Assessing and finalising claims for the Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) 010-21032424

For a student to be eligible for the TAP, they must meet all of the following:

• their family home is in an inner regional, outer regional or remote area as per the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). See the Resources page for a link to the ASGS
• they are moving to study at a tertiary education provider that’s at least 90 minutes away from their family home location by public transport
• they have completed year 12 or equivalent
• be studying a tertiary course at certificate IV or above in the 12 months immediately after completing year 12 or equivalent study
• be undertaking at least 75% of a full-time study load, or an approved 66% concessional study load in a TAP approved tertiary course (Certificate IV and above)
• be studying a course with a duration of at least one academic year
• be studying on campus or via blended delivery. Customers who have moved to live near and study at a Regional University Study Hub qualify for the TAP even if their course is online only. See the Resources for a link to Regional University Study Hubs
• be 22 years of age or younger on the day they start their tertiary course
• be an Australian resident, see Residence assessment for customers claiming Youth Allowance (YA) and Tertiary Access Payment (TAP)
• their parent(s)/guardian(s)' combined income is below $250,000

In special circumstances, the following exemptions may apply to the eligibility criteria:

• only the first successful attempt at Year 12 or equivalent level is accepted
• the student must start tertiary studies within 12 months immediately following completion of their first successful attempt of Year 12

When determining whether a student has started study or lodged a claim for the TAP within an appropriate timeframe, disregard any Year 12 equivalent courses that the student completed as part of, or in conjunction with their secondary studies. For example, HSC pathways, where a VET course is undertaken at the same time as Year 11 or Year 12 secondary studies.

A student does not need to be in receipt of another Social Security Payment to qualify for TAP, nor does another Social Security payment preclude them from TAP. They can qualify for both a Social Security Payment, including the Relocation Scholarship (RS), and TAP.

See the Resources page for examples of the eligibility criteria and for assistance in Determining if course is one year in duration for the TAP.

Students must apply for the TAP in the calendar year they start their tertiary course. The calendar year is from 1 January to 31 December, inclusive. See Tertiary Access Payment (TAP).

To assess claims submitted outside the application period, the student must:

• have been unable to submit a claim in the calendar year due to special circumstances beyond their control (they may need to provide evidence), and
• contact Services Australia within 14 days after the closing date (31 December of the year immediately following completion of year 12 or equivalent), and
• lodge their TAP claim within 13 weeks from the day they contact Services Australia

There are 2 payment types for students. If their family home address is classified as:

• outer regional, remote or very remote, they will receive a payment of $5,000, paid in 2 instalments:
• The first is paid in the first half of their study year
• The second is paid in either September of the same year they started studying or March in the following year if they started studying in the second half of the year
• inner regional, they will receive a one-off payment of $3,000 in the first half of their study year

Before students are paid they may need to confirm their enrolment, see Completing Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) online reviews

The TAP is subject to a Parental Income Test (PIT), and the parent(s)'/guardian(s) combined income must be less than $250,000, for the relevant tax year.

For the purposes of the TAP, the parent(s)/guardian(s) is:

• the natural, adoptive or relationship parent(s) of the student, if the student normally lives with them
• the parent and step-parent, if the student normally lives with them
• the person they are dependent on if the student does not normally live with their parent(s) and they are wholly or substantially dependent on someone other than a parent
• the parent they last lived with if the student does not normally live with parent(s) and they are divorced or separated. If that parent has gained a new partner, the step parent's income is not taken into account
• the adoptive parent if the student has a parent under traditional Torres Strait Islander adoption, the birth/natural parent is no longer the parent
• the parent they last lived with if none of the above applies. If that parent has gained a new partner, step parent's income is not taken into account

In shared custody situations, including parents separated under one roof, use the parent with primary care responsibility. In 50/50 shared care situations the student can nominate which parent’s income they want to use.

Generally the relevant tax year is the base tax year, however the current tax year income may be used, where an increase or decrease from the base tax year has occurred.

Parental income (base or current year) must be verified for the TAP to be paid, see documents accepted as evidence of parental income.

Apply the current tax year where combined parental income decreases substantially in the current tax year, and:

• the decrease is likely to last for at least two years from the later of 1 January of the current tax year, or the date of the decrease, or
• the first TAP assessment date is from 1 October to 31 December and there is an increase in the combined parental income for the current tax year that exceeds 25% of the base tax year income and 25% of Parental Income Free Area (PIFA). The Parental Income Free Area (PIFA) for TAP is the same as for Youth Allowance. See Rates and Thresholds for the current Youth Allowance PIT free area

TAP students are exempt from providing their parent(s)/guardian(s) income details to claim the TAP in the following circumstances:

• has (or has had) a dependent child
• is an orphan
• parents are unable to exercise parental responsibilities, for example, parents are in prison or a nursing home
• cannot live at home because it is unreasonable to live at home (UTLAH)
• is a refugee
• is in State Care
• Special Adult Status in a traditional community (indigenous only)
• currently have care of another person's child
• 16 years or older, living in an Indigenous community after previously living with a non-indigenous family for more than 2 years (indigenous only)
• are 18 years or over and have been in lawful custody for 6 months

If a student is assessed as independent under a different reason for their income support payment, the parent(s)/guardian(s) income is still required for the TAP claim, unless they also meet one of the above criteria.

