The away from home rate for Youth Allowance (YA) customers 001-04040000

The away from home rate is a higher rate of payment available to YA customers who need to live away from home to access study, undertake an Australian Apprenticeship or improve their employment prospects.

Dependent YA customers may receive the away from home rate when they need to live away from home to:

• study full-time
• undertake an Australian Apprenticeship
• undertake approved activities to improve employment prospects, or
• increase employment opportunities (not including full-time students)

Living away from the parental home does not immediately qualify dependent YA customers for the away from home rate. Customers must have an approved reason to live away from home and must actually be living away from the parental home. This means the customer must spend the majority of time away from the parental home.

Independent YA customers will receive the away from home rate when they are:

• living away from the parental home
• single, living with their parents but have previously been a member of a YA couple or have had a dependent YA child, or
• in state care, but not being supported by the state/territory, either by direct payments to themselves or indirect payments to other people or organisations

All other independent customers who live in the parental home receive the at home rate (known as an accommodated independent rate).

Independent customers who are currently a member of a YA couple will receive the member of a couple rate of YA. This rate is equivalent to the away from home rate of YA, regardless of where they live. Independent customers who currently have a dependent child are eligible for the partnered with child or single with child rate of payment. See Rates of Youth Allowance (YA).

Generally, independent customers who live in the parental home are accommodated independents. These customers will receive the at home rate of YA, unless they are exempt from the accommodated independent status. See Returning to the parental home when independent or qualified for the away from home (AFH) rate of Youth Allowance (YA).

Customers who are exempt from the accommodated independent status are entitled to a higher rate of YA. The higher rate is determined by the independent reason coded on the Independent/Homeless/Away From Home Details (NIH) screen.

A higher away from home rate also applies to YA customers who are long-term income support students. This means customers who:

• are 22 years and older when they commence their approved course or Australian Apprenticeship
• have received income support payments for at least 26 weeks out of the last 39 weeks, and
• are approved to live away from home

Customers who are in unsupported State care are eligible for the unsupported State care rate of YA, which is equivalent to the away from home rate. See Assessing independence when a customer is in State care.

To determine if the customer has an approved reason to live away from the parental home, consider the following reasons:

• excessive travelling time
• parents move frequently
• parental home is isolated
• parental home inadequate for study or undertaking job search activities
• customer disabled and parental home isolated from required special facilities
• parents move out of area
• equivalent activity not available locally
• compulsory residence at educational institution
• tertiary student studying overseas
• improved employment prospects

During the COVID-19 pandemic, some students were required to leave their campus term accommodation. Many students also transitioned to online study, as face-to-face teaching was unavailable.

Students who were receiving the away from home (AFH) rate, and temporarily transitioned to online learning as a result of COVID-19, remain eligible for the AFH rate. To continue to be eligible for the AFH rate tertiary students must return to face-to-face study as soon as it becomes available.

Where a student had to move out of education provider accommodation (such as on campus) and are, or were temporarily staying with their parents, they will remain eligible for the AFH rate providing they:

• remain enrolled in their course of study, and
• intend to return to their campus accommodation as soon as the education provider allows them to return

In this case, the change in accommodation should be assessed as temporary. See Returning to the parental home when independent or qualified for the away from home (AFH) rate of Youth Allowance (YA).

The following customers do not qualify for the away from home rate:

• Dependent YA customers living in the parental home
• Dependent YA customers who choose to live away from the parental home for an unapproved reason
• Independent YA customers who are considered to be an accommodated independent
• State care customers who receive support from their state/territory

Generally, secondary students who go overseas as exchange students are not eligible for YA. This is because the overseas course would not be an approved course. Family Tax Benefit (FTB) may be payable for these students.