Eligibility for Youth Allowance (YA) (job seeker) 001-04010000

To qualify for a YA (job seeker), a person must:

• be of qualifying age for YA (job seeker)
• meet Australian residence requirements for YA
• be unemployed
• be prepared to negotiate and enter into a Job Plan if required to do so, or comply with, or renegotiate an existing Job Plan
• not be receiving ABSTUDY Living Allowance
• satisfy the requirements of their Job Plan

Customers under 22 years of age and who have not completed Year 12 (or equivalent) or a Certificate III or higher, are identified as Early School Leavers. They are required to undertake approved activities and/or job search in order to qualify for payment of YA.

A person who is regarded as the principal carer of a dependent child may qualify for additional entitlements and/or reduced their mutual obligation requirements in respect of their YA.

Only one member of a couple can be regarded as a principal carer of a dependent child. If care of a child is shared with another person (other than the customer's partner) a determination needs to be made as to who is the principal carer.

A child can be a dependent child of more than one person, but only one person can be a principal carer in respect of a child. This determination may affect the person's qualification for YA as well as their rate of payment.

A non principal carer parent may access the YA (job seeker) 'single/partnered with child' rate if they have shared care of 14% or more of a dependent child.

In general, full-time students are not considered unemployed as they cannot satisfy mutual obligation requirements. Students undertaking full time study should be assessed for Youth Allowance (student).

If a person is assessed as having a partial capacity to work they may qualify for additional entitlements and/or reduced mutual obligation requirements in respect of their YA. See Job seekers with a partial capacity to work or a temporary reduced work capacity.

Customers 21 years of age or under who are temporarily incapacitated for work may qualify for YA with an exemption from their mutual obligation requirements. See Customers claiming JobSeeker Payment (JSP)/Youth Allowance (YA) (Incapacitated).