Calculating the start day for Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and ABSTUDY PES 106-05010100

Is the customer transferring from PES to ABSTUDY PES or ABSTUDY PES to PES?

• Yes, the start date will be DPT+1. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 2

A full year course for:

• PES, goes for more than 30 weeks, including vacations. The study load is not a factor when determining if a course is a full year course for PES
• ABSTUDY PES, goes for 30 weeks or more when studied full-time, including vacations

Full year courses start on or after:

• 1 January and before 1 April, or
• 1 July and before 1 August

A late starting course is a full year course that starts outside these dates.

A short course for:

• PES, goes for 30 weeks or less, including vacations. The study load is not a factor when determining if a course is a short course for PES
• ABSTUDY PES, goes for less than 30 weeks when studied full-time, including vacations

For information on short courses, see Approved short courses and student payment eligibility.

Is the customer studying a:

• short course, go to Step 3
• full year course or articulated short course, go to Table 2
• late starting course, go to Table 3

Is the customer claiming PES or ABSTUDY PES?

• PES, go to Step 9
• ABSTUDY PES, go to Step 4

Customers may not be required to lodge a new claim to meet the closing date if:

• they are claiming ABSTUDY PES and received ABSTUDY in the past. These claims follow the same lodgement rules as all ABSTUDY claims. See Claiming ABSTUDY
• they already receive ABSTUDY (including Incidentals and part-time students) and now want to claim ABSTUDY PES. As the customer has already applied for ABSTUDY, they are only deemed to be changing allowances under the ABSTUDY Scheme. The only information required to complete the transfer from ABY to EPA (ABSTUDY PES) is normally available on their qualifying payment record, and the original ABSTUDY claim can be used as the ABSTUDY PES lodgement date when determining the correct ABSTUDY PES start date. See Claiming ABSTUDY

Is the customer required to lodge a new claim?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No,
• for customers already in receipt of ABSTUDY wanting to claim ABSTUDY PES, see Assessing ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) claims.
• for customers who can be restored, including where the record needs restored via a new claim activity (re-grant) due to system limitations, see Restoration of Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and ABSTUDY PES.

The closing date to receive full entitlement from the earliest eligible date for short courses is 4 weeks from the date of qualification.

If the PES claim is lodged outside 4 weeks of the date of qualification, the start date will be the date the claim was lodged.

In all cases, PES claims must be lodged prior to the student discontinuing study.

Has the customer lodged their claim within 4 weeks from the date of qualification?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, the start date will be the date the claim was lodged. Procedure ends here.

Is the student returning to a full-time or concessional study-load study after a break?

• Yes, and the break was:
• less than or equal to one semester (including students returning to study after a semester/holiday break), go to Step 8
• greater than one semester, go to Step 7
• No, the start date will be:
• the course start date, or
• the date they start study if this is beyond the third Friday of the term/semester (unless this was due to circumstances beyond their control). Procedure ends here

Did the student have a break of more than one semester because of circumstances beyond their control?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, the start date will be:
• the course start date, or
• the date they start study if this is beyond the third Friday of the term/semester (unless this was due to circumstances beyond their control). Procedure ends here

If the student starts full-time study in the:

• first semester between 1 January and 31 March and starts by the third Friday, their start date will be 1 January. Procedure ends here
• second semester between 1 July and 31 July and starts by the third Friday, their start date will be 1 July. Procedure ends here
• outside the above dates, the start date will be:
• the course start date, or
• the date they start study if this is beyond the third Friday of the term/semester (unless this was due to circumstances beyond their control). Procedure ends here

If a student was receiving ABSTUDY PES just before the vacation period, see Specific coding requirements for paying ABSTUDY students over a vacation break.

Did the student study the same short course in the previous study period?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, go to Step 11

Was the student unable to complete the short course because of circumstances beyond their control?

• Yes, the PES customer is a 'continuing student' if they are re-enrolling in the same short course. This does not include short course to a new short course. They will be undertaking study as a student between the previous course and the same short course because a continuing student remains qualified from the end of the previous study period. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 11

• If the PES customer lodges the claim form within 4 weeks of the date of qualification, the start day will be the date of qualification - usually the date the student started the course
• If the PES claim is lodged outside 4 weeks of the date of qualification, the start date will be the date the claim was lodged

Note: different processes apply for customers in vulnerable circumstances.

Procedure ends here.

If the customer is claiming:

• PES, go to Step 7
• ABSTUDY PES, go to Step 2

Customers may not be required to lodge a new claim to meet the closing date if:

• they are claiming ABSTUDY PES and received ABSTUDY in the past. These claims follow the same lodgement rules as all ABSTUDY claims. See Claiming ABSTUDY
• they already receive ABSTUDY (including Incidentals and part-time students) and now want to claim ABSTUDY PES. As the customer has already applied for ABSTUDY, they are only deemed to be changing allowances under the ABSTUDY Scheme. The only information required to complete the transfer from ABY to EPA (ABSTUDY PES) is normally available on their qualifying payment record, and the original ABSTUDY claim can be used as the ABSTUDY PES lodgement date when determining the correct ABSTUDY PES start date. See Claiming ABSTUDY

Is the customer required to lodge a new claim?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No,
• for customers already in receipt of ABSTUDY wanting to claim ABSTUDY PES, see Assessing ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) claims.
• for customers who can be restored, including where the record needs restored via a new claim activity (re-grant) due to system limitations, see Restoration of Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and ABSTUDY PES.

The closing dates to receive full entitlement from the earliest eligible date for full year courses are:

• 31 March for a full year course starting between 1 January and 31 March
• 31 July for a full year course starting between 1 July and 31 July

In all cases, PES claims must be lodged prior to the student discontinuing study.

