Assessing the pensioner study load concession for ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) 010-05090010

A student will normally only be eligible for one of the Services Australia administered payments for students if they are studying at least 75% of the accredited full-time study load. However, in certain circumstances they may be paid as a full-time student even though they are studying less than the required minimum 75%. These students are said to be subject to a study load concession. The pensioner study load concession is one such concession.

Not all ABSTUDY PES customers will be entitled to the Pensioner study load concession. Some customers are required to be full-time students in order to qualify for ABSTUDY PES. The following procedure outlines the circumstances in which a customer can qualify for the ABSTUDY PES.

To be eligible for the pensioner study load concession the student needs to be studying more than 25% of the accredited full-time study load and be receiving one of the following payments:

• Carer Payment (CP)
• Disability Support Pension (DSP)
• JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or Youth Allowance (YA) with a Partial Capacity to work
• Parenting Payment Single (PPS)
• JSP or YA Principal carer (single)
• Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Invalidity Service Pension
• DVA Carer Service Pension
• Special Benefit (SpB) - and is a sole parent
• Defence Widow Pension, where the customer has a dependent child under 16 years old
• War Widow Pension, where the customer has a dependent child under 16 years old

Note: customers receiving Partner Service Pension where the partner is in receipt of a DVA Invalidity Service Pension are required to be studying at least 75% of a full-time study load in order to qualify for ABSTUDY PES.