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Payment to under 18 year old customers for Youth Allowance (YA) 103-04010040

For staff in service centres and Student Network only.

This document outlines circumstances where Youth Allowance customers under the age of 18 can have payments made directly to them.

Youth Allowance payments to under 18 year old customers

Step	Action
1	Independent status + Read more ... Is the customer receiving the Youth Allowance (YA) as an independent person? Note: check customer's independent status on the Independent/Homeless/Away From Home Details (NIH) screen. Yes, go to Step 2 No, go to Step 3
2	Payment Destination + Read more ... If independent, the payment should already be directed to the customer's own bank account, If the payment is not already going to the customer, update on the Payment Destination Summary (PAS) screen. Procedure ends here.
3	YA can be paid directly to the dependent 16 or 17 year old customer in certain circumstances + Read more ... If the young person is: not benefiting from the allowance because the parent(s) are using it for other purposes an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander who has been ceremonially admitted as an adult member of their community, or parents: Leave Australia temporarily and the young person cannot access YA payments Choose to have YA paid to the young person and authorises the change in writing. The parent does not have to explain their decision, or Where the parent has requested payments be made to their under 18 year old child, they can also request payments revert back to their own account - no explanation or reason is needed Does the customer meet the exemption guidelines to allow payments to be directed to them? Yes, go to Step 5 No, go to Step 4
4	YA customer does not meet exemption guidelines + Read more ... Advise customer that they do not meet guidelines and that their payments will continue to be directed to their parent/s until such time as: they meet one of the criteria within the guidelines they turn 18 years of age, or they become independent Note: parents can direct the payment be paid to the YA recipient or paid to a joint account to which both the parent/s and the YA recipient have access. Record decision and discussion with customer on a DOC. Procedure ends here.
5	YA customer meets the exemption guidelines + Read more ... Advise customer they will need to attend a service centre to make a statement of their circumstances and to provide verification where available/applicable. If the customer's parent/s are authorising payment to go to the young person, the statement should be provided by the parent. If the parent is not present at the interview, contact the parent by phone to confirm the new payment arrangement. If the customer is not able to attend a service centre (e.g. remoteness/distance, attending school), they can provide their personal statement (or statement from parents) via Upload documents service, or by mail. If a document provided by the customer’s parent is lodged, confirm any new payment arrangements by phone before changing the payment destination.
6	YA interview to change payment destination + Read more ... At the interview complete the following tasks: take a statement of the customer's or parent's reasons for wanting the payment made to the young person if the parent has provided a statement, and the parent is not present, contact the parent by phone to confirm the payment arrangement advised in the statement make a decision about where the payment will be directed and advise customer of outcome do any necessary updates on the Payment Destination Summary (PAS) screen and record decision on a DOC depending on the customer's reason why they want the payment made directly to them, a referral to a social worker may need to be considered