Note: ABSTUDY secondary students will be eligible to have their ABSTUDY PES backdated to 1 January if they qualify and start by the third Friday in Term 1.

Was their claim lodged before the relevant closing date?

• Yes, go to step 4
• No, the start date will be the date the claim was lodged. Procedure ends here

Is the student resuming full-time or concessional study-load study after a break?

• Yes, and the break was:
• less than or equal to one semester (including students resuming study after a semester/holiday break), go to Step 6
• greater than one semester, go to Step 5
• No, the start date will be:
• the course start date, or
• the date they start study if this is beyond the third Friday of the term/semester (unless this was due to circumstances beyond their control). Procedure ends here

Did the student have a break of more than one semester due to circumstances beyond their control?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, the start date will be:
• the course start date, or
• the date they start study if this is beyond the third Friday of the term/semester (unless this was due to circumstances beyond their control). Procedure ends here

If the student is starting full-time study in the:

• first semester between 1 January and 31 March and starts by the third Friday, their start date will be 1 January
• second semester between 1 July and 31 July and starts by the third Friday, their start date will be 1 July

If a student was receiving ABSTUDY PES just before the vacation period, see Specific coding requirements for paying ABSTUDY students over a vacation break.

Procedure ends here.

A PES student studying a full year course would be eligible for payment from 1 January or 1 July (depending on the study period they start their course in) if they:

• lodge their PES claim by 31 March or 31 July in the year of study (depending on the study period they start their course), and
• had a break from study of one semester or less (breaks of up to 12 months can be allowed where the break is due to circumstances beyond their control), and
• start study within the first 2 weeks of the term/semester (unless this was due to circumstances beyond their control)

To determine the start day, if the customer lodged their PES claim by:

• 31 March and their course starts between 1 January and 31 March go to Step 8
• 31 July for a full year course starting between 1 July and 31 July go to Step 8
• Outside the above dates, go to Step 12

Has the customer had a break between approved courses of study that took place in the past 12 months?

• Yes, and the break was for:
• more than one semester, go to Step 9
• one semester or less, including where they were enrolled and undertook at least one day of study in the previous semester, go to Step 11
• No, go to Step 11

Was the break in study because of illness or other circumstances beyond the control of the student?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, the start date for PES will either be:
• the start date of the course, or
• the date they start full-time study if they start late, (such as after the Friday of the second week of the study period) unless they started late because of circumstances beyond their control
• Procedure ends here

The PES customer is an 'intending student'.

This also applies if they are moving between courses including from a short course into a full year course.

They will be considered to have been undertaking full time Study as a student between the previous course and the full year course.

The start date of PES will depend on when the student enrols, or intends to enrol, in the full year course. This could be from 1 January, 1 July or an earlier date. For students who were enrolled and undertook at least one day of study in the previous semester, the start date would be the day after they were unable to continue the previous course due to circumstances beyond their control.

Go to Step 11.

The start date of study for the PES student is:

• 1 January for full year course starting on or after 1 January but before 1 April
• 1 July for full year courses starting on or after 1 July but before 1 August

For payment to be backdated, the student must start study in the course by the Friday of the second week of classes for PES, unless they were unable to due to circumstances beyond their control, in which case they should be treated the same as those who did start study within the first 2 weeks.

If the student starts after the Friday of the second week of class and it was not due to circumstances beyond their control, the start date is the date they started studying.

Procedure ends here.

If the claim is lodged outside 4 weeks of starting study, the start date is the date the claim is lodged.

Note: different processes apply for customers in vulnerable circumstances.

Procedure ends here.

Is the customer claiming PES or ABSTUDY PES?

• PES, go to Step 5
• ABSTUDY PES, go to Step 2

Is the customer restarting study within 28 days or resuming study after a vacation?

• Yes, customer remains entitled to ABSTUDY PES over the break. The coding is the same for both scenarios, see Specific coding requirements for paying ABSTUDY students over a vacation break
• No, go to Step 3

Customers may not be required to lodge a new claim to meet the closing date if:

• they are claiming ABSTUDY PES and received ABSTUDY in the past. These claims follow the same lodgement rules as all ABSTUDY claims. See Claiming ABSTUDY
• they already receive ABSTUDY (including Incidentals and part-time students) and now want to claim ABSTUDY PES. As the customer has already applied for ABSTUDY, they are only deemed to be changing allowances under the ABSTUDY Scheme. The only information required to complete the transfer from ABY to EPA (ABSTUDY PES) is normally available on their qualifying payment record, and the original ABSTUDY claim can be used as the ABSTUDY PES lodgement date when determining the correct ABSTUDY PES start date. See Claiming ABSTUDY

Is the customer required to lodge a new claim?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No,
• for customers already in receipt of ABSTUDY wanting to claim ABSTUDY PES, see Assessing ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) claims.
• for customers who can be restored, including where the record needs restored via a new claim activity (re-grant) due to system limitations, see Restoration of Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and ABSTUDY PES.

The closing date to receive full entitlement from the earliest eligible date for short courses is 4 weeks from the date of qualification.

If the PES claim is lodged outside 4 weeks of the date of qualification, the start date will be the date the claim was lodged.

In all cases, PES claims must be lodged prior to the student discontinuing study.

Was their claim lodged before the relevant closing date?

• Yes, the start date will be:
• the course start date, or
• the date they start study if this is beyond the third Friday of the term/semester (unless this was due to circumstances beyond their control). Procedure ends here
• No, the start date will be the date the claim was lodged. Procedure ends here

• If the student lodges the claim form within 4 weeks of the date of qualification, the start day will be the date of qualification - usually the date the student started the course
• If the student lodges a claim for a late starting course and it is not lodged within 4 weeks of the date the course starts, the start date will be the date the claim was lodged

Note: different processes apply for customers in vulnerable circumstances.

Procedure ends here.