Eligibility for JobSeeker Payment (JSP) 001-19051556

To qualify for JSP a person must:

• be of qualifying age for JSP
• meet Australian residence requirements for JSP
• not be in receipt of any other social security benefit, social security pension or a Service Pension, Income Support Payment (ISP) or Veteran Payment
• not be receiving ABSTUDY Living Allowance
• be unemployed, or
• unable to look for work due to a medical condition, illness or injury, or
• employed or studying full time and are unable to undertake these due to a medical condition, illness or injury and have a job or study to return to
• be prepared to negotiate and agree to a Job Plan if required, comply with or renegotiate an existing Job Plan
• satisfy the requirements of a Job Plan

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

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 the principal carer for a child. This determination may affect the person's rate of payment as well as their mutual obligation requirements.

A non-principal carer parent may access the JSP 'single 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 the mutual obligation requirements. Students that are willing to cease or modify their studies to accept suitable work if it is offered, may qualify for JSP subject to normal mutual obligation requirements. The customers' individual circumstances should be taken into consideration to determine if the course is structured in a way that would allow the customer to satisfy their mutual obligation requirements. Customers may be eligible if they are a former student in receipt of either Austudy or ABSTUDY and have deferred their study due to illness or injury. For more information, see JobSeeker Payment (JSP) job seekers returning to full-time study.

If a person is assessed as having a partial capacity to work (PCW) they may qualify for additional entitlements or reduced mutual obligation requirements.