Claiming ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) PES 010-05010000

Item

Description

Page 1

Filling in this form

Interpreter information

Student's need for an interpreter. This may include an interpreter for people who have a hearing or speech impairment or speak a language other than English.

Australian Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander

For ABSTUDY purposes, an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is someone who:

• is of Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent, and
• identifies themselves as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, and
• is accepted as such by the community in which they live, or have previously lived

Normally, the declaration on the claim form will suffice as evidence of Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander status, however where doubt exists, the customer will need to provide evidence. For more information, see Aboriginality or Torres Strait Islander status for ABSTUDY.

Australian Citizen

Customers must be an Australian citizen to qualify for ABSTUDY. Proof of citizenship is only required for customers:

• born overseas, and
• who have not provided this proof to Centrelink

See Residence requirements for ABSTUDY.

The Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period (NARWP) does not apply to ABSTUDY.

Other Commonwealth government assistance

A customer is generally not eligible for ABSTUDY if they receive other government assistance to study or complete an Australian Apprenticeship.

See Not qualified for ABSTUDY if receiving other assistance to study or as an Australian Apprentice.

Youth Allowance (YA) and JobSeeker Payment (JSP) customers studying part-time can receive ABSTUDY part-time entitlements.

Part A

Personal details

Identity Confirmation

ABSTUDY customers are subject to Identity Confirmation and may need to confirm their identity when supplying ABSTUDY forms.

See Additional procedures exclusive to ABSTUDY apply in some circumstances.

Date of birth (DOB)

The customer must supply their DOB.

Contact details

The claimant is required to provide the following details in full:

• permanent, postal & semester/term address
• contact and phone details

Part B

Payment details

The customer is required to provide the details of the bank account their ABSTUDY PES payment is to be paid into. This would be a personal bank account for the claimant.

Part C

Study details

Course details and Proof of enrolment (POE)

Full details of the institution and course is required. Students claiming ABSTUDY must provide acceptable proof of enrolment within 14 days of commencing study. School students, or a student undertaking a Higher Education course at university, do not need to provide proof of enrolment.

See Proof of enrolment in a course of study.

Studying by distance education or correspondence

Students must provide proof of their study load if they participate in a full-time course that does not have an attendance requirement. This includes:

• distance education
• mixed mode, or
• competency based training

Proof of study load may include a timetable that outlines the:

• due dates of assignments, and
• modules that must be completed

Note: students enrolled in full-time courses that attract Student Contribution, do not need to provide evidence of study load.

Study load concessions

For ABSTUDY, a student is considered to be a full-time student if they are:

• a secondary or college student studying what the school considers a full-time study load
• a tertiary or secondary not at school student, (for example, studying year 11 at a TAFE college) who is enrolled in and undertaking at least 75% of the accredited full-time study load
• qualified for a study load concession. For more information on study load concessions, see Study and training requirements for ABSTUDY

Students who are unable to identify their study load should provide a full list of their subjects.

Limits on assistance for certificate courses

ABSTUDY is payable for a total of 4 years study in any combination of courses including:

Statement of Attainment

Certificate Level 1, or

Certificate Level 2

Study undertaken at either of these levels during the previous 10 years is considered when calculating the limit of assistance.

Limits on assistance for undergraduate Bachelor Degrees

ABSTUDY is usually payable for one undergraduate Bachelor degree. This includes Honours, Masters qualifying year/s, combined degrees and/or prerequisite studies.

Reasonable time to complete a course

Where a student is undertaking a course of study, students are allowed a reasonable time to complete their course.

They can seek approval of up to one extra year if they have been impeded by:

• physical, psychiatric or intellectual disability or
• other circumstances beyond their control, and
• the education provider recommends that the student continues the course, and
• indicates that the student is expected to complete the course in this year

Secondary student unable to provide school details

A secondary boarding facility may need to conduct an interview or selection exercise before accepting a student. A claim can be accepted without study details where the claimant is waiting on confirmation from the school they can attend. If this is the case, the customer must tell the agency of their study details as soon as possible.

Startup Year Course

Students undertaking a Startup Year course, to be eligible for ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement must

• provide evidence they are enrolled in the course, and
• have been selected for a STARTUP-HELP loan by their higher education provider

See Startup Year Courses for more information.

Part D

Student circumstances

Living away from home

Students living away from the permanent home need to provide details of the address where they will be living during the course semesters.

Tell the student that these details are important in relation to their eligibility for Fares Allowance (FAA).

Dependent children travelling with customer

If the student has dependent children travelling with them, they must attach the relevant details.

Residential Costs Option for students who are undertaking an approved course at university

ABSTUDY PES students who undertake an approved course at university, can elect for ABSTUDY to pay their residential costs if they are approved for Away from Home entitlement, such as FAA. See Payment of Residential Costs Option (RCO) for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES).

Part E

Information on this claim

This section looks at authority to enquire.

Permission to enquire

Customers can give permission for another person or organisation to make enquiries on their behalf.

Customers can change this at any time.

If the customer wants to appoint a correspondence or payment nominee, issue an Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf (SS313) form. The Resources page has a link to the SS313.

See Nominees.

Part F

Checklist

Documents required

This section provides a list of documents the customer may need to supply. This relates to how the customer answered each question.

Part H

Declaration

If the customer is returning the form via their online account, the declaration does not need to be completed.

Customers (or nominees) must accept the declaration for their claim to be accepted when returning the form:

• by post, or
• in person

If the customer:

• is dependent and under 16 years old, the parent/guardian must sign the declaration. The student does not need to sign
• is 16 years or over, the claimant (and partner, where applicable) must sign the declaration
• is claiming Schooling A, the applicant/s must sign the declaration. The student does not need to sign

Note: in certain circumstances, only one parent/guardian signature is necessary to assess a student's entitlement.