Creating a Q021 letter for customers claiming Fares Allowance (FAA) 010-21120902

FAA claim rejection reason

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3 month rule

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Use if the customer is not receiving YA, Austudy or PES as a tertiary student for the 3 months before making the return journey.

Copy and paste:

to be eligible for the return journey you must, before MAKING the journey,

be receiving the qualifying payment as a tertiary student for a period of 3

months. Your payment commenced on XX/XX/20XX, therefore a return journey

that commenced prior to receiving payment as a tertiary student for a

period of 3 months (XX/XX/20XX) is not eligible for reimbursement via Fares

Allowance. This is outlined on page 2 of the Notes section of the Fares

Allowance claim form.

3 month rule, return journey already taken and paid

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Use if the customer is:

• receiving a qualifying payment for 3 months or more in an academic year
• is eligible to receive one return journey between their education provider and their permanent home each academic year, and
• has already claimed and been approved for the travel

Copy and paste:

the qualification criteria for Fares Allowance are contained in Section

1061ZAAB of the Social Security Act 1991. One of the requirements is a

student who has been in receipt of a qualifying payment for 3 months or

more in an academic year, is eligible to receive one return journey between

their education provider and their permanent home each academic year.

As you have already received payment for travel undertaken on XX/XX/XXXX

and XX/XX/XXXX you are not entitled to a further return journey this

academic year.

Independent – Not eligible

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Use if the customer is not eligible because they are independent. There are 2 options.

Option 1: Independent due to age

Use when the customer is granted Away From Home (AFH) rate as a dependent person and they turn 22 in the academic year.

For example, the customer is paid at the start of year 2020, mid-year 2020, end of year 2020, then rejected at the start of year 2021. The template gives an explanation to the customer advising:

• the reason they were paid in 2020 is because they were dependent in the academic year, and
• there is no day in the 2021 year they are deemed dependent and qualified for the FAA trip

Copy and paste:

the qualification criteria for Fares Allowance are contained in Section

1061ZAAA of the Social Security Act 1991. One of the requirements

(Section 1061ZAAA(1) Subsection (4)) is that the customer to not be

independent when the journey was made. You were independent due to age

from XX/XX/XXXX. The 'relevant period', according to SSA 1991 is 'the

whole or a part of a study year the person undertakes an approved tertiary

course'. As you were independent for the whole of the academic year for

20XX, you are not eligible for Fares Allowance.

Option 2: Single Independent

Use when the customer is granted because they are:

• 22 or more years old, or
• granted when under 22 but only ever paid at the independent rate

Copy and paste:

single independent students without dependent children are generally not

eligible for Fares Allowance, except for external students undertaking a

compulsory on campus component of their course. This is because your

permanent home is considered to be wherever you are living at the time.

Other than for short periods, you cannot be considered to be living away

from your permanent home.

Private Transport Claimed – Public Transport Reimbursement

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Use when the customer is claiming for private transport, but public transport was available.

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you have travelled via private transport. As per Section 1061ZAAK of

the Social Security Act 1991, if a person chooses to travel by private

vehicle when public transport is available, they will only be reimbursed

the cost of the least expensive public transport fare. If using a taxi

or private car which is paid based on a per km rate, this type of

vehicle will only be reimbursed if there is no public transport available.

Fares Allowance is primarily about providing reimbursement for the

travel of the student, not their belongings. Therefore you are being

reimbursed the cheapest form of practicable public transport.

Airfare reimbursement – reasonable fare

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Use if the customer has booked a flight one day before travel. This is not deemed as reasonable because booking flights this close is generally at a higher rate than those booked at an earlier date.

Copy and paste:

as per Section 1061ZAAJ of the Social Security Act 1991, the amount of

Fares Allowance reimbursed is the cost of making the journey using a

reasonable route and the least expensive form of public transport. You

have booked your flights one day prior to departure. This is not deemed

as reasonable, so the reimbursement has been calculated using the

average of the lowest economy flight including one piece of luggage over a

5 day period, commencing 7 days after the date the claim is processed,

and this is the amount reimbursed.

Airfare not including add-ons

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Use if the customer is claiming a reimbursement for airfare, where:

• it is the cheapest form of public transport
• the customer has purchased what are considered to be add-ons

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Excess luggage over one piece, Insurance, Seat Fee, Carbon Offset and Star

Kids are considered to be add-ons and are not reimbursed via Fares

Allowance. You have not been reimbursed for these additional items if

claimed.

Return journey – outside study period

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Use if the customer is claiming a return journey outside the study period.

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as per Section 1061 ZAAB (c) of the Social Security Act 1991, the dates

claimed are outside the period of the course, and therefore not eligible

for the return journey claimed.

Did not provide a tax invoice or itinerary

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Use if the customer did not provide a tax invoice or itinerary for the travel claimed.

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you have not provided sufficient evidence of your travel for your Fares

Allowance claim. Please provide your Itineraries and Tax Invoices for

any flights undertaken (original as well as adjustment/changes invoice,

if required) as these will show the costs of all components of the flight

(baggage, insurance etc.). Only certain items can be reimbursed under

Fares Allowance. Once provided, your claim can be reassessed.