Assessing and coding student and Australian Apprentice claims for Austudy 010-04020000
Expand allFor Austudy and Australian Apprentice skilled staff only.
This document outlines how to process an Austudy claim.
On this page:
Determining and assessing Austudy eligibility
Finalising student and Australian Apprentice claims for Austudy
Determining and assessing Austudy eligibility
Table 1
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Claim lodgementA claim work item is created for allocation and processing in Process Direct where a customer submits:
Note: where a claim form is correctly scanned onto a customer's record, the system creates a Social Application (SOA) Shell. If SOA Shell claim (created by a scanned claim form) is allocated to a Student Processing skilled Service Officer, and the claim is for an Australian Apprentice, re-categorise it to Austudy Apprentice claim (ZCLM_ZASA). A Re-claim or Transfer for Austudy or Youth Allowance (SY089) paper claim form lodged with a Date of Receipt (DOR) on or after 1 April 2023 cannot be accepted. If the customer has lodged an SY089, make a genuine attempt to contact the customer and tell them to submit an Online Claim or an SY002. If contact is unsuccessful:
If a claim is available to process in Process Direct that is a submitted:
If allocated a DOC requesting a reassessment of entitlement due to a review of decision, go to Step 2. | |
Reassessment of entitlement Regrant required from a different dateIf payment is current or assessed and a review of decision has determined the customer is entitled from a different date to the original date of grant, complete the following. In Customer First, go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen. Update fields as follows when the customer is:
Press [Enter]. Go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen, inhibit letters and finalise the activity. Once the claim is re-granted, the system:
If granting a claim from an earlier date, and the system does not restore the payment from the cancellation OTH date, restore manually via the BA screen. Reassessment of a rejected claim
For Apprentice claims, check:
If there are:
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ACC submittedWhere an ACC has been submitted by a staff logon, check that the correct DOR has been applied. When a claim is started through ACC and submitted by a Service Officer on a later date, the Date Submitted will default to the original DOR entered. Service Officers must determine the actual date of claim submission:
If the Document created by SAPAPP date is:
To correct the DOR:
If the DOR cannot be updated:
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Pre-assessment checksComplete all pre-assessment checks in Process Direct using the icons on the Transaction Summary (TS) screen. Checks may include selecting:
If an RFI has been issued and the customer has not responded by the task due date, see Contacting customers claiming Youth Allowance (student or apprentice) or Austudy who do not respond to a Request for Information (RFI). An Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf (SS313) form lodged with a new claim, must be processed immediately. This is to ensure the nominee will also receive the outcome of claim letter. See Adding or rejecting a nominee request. Check the customer's record Check if the record is a multiple CRN. If the claim has been lodged on a multiple CRN and there is not a Display on Access (DOA) DOC on the record from NA8 advising which record to use, see Centrelink customer has multiple Customer Reference Numbers (CRN). Provisions apply for an inappropriate claim or incorrect claim. If the same payment type as the claim was cancelled or rejected within 13 weeks of the new claim lodgement date, restoration or re-assessment may be appropriate, see Calculating the start date for Austudy and Youth Allowance (YA) students and Australian Apprentices claims. If the benefit status is AOE/CUR, see Assuree makes a claim for an Assurance of Support (AoS) recoverable payment. To prevent incorrect claim assessment, update the customer's record outside the new claim (where required). Updates may include correcting the previous benefit status so it displays as CAN (cancel). This prevents incorrect arrears when finalising the claim or end dating student/apprenticeship details. Does the benefit status show as CNP, or are there any outstanding employment reports?
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Cancelling previous paymentsIf the status of the previous payment is CNP (cancel next payment), or there are outstanding employment reports, for either the customer or their partner, in Process Direct or Customer First (this does not apply to student or parenting transfers):
For further coding advice, for:
When the benefit status displays as CAN, go to Step 6. | |
Check previous studySee Historical cancellation and regrant of Youth Allowance (YA) (student) or Austudy (student), if the previous study details supplied in the claim show that the customer:
Additional actions may be required before the current claim can be assessed. For other changes, complete corrections or updates in Customer First before actioning the new claim, where:
Check and compare the details supplied in the claim with those in:
For assistance with coding, see:
After completing any updates, select | |
Check all documents are receivedCheck that all required documents are received. See Documents required for Centrelink new claims. Where a claim submitted less than 15 days ago cannot be processed due to outstanding documents, hold the claim until day 15 (or later) by changing the Status. This includes where an additional Task is not yet due. Note: if the customer intentionally provides incorrect information (for example, completely unrelated documents or images) to submit a Circumstance Change Monitor (CCM) claim, the claim can be rejected. Use the most appropriate rejection reason. Does the claim now require assessment?
