Claiming Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) 010-05020000

Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) is a supplementary payment that is paid in addition to the customer's regular income support payment.

Students claiming PES should:

• submit an online claim for Pensioner Education Supplement, or
• submit a verbal claim via Assisted Customer Claim (ACC), or
• complete the paper Claim for Pensioner Education Supplement (SY004) form

Students claiming PES within 52 weeks of last receiving PES can use the form, Information required for continuation of PES (SY075) form, as an abridged claim.

To be eligible for PES, students must be receiving a qualifying income support payment that attracts PES. Receipt of the qualifying income support payment must be verified before the PES assessment may proceed. Customers must also satisfy basic qualifications in respect of minimum age, residency requirements, and be undertaking or intend to undertake qualifying study.

For PES, students must be Australian citizens or permanent residents. Waiting periods apply to newly arrived residents, including New Zealand citizens.

PES is not income or assets tested and is non-taxable or indexed. PES is paid at a flat rate of either $31.20 or $62.40 per fortnight depending on the percentage of full-time study being undertaken, the type of qualifying payment and other circumstances.

See Assessing eligibility for 25% concessional study load for Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) for information about the particular qualifying payments and other circumstances that allow students undertaking 25 per cent or more of the full-time study load for the course to receive PES (25% concessional study load students).

Note: the closing dates for PES differ to other benefits administered by Services Australia.

Indigenous students can choose whether to apply for PES or ABSTUDY PES. Care should be exercised in offering customers a choice between the two schemes, as there are differences in additional payments available.

• Education Entry Payment (EdEP) for PES recipients
• Incidentals Allowance for ABSTUDY PES recipients
• Additional Incidentals Allowance for ABSTUDY PES recipients
• Away from Base Assistance for ABSTUDY PES recipients
• Residential Cost Option for ABSTUDY PES recipients

There are also differences in the duration of assistance payable between PES and ABSTUDY PES based on the amount of previous tertiary study undertaken, whether it was full-time or not and whether the student has a disability or not. The individual student's circumstances should be considered and sufficient information provided to the customer to ensure they can make an informed decision.

ABSTUDY PES customers are entitled to transfer between ABSTUDY PES and PES in order to receive the Education Entry Payment (EdEP). Customers who choose this option are able to transfer back to ABSTUDY PES (without the need to lodge a claim. See Claiming ABSTUDY for guidance on when claims are required) once the EdEP payment has been made to maximise their entitlement to the additional payments available as part of ABSTUDY PES.