility for Austudy.

Students and Australian Apprentices are required to claim using an online account. If a customer contacts in relation to making a new claim for Austudy they must be referred to submit their claim online, unless:

• self-service channels are currently unavailable (confirmed by NNU/Stop Press), or
• the Service Officer determines the transaction is not appropriate to be self-managed by the customer in that instance

Note: for customers in vulnerable circumstances, record an intent to claim. See Intent to claim and vulnerable customers before returning to this process.

A paper Claim for Austudy (SY002) should only be issued where the Service Officer determines the transaction is not appropriate, that is, a customer is unable to submit a claim using their online account or Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) cannot be used.

Note: the Re-claim or Transfer for Austudy or Youth Allowance (SY089) paper claim lodged with a Date of Receipt on or after 1 April 2023 is no longer accepted.

When claiming online, a customer claiming Austudy, may be selected for a reduced question set if they:

• are currently in receipt of a payment listed below (for example their payment status is Current (CUR) or Current Zero Rate (CZR)), or
• were in receipt of one of the payments listed below and the cancellation date was in the previous 52 weeks:
• Age Pension
• Carer Payment
• Carer Allowance
• Disability Support Pension
• Farm Household Allowance
• JobSeeker Payment
• Parenting Payment Partnered
• Parenting Payment Single
• Special Benefit
• Youth Allowance (YAL)

The reduced question set claim will only request information that is not known to Services Australia. The reduced question set also applies to the ACC process where applicable.

See Transfer to Austudy or Youth Allowance (YA) (student) from another payment and Youth Allowance and Austudy students and Australian Apprentices online claims and Assisted Customer Claims.

Correspondence nominees can submit an online claim for Austudy on behalf of their principal.

If a correspondence nominee contacts to claim Austudy on behalf of their principal, offer an online claim first. If they decline the online claim offer, run the ACC with the nominee.

Organisation nominees are unable to submit an online claim for Austudy on behalf of their principal. Assist them to lodge an ACC. If they decline to be assisted via an ACC, they can lodge a SY002 – Claim for Austudy.

A claim for Austudy can be made up to 13 weeks before the student or Australian Apprentice becomes qualified for payment under the early claim provisions. Some claims submitted early may not be able to be assessed until the customer becomes qualified for Austudy (for example, not an intending or continuing student, and study starts in the future or where their apprenticeship start date is in the future).

The student or Australian Apprentice will be advised of when to submit the claim to ensure full entitlement and of other documentation/information that will be required when lodging the claim. This may include:

• Identity Confirmation
• tax file number(s) (TFN)
• other supporting documentation

Note: customers should be advised that before submitting their claim, all required documents must be provided. Exceptions are made to customers identified as vulnerable. See Circumstance Change Monitor.