Youth Disability Supplement (YDS) 008-03070030
This document outlines YDS and who is eligible to receive this payment.
Customers eligible for YDS
YDS is an income supplement paid to young people with a disability recognising additional costs associated with having a physical, intellectual or psychiatric disability.
YDS is added to the basic payment rate for customers:
- under 21 years of age who receive Disability Support Pension (DSP) at the no dependent children rate
- under 22 years of age, assessed as having a partial capacity to work, and receiving one of the following payments:
- ABSTUDY (students and Australian Apprentices receiving Living Allowance)
- Youth Allowance (YA) including full-time students, Australian Apprentices or job seekers
Rate of payment
The rate of YDS is adjusted annually on 1 January in line with Consumer Price Index (CPI) increases.
The amount of:
- DSP payable to a customer under 21 years of age cannot be more than the amount payable to a customer aged 21 years or older
- Youth Allowance (YA) and ABSTUDY payable to a customer under 22 years of age cannot be more than the amount payable to a JobSeeker Payment (JSP) customer aged 22 years or older
For YA and ABSTUDY, this means YDS may not be payable, or may be payable at a reduced rate.
YDS is paid fortnightly.
YDS will not be paid during periods where the customer is in an employment income nil rate period.
YDS is a non-taxable payment when paid with DSP.
Information about the rate of YDS is available on Services Australia website. See the Resources page for a link.
Partial capacity to work
Youth Allowance (YA) and ABSTUDY customers with a partial capacity to work (PCW) may be paid Youth Disability Supplement (YDS). This is determined by an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) or Job Capacity Assessment (JCA). Full-time students can be eligible for YDS and may require an ESAt to determine if they have a partial capacity to work.
The customer's partial capacity to work may be reviewed if they are working consistently above their assessed work capacity.
The Resources page contains a link to the online estimators and YDS pages on the Services Australia website.
Related links
Job Capacity Assessment (JCA) referral
Request an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt)
Identifying people with a partial capacity to work