Verification of Independence categories for ABSTUDY (ABY) for Payment Accuracy Reviews (PAR) 110-14040050

Customers who do not qualify under any of the Independent criteria may need a Parent(s)/Guardian(s) details - for the BASE tax year and CURRENT tax year for dependent Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY customers form (MOD JY) where parental income information is not already available on the customer's record.

A MOD JY is not required if the customer is exempt from the Parental Income Test (PIT). See: Parental Income Test (PIT).

Customers, who are currently assessed as independent at the time of selection for Payment Accuracy Reviews, do not need to re-verify their circumstances, as long as nothing has changed.

If the customer’s circumstances have changed or if the customer is being assessed for the first time, verification may be required.

The non-reviewable independence categories include:

• 22 years of age or older
• PCH - has or previously had a dependent child
• PBM - currently or previously married or in a registered relationship
• PSS, PSC - worked at least 30 hours a week for a total of 18 months within a 2 year period
• PSG, PGC - been out of secondary school for at least 14 months, and worked and earned in a 14 month period, 75% or more of Wage Level A of the National Training Wage schedule included in a modern award
• PFA, PFC - working full-time or registered as unemployed for at least 3 of the past 4 years
• PSP, PPC - worked continuously for at least 15 hours a week for at least 2 years since they last left secondary school
• PAW (discontinued from 2 March 2023) - earned at least $15,000 gross income in approved agricultural work anytime between 30 November 2020 and 31 December 2021 for customers who claimed under this criteria from 1 March 2021 to 1 March 2023
• POR - orphan and 15 years of age or older
• 15 years of age or over and has adult status in a traditional community
• 18 years of age or over and previously been in lawful custody for a total of at least 6 months

The reviewable Independence categories include:

• PPG - parents cannot care for customer
• PCC - caring for another person's dependent child
• be of school leaving age in the particular state or territory or at least 16 years of age, and meet the unreasonable to live at home criteria
• PDS - de facto relationship for at least 6 months
• PAC - 16 years of age or over and was adopted or fostered by a non-Indigenous family for more than 2 years and now lives in an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community