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Claim not required to be assessedExamples of claims not requiring assessment include, but are not limited to:
If the claim is not required to be assessed, change the status of the claim to Not Required. Changing the status to Not Required is final and cannot be changed again. In Process Direct:
Procedure ends here. | |
RelationshipsWhen a customer claims Austudy online as a full-time student or apprentice, the relationship details will be provided as part of the new claim. The online claim responses will automatically determine which relationship documents are required. For more information see Relationship details for new claims. Note: if a customer advises they are separating, see Separating safely - protecting personal details to ensure personal information is kept safe. All Relationships details must be reviewed/updated. If an update is required, the relationship details must be completed before selecting Process. On the TS screen:
Only update relationship details if the tables contain different information to what is provided in the claim. Only delete or edit relationship data if recorded in error. If the relationship data is no longer applicable (for example, the customer has become married), a new entry must be added. If the relationship information has been coded incorrectly, regenerate the claim by selecting | |
Austudy payment ageDoes the customer meet the Austudy payment age?
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Qualification for AustudyThe customer must be an Australian resident, and if they are:
Does the customer meet the qualification criteria for Austudy or they will within 13 weeks of the date of lodgement?
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Payability for AustudyThe customer:
Base the decision on each of the following:
When a customer declares income in the claim that is above the cut-off and advises this is not their usual wage, for:
Is the customer payable now, or they will be within 13 weeks of the date of claim?
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Considering the most appropriate paymentConsider the most appropriate payment. Is Austudy the most appropriate payment?
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Further actions requiredUse
Note: before creating an internal referral, ensure all documents needed to enable a specialist assessment are provided. For example, a Private Trust (MOD PT) form must be accompanied by relevant supporting documents before a Complex Assessment Officer (CAO) referral is created. Are further actions required?
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Additional supporting documents requiredWhen assessing a claim, only request documents required to grant or reject the claim. Make updates based on any evidence the customer has provided with their claim. Before requesting supporting documents, carefully check the record. Do not request documents that were requested at Next Steps or have been requested since the claim was lodged. Is further essential information required that has not already been requested?
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Internal referralsIf the claim requires an internal referral, select Check the Recent referrals, if there are any referrals of the same type with a status of In Process, do not create another referral. If there are no referrals of the same type with a status of In Process, action the required referral to:
Annotate the claim progress DOC with the details of what is required to finalise the claim. | |
Regenerate or Re-index claimWhen the claim requires regeneration or re-indexing, select the appropriate selection from Regenerate claim option displays when the claim has a status of In Process or On Hold. Re-index claim option only displays when the original claim has a status of Completed. | |
Identity confirmationOn the TS screen, check the Circumstance Data for the customer's Identity Status. If the Identity Status is:
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Previously receiving an allowanceIs the customer currently receiving a Services Australia administered income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance?
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menu
to view the information submitted by the customer
> Regenerate claim, followed by a 
> SAP Refresh. All updates then transfer from ISIS into Process Direct.
> Regenerate Claim. This reverts the claim back to its original state and all information manually coded is lost.
> Change Benefit to allow the benefit type to be changed and the claim assessed as a Youth Allowance student claim. See 
on the TS screen to:
> Referral.
.Assessing Austudy claims
Table 2
Action | |
Assess Austudy claimAustudy claims for students and Australian Apprentices are assessed in Process Direct. Select Process to populate data from the claim into the appropriate screens. Action the following where applicable:
Select the relevant Task Selectors from the Errors (SWE) screen to help process the claim:
Note: where provisional data has uploaded from the online claim, the relevant Task Selectors will display | |
Check eligibility for Student Start-up Loan (SSL)See Student Start-up Loan (SSL) when a customer advises in their claim they want to apply for an SSL. Note: if the claim slider shows Total $0 and there are no loan periods displayed, the customer has not applied for any SSLs. | |
Employment incomeCheck if the customer or their partner has employment income. For coding instructions, see Reporting requirements for students and Australian Apprentices. This information may be:
Single Touch Payroll (STP) Employment details may be pre-filled through Single Touch Payroll (STP) in the online claim for the customer to confirm. This includes the employer name and ABN. Staff can recognise a STP employer has been presented if the question 'Do you work for (employer)' is displayed in the claim slider. Further details can be seen on the STP Employer Update (EMCF) screen. If a customer has previously confirmed an employer and advises they do not work for the employer anymore, the employer will remain as confirmed on EMCF. This employer should be recorded by the customer in previous employer details for employers ceased within the last 12 months within the claim. A customer will automatically be placed on reporting if STP data is presented to the customer within the claim, regardless of the employer status on EMCF. Customer or partner has precluding income declared as 'this is my usual wage' For customers who state they or their partner earn a 'usual or regular wage' and this will preclude them from payment, the following applies:
For Australian Apprentice claims rejecting income only, Hours for One Period (HOP) entry is not needed. Placing the customer on 2 weekly reporting via the Reporting Regime (RPRD) screen Generally, there is no need to update the RPRD screen when employment income is declared in a student claim. While there will be no provisional coding on the RPRD screen, when the claim is taken to assess, the system will determine the customer's reporting requirements. In some circumstances, such as for paper claims, manual updates are needed on the RPRD screen. If the system does not apply the correct automatic profiling, manually place the customer onto or off reporting within the claim on the RPRD screen:
Australian Apprentices For apprentices, make sure:
Does the online claim show the customer and/or their partner has ceased work, and expect to be paid final employment income after the date of claim?