To be eligible for the TAP the student must have moved away from the family home, and the family home must be located in an area that is:

• inner regional
• outer regional
• remote, or
• very remote

The location of the family home is assessed using the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS). See the Resources page for a link to the ASGS.

The following 4 'Other Territories' are defined in the ASGS as a 'Very Remote area' for family home location:

• Cocos (Keeling) Islands
• Christmas Island
• Jervis Bay
• Norfolk Island

Assessing the TAP family home address depends on whether the student needs to supply their parental income, or if they are exempt from doing so.

For students who are not exempt from providing their parent(s)/guardian(s)' income, the family home:

• is/was the address where the student's parent(s)/guardian(s) live on the day they started their course, and
• continues to be the family home up to the first TAP assessment date

For students who are exempt from providing their parent(s)/guardian(s) income the family home is the place where they resided 6 months before commencing the approved tertiary course.

To meet the relocation eligibility criteria, customers must:

• be studying face to face, or in dual delivery method or be a registered student at a Regional University Study Hub, see Resources for a link to Regional University Study Hubs, and
• be studying at an education provider including a Regional University Study Hub, which is at least 90 minutes travel time from the TAP family home by public transport. This includes walking time and waiting times between different modes of transport or legs of a journey

Students meet the relocation eligibility as long as they relocate any time in the year immediately after completing Year 12. They must relocate before they complete their first year of study in their course. For example, a student who starts their course in Semester 1 and does not relocate until Semester 2, may be eligible for the TAP if they move before the end of Semester 2. See Resources for more examples.

Students must start their tertiary studies within 12 months after completing their first successful attempt at Year 12 or equivalent to be eligible for the TAP.

Providing all other eligibility criteria is met, a student will be eligible for the TAP if they:

• complete a non-TAP approved course in Semester 1 and enrol in a TAP approved course in Semester 2, or
• do not study in Semester 1 and enrol in a TAP approved course in Semester 2, or
• stop studying or defer their course (as long as they were enrolled on their first or second assessment date and provide evidence of their enrolment)

The tertiary course must be:

• a nationally accredited Certificate IV level course or above,
• at least one academic year in duration or longer (See the Resources page for Determining if course is one year in duration for TAP table), and
• at a full-time study load of at least 75% or an approved 66% concessional study load over a 12 month period
• be approved for the TAP even it is not approved for Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY

Check the National Course Approvals sub-site:

• to ensure the course is approved for the TAP
• for a directory of education providers, and
• for information about the courses they provide

If the National Course Approvals sub-site lists both the education provider and the course as:

• approved and the normal full-time course duration is one academic year or longer, the course is approved for the TAP
• not approved or the education provider and/or course is not listed, create a referral to a Course Assessment and Liaison Officer. See Referrals to Course Assessment and Liaison Officers (CALOs)

Students who are undertaking an approved concessional study load of at least 66% may be eligible for the TAP. See Assessing concessional study loads for Youth Allowance (YA) or Assessing the two-thirds study load concession for ABSTUDY).

In all other circumstances, the student must be undertaking study of at least 75% of the full-time study load over a 12 month period to be eligible for TAP.

If a student chooses to aggregate their study load, they will only meet the study requirements for the TAP if the:

• student is able to enrol over the entire aggregation period at the start of the period and they enrol full time in the first study period (0.500 EFTSL)
• study load over the aggregation period is 75% (or concessional percentage) of the normal full-time study load, and
• shorter periods that make up the aggregation period are consecutive

Only accept aggregation of study if the student is enrolled full-time in their first semester and part-time in their second. For example, a student must be full-time 0.500 Equivalent Full-time Student Load (EFTSL) in semester 1 and part-time 0.250 Equivalent Full-time Student Load (EFTSL) in semester 2 to meet aggregation requirements.

After lodging a claim, and before receiving the first instalment, the student needs to confirm if there has been a change in their:

• course, study load, duration, or education provider
• parental information, including changes to parental income or circumstances (partnered/separated)
• address details, including:
• address while studying
• returning to the family home
• family home location

After receiving the first instalment and before the second instalment, the student only needs to advise if study information changes.

A student can update their study and address details online through their Centrelink online account via myGov.

Updating parental information, requires completing a SY105 - Tertiary Access Payment parent(s)/guardian(s) details form. The SY105 form is part of the SY104 form and is not available as a stand-alone form. Print the SY105 section of the SY104 to issue to customers. The SY104 is available within Online Forms on the Intranet. See the Resources page for a link.

Parental income already verified for another income support payment, can be accepted for TAP. If the parental income is available on the FAO Income Previous year (FIPY) screen the customer does not need to provide Notice of Assessment (NOA) for their parent(s)/guardian(s).

A MOD JY - Parent(s)/Guardian(s) details form, provided by the customer for another payment can also be used for TAP, however this form should not be issued to a TAP customer as it collects additional information irrelevant to the TAP payment.