Completing the ABSTUDY Submission for Away from Base Activity Funding (SY034) 010-02010170

The ABSTUDY Submission for Away from Base Activity Funding (SY034) is to be completed by institutions who wish to apply for funding for a group of students.

The group of students may wish to attend a:

• testing and assessment program
• residential school
• field trip, or
• placement

Note: for advance payments, this form should be lodged six weeks before the activity, for which funding is required.

An individual student who arranges their own testing and assessment with the institution for entry into a mainstream course is not required to lodge an SY034.

The student must provide a letter from the education provider confirming the date and period of the testing activity.

ABSTUDY claims and forms may be lodged in person at the nearest service centre or ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing team, or in remote areas, with a field officer. Claims and forms may also be posted to the nearest service centre or ABSTUDY Smart Centre site. The form should be lodged six weeks before the activity, for which funding is required. Claims will not be accepted outside of 13 weeks prior to the calendar year in which the first course commenced.

ABSTUDY Smart Centre processing has been consolidated across sites nationally. Processing is now undertaken in one of four ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing sites. See Processing arrangements for ABSTUDY claims and enquiries for more information about the responsibilities that each section of Services Australia has when dealing with ABSTUDY related matters.

When assisting customers to complete a form that is used to assess their eligibility for payment, Service Officers must not make any notations, underline or make comments of any sort on a form that is to be signed by a customer and lodged with the department. Instead, any notations or explanations to questions on the form should be made on a separate sheet of paper and attached to the customer's file.

Where an activity involves a group of students, the institution must lodge a submission on behalf of the students. An individual student who arranges their own testing and assessment with the institution for entry into a mainstream course, is not required to lodge a SY034, but must provide a letter from the education provider confirming the date and period of the testing activity.