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Final employment incomeIf the customer and/or their partner will be paid final employment income in the first entitlement period, update the details within the claim. The claim may reject if the employment income is over the threshold. If information from the customer or in the claim shows their and/or their partner's paid employment income will preclude payment for the first entitlement period:
Where a claim is granted and there is remaining employment income still to be recorded (in a later entitlement period) for the customer and/or partner:
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Waiting periodsAssess waiting periods based on information provided by the customer. See:
For assessment of waiting periods, see Waiting periods for income support payments. | |
Tax File Number (TFN)Before being granted Austudy, customers must supply a valid Tax File Number (TFN) or have a valid exemption. Review the Tax File Number Authority (TFN) screen including any TFN exemptions already coded for validation against current claim. Has the customer (and partner, if applicable) provided a valid TFN?
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Tax deductionIf the customer has requested to start or cease a tax deduction in their claim, provisional data will show on the Tax Instruction (PITX) screen. See Managing Australian Taxation Office (ATO) tax deductions. | |
Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period (NARWP) qualifying residence exemptionDo not assess a claim as an early claim if the customer:
To ensure the customer is assessed at the correct student start date, create a Social Online Application (SOA) shell transaction for Austudy (students or Australian Apprentices). Before creating a SOA shell:
Go to Table 3. |
.Finalising student and Australian Apprentice claims for Austudy
Table 3
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Outcome of claimIf the claim is to be:
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Failed to supply documentsDo not reject claims FSD where a more appropriate rejection reason applies. Where the customer has not supplied their:
Claims can be streamline rejected FSD where:
Can the claim be streamline rejected?
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Streamline rejectionIf the claim is to be streamline rejected, no updates are required before rejecting. Streamline reject the claim:
If the Streamline Rejection indicator has been incorrectly updated before finalising the claim, the claim must be regenerated to remove it. If the customer's claim will be rejected because they did not start their study or an apprenticeship, go to Step 4. For all other rejections, procedure end here. | |
Austudy student will not/did not commence full time study or an apprenticeshipIf a customer has lodged a claim for:
If the customer will be eligible for Austudy as:
Procedure ends here. | |
Customer is not eligible for AustudyWhere the claim is not finalised as a streamline rejection, the rejection should automatically occur once the information is entered. Make all necessary updates within the claim. For apprentice claims where income is above the cut-off and there are no registration details on the NAPD, delete any unverified provisional data so it is not applied to the customer's record. Claims should reject automatically where the customer:
Apprentice claims When there are no registration details on NAPD and an automatic rejection did not occur, the claim must be referred to a Service Support Officer (SSO). Apply the following:
All other reasons Is the claim automatically rejecting on ELD?
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Manual rejection of a claimWhen manually rejecting a claim, make all necessary updates required within the claim. If the updated claim does not auto-reject, reject it manually:
Procedure ends here. | |
Assess entitlement to the Long Term Income Support (LTIS) rateCustomers who received a relevant income support payment for at least 26 of the 39 weeks before starting or restarting qualifying study or an Australian Apprenticeship may be entitled to the LTIS rate. To determine eligibility for this rate, and the process to enter a rate override (if required), see Assessing entitlement to the Long Term Income Support rate of Austudy for students or migrants studying English language courses. Note: an LTIS override cannot be recorded with a start date in the future. Is an LTIS rate override required?
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Claim cannot be assessed early due to system limitationsCustomers eligible for the LTIS rate of Austudy cannot have a rate override coded from a future date. Hold the claim until the override can be recorded:
Procedure ends here. | |
Granting of a claimSelect Assess. Check the results on the ELD screen. Take note of any arrears being paid, especially any amount paid for a period that the person received a previous income support payment. Decide if an arrears amount needs to be reduced to avoid duplicate payments for the same period. Manually zero or reduce any arrears the customer is not entitled to. See Payment of arrears after reassessment and stopping a payment. Is the outcome correct?
The Finalisation Note displays. Edit or add any extra details required. Select Finalise to complete the claim. A confirmation dialog box appears. Select OK. Where a checklist of scans displays, mark each as complete using the tick boxes to close them. Where the customer's Student End Date (SED) has passed, the Entitlements (ELD) screen displays with a zero rate from the SED + 1 on the Rate Component Override (RCO) screen. Once the claim is finalised, a further transaction will auto-cancel the customer's student payment as Not a Student (NST) from SED + 1 and deletes the RCO coding. If the claim has not auto-generated a DOC (that is, an abridged claim or if the claim is granted and cancelled in the same activity), create a DOC. If the customer has advised:
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