Independence for ABSTUDY customers 010-02040000

An ABSTUDY student or Australian Apprentice can be dependent or independent. Independence status can affect eligibility and/or rate of ABSTUDY. Students and Australian Apprentices aged 22 years and over are automatically considered independent. For ABSTUDY purposes, the term 'independent' means they are exempt from the Parental Means Test.

Independent students or Australian Apprentices are subject to the personal income and assets tests, and if partnered, the partner income and assets tests.

There are 2 types of independent status:

• permanent independent status
• reviewable independent status

To check a student’s eligibility for independence, see Assessing independence for ABSTUDY customers.

Permanent independent status for ABSTUDY is granted on the basis of a criteria that cannot change. Students or Australian Apprentices granted permanent independent status remain independent for ABSTUDY.

To meet the criteria for permanent independent status, the student or Australian Apprentice must:

• meet the age criteria
• be currently or previously married or in a registered relationship
• have or have had a dependent child
• meet certain workforce criteria
• have been in lawful custody for a cumulative period of 6 months or more
• be an orphan
• be 15 years of age or older and have Special Adult Status in a traditional community

Reviewable independent status is granted on the basis of a criteria that can change. Students or Australian Apprentices no longer remain independent if their circumstances change and they cease to meet the conditions for which they were approved.

To meet the criteria of reviewable independence status, the student or Australian Apprentice must:

• be above the age of consent in their state or territory, and living in a de facto relationship of at least 6 months in duration
• currently have the care or custody of another person's dependent child
• be 15 years of age or over and have parent(s) who cannot exercise parental responsibilities
• be of school leaving age in the particular state or territory or at least 16 years of age, and meet the unreasonable to live at home criteria
• be 16 years of age or over and living in an Indigenous community after previously being adopted or fostered by a non-Indigenous family for more than 2 years

Students and Australian Apprentices often consider themselves to be independent because they do not receive any support from or have not lived with a parent or carer for a period of time. For ABSTUDY purposes these circumstances alone do not determine if a student or Australian Apprentice qualifies for independent status.

If a student or Australian Apprentice does not meet the requirements of any of the independence criteria, they will be assessed as dependent and subject to the Parental Means Test.

Students and Australian Apprentices who live away from home and do not meet the ABSTUDY Independence criteria may be eligible for the Away from home rate of ABSTUDY.

Note: there is no category of independence based solely on a student or Australian Apprentice being, or having been, in state care. Instead, an ABSTUDY student or Australian Apprentice in this circumstance applying for ABSTUDY may be considered independent under ABSTUDY unreasonable to live at home (UTLAH).