Effect of end of course on payments for students 102-07020030

Youth Allowance (YA) (Student), Austudy, and Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) customers may update their details online to notify of a change to their:

• course end date
• study discontinuation
• study load, or
• other study details

This notification option is not available to Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) customers (usually the parent/guardian is the applicant for the student).

The record will either generate a DOC or create a Change of Circumstances interaction if there is a change to the student's participation status or student end date that is:

• more than 28 days after the current recorded student end date, or
• more than 28 days before the current recorded student end date, or
• a date before the date of the actual online update

A Service Officer must complete the follow up action.

If an update to a student end date is made within 28 days of the current student end date, and that date is not a date before the date of the actual online update, this will be automatically processed.

The options for the customer when their student end date is reached are:

• start another course of study in the next available study period for which they may continue to receive a student payment, or
• advise an intention to study in the next study period, or
• apply for payment for another reason (for example, as a job seeker), or
• stop receiving income support payments altogether

When a student advises that their current course has ended (or is about to end), the Service Officer must follow the correct procedures to make sure an appropriate outcome for the customer.

For Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) and Pensioner Education Supplement (PES), when the course and student end date for AIC students is the end of the study year, they remain eligible (and payments are normally made) until 31 December. PES students who complete a full year course (ending after 15 September) will be eligible to be paid until 31 December.

For Austudy (AUS) and Youth Allowance (Student) (YAL-STU), if the customer is 22 years of age or older on their student end date with no Study Details Manual Follow-ups (MFUs) recorded, they are offered a streamlined JobSeeker Payment (JSP) claim option 28 days before their student end date. This is available in the 'Confirm course end date' task presented on their Centrelink online account home screen. See Student to job seeker transfers.

When Service Officers are making study updates, consideration should be given to whether the customer can be considered a continuing/intending student. This determination may influence whether their student payment can continue between study periods. The rules for continuing/intending students vary between different student payments.

If a Youth Allowance (YA) student stops full-time study, they must notify the agency and register as a job seeker within 14 days in order to receive backdating of JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or YA (Job seeker), if they are eligible. Failure to notify cessation of study within 14 days will result in cancellation of YA from the student end date + 1 day. Payment of YA (Job seeker)/JSP may only start from the date the claim was submitted.

A debt may be generated for students who fail to notify cessation of studies.

If the customer has unused SIB credits, these credits can be transferred to Working Credits, including where there is a gap in entitlement of up to 12 months.

If the customer is already receiving Youth Allowance (YA) (Student) and they start an Australian Apprenticeship, up to 1000 unused SIB credits can be transferred to their Australian Apprentice Income Bank, where there has been no gap in entitlement.

For more information, see Personal Income Test and Income Bank for ABSTUDY, Austudy and Youth Allowance (YA) students and Australian Apprentices.