ABSTUDY Additional Assistance 010-02050130

The customer must:

• meet the eligibility criteria for ABSTUDY Living Allowance, and
• incur a financial cost of study/training which has caused the customer or the customer's family hardship which payment of ABSTUDY entitlement is not enough

Students who meet Independence criteria, Unreasonable to Live At Home (UTLAH), or other criteria for students without parental support, or disadvantaged students, may be eligible for Additional Assistance where ABSTUDY entitlements are paid direct to a board provider. ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Rent Assistance, and in some cases Remote Area Allowance, are paid via ABSTUDY boarding instalment directly to the board provider (boarding school or school term hostel). These entitlements normally cover the period 1 January to 31 December of the study year. Therefore, students may have no access to financial support during school vacations as would normally be provided by parent(s)/guardian(s) or other family members.

ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing Services will identify boarding students who meet the Independence criteria for students without parental support or are disadvantaged.

Eligibility for Additional Assistance (Emergency)

In the event of an emergency or disaster, a student or an Australian Apprentice may be eligible for Additional Assistance if they:

• qualify for Away from Home, or Away from Base entitlements, and
• their participation in, or access to, education or training is adversely impacted, either directly or indirectly, by an emergency or disaster

Additional Assistance (non-student dependents)

Additional Assistance paid as Fares Allowance may be approved where approved supervisor, family member, community member or Away from Base student travellers require a non-student dependent to accompany them on their travel journey.

For eligibility assessment, see Non-student travellers for ABSTUDY.

Exclusions for Additional Assistance

Additional Assistance is not to be granted to subsidise the general living costs of a family. It is expected that the Additional Assistance provision will be used sparingly.

Customers can lodge a claim verbally.

When lodging a claim due to emergency or disaster, it is acceptable for the claim to be lodged by the:

• Student/Apprentice
• Education Provider
• Residential Facility
• Parent/Guardian

The rate payable will be set at whichever is the lesser of that amount required to:

• meet the cost of the particular factor associated with the student's study programme or Australian Apprentice's training which has contributed to the financial difficulties; or
• overcome the hardship, i.e. address the imbalance between income and essential expenditure

Additional Assistance may be provided in the form of:

• a regular supplement to an allowance the customer is entitled to (taxable), or
• a once only payment which will overcome the hardship (non-taxable)