Calculating the commencement date of away from home rate for ABSTUDY 010-02060010

The commencement date for the Away from Home rate is determined by whether the customer is an Australian Apprentice, is undertaking a tertiary or secondary non-schooling level course, or is a secondary school student.

The Away from Home rate is not payable before the customer is eligible for Living Allowance in a year, however a customer may be approved for Living Allowance at the standard rate before approval of the Away from Home rate.

To determine the last day of eligibility for the Away from Home rate, see Cessation of the ABSTUDY Away from Home rate.

A secondary school student is entitled to the Away from Home rate from 1 January, provided the student starts study at the education provider by the third Friday of the school year. If the student does not start by the third Friday of the school year, and there are no circumstances beyond the student's control, the Away from Home rate is payable from the date the student starts living away from the permanent home.

There are separate rules for a secondary school student boarding at a school, an approved ABSTUDY Homestay arrangement, or hostel which is a signatory to the ABSTUDY hostels agreement, and whose payments are delivered as ABSTUDY boarding instalments. A student is entitled to the Away from Home rate from the first day of the term entitlement period for the term in which the student starts living away from home, provided the student starts study at the education provider by the third Friday of the term. If the student does not start by the third Friday of term, the Away from Home rate is payable from the date the student starts living away from the permanent home.

Note: some schools may have term dates that differ from the standard state-based term dates. This should be taken into account when calculating the third Friday.

A tertiary or secondary non-schooling level student, or an Australian Apprentice is normally entitled to payment of the Away from Home rate from the later of:

• the date they move out of the permanent home
• the date they start the course or start working as an Australian Apprentice

Secondary non-school students, tertiary students or Australian Apprentices who start living away from the permanent home before the first day of study or work can be entitled to the Away from Home rate from the date they start living away from home. They must demonstrate a reasonable need to live away from home before the first day of study or work.

Reasons may include:

• to establish a residence
• take up a lease, or
• purchase necessary items for the course or work

Where a secondary non-school student, tertiary student or Australian Apprentice cannot demonstrate a reasonable need to start living away from home before the first day of study or work, the Away from Home rate starts from the first day of study or work.

A tertiary or secondary non-schooling level student or Australian Apprentice who starts living away from the permanent home after the first day of study or work is normally entitled to the Away from Home rate from the date they start living away from home. If the customer has circumstances that prevent them from living away from home earlier, and they incurred accommodation costs, they are entitled to the Away from Home rate from the later of:

• the first day of the course or work
• the date the customer began incurring accommodation costs

The Service Officer determines whether the reason and period the customer starts living away from home before the course start date or first day of work is reasonable, or if there are circumstances beyond their control that contribute to them living away from home after the first day of the course or work. A customer may be required to provide documentary evidence to support their claim.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, which occurred in Australia from March 2020, some boarding providers closed and others had reduced capacity due to social distancing requirements within the board facility. Additionally, some students were unable to return to their board arrangements. Students impacted by COVID-19 in Terms 2, 3 or 4 of 2020, or Terms 3 or 4 of 2021 or Term 1 or 2 of 2022, may continue to be entitled to the Away from Home rate.

Continuing students

Students remain entitled to the Away from Home rate in Terms 2, 3 and 4 of 2020 or Terms 3 or 4 of 2021 or Term 1 or 2 of 2022 if:

• they were approved for boarding entitlements in the term immediately prior,
• their board provider held a boarding place for them,
• the student intended to return to board as soon as possible, and
• the school/board provider continued to support the student study remotely using other methods, such as online

Continuing students who changed board providers

Entitlement to the Away from Home rate for continuing students commenced with a new board provider in Term 2, 3 or 4 of 2020 and Term 3 or 4 of 2021 or Term 1 or 2 of 2022 was dependant on their study mode and enrolment or acceptance date.

Continuing students who have changed board providers before the first day of the relevant term, remain eligible for the Away from Home rate where:

• they were approved for boarding entitlements in the term immediately prior to the impacted term
• their board provider holds a boarding place for them in the impacted term
• the student intends to return to board as soon as possible, and
• the school/board provider continues to support the student study remotely using other methods, such as online

Students who changed board providers after the first day of the relevant term, were only eligible once they were physically present at the new boarding provider.

There is no change for students who continued to board and study in person.

New Claims

For ABSTUDY boarding claims granted from 1 April 2020, a student is entitled to the Away from Home rate in Term 2 of 2020 if they:

• accepted to board before the end of Term 1 and study either in person or online during Term 2, or
• accepted to board after the start of Term 2 and physically attend at the boarding provider during Term 2

For new ABSTUDY boarding claims, a student will only qualify for the Away from Home rate in Term 3 or 4 of 2021 or Term 1 or 2 of 2022, if the student's enrolment was finalised before the first day of the relevant term and:

• the student satisfies eligibility criteria for Away From Home entitlements
• the student remains enrolled/registered for the same boarding arrangement during the relevant term
• their board provider held a boarding place for them
• the student intended to commence the boarding arrangements as soon as possible
• the school/board provider continued to support the student study remotely using other methods, such as online

Where students with new claims were entitled to the Away from Home rate, claims should be assessed as per Processing an ABSTUDY claim.

For all other ABSTUDY boarding claims, a student will only qualify for the Away from Home rate once the students physically attends the boarding provider.

There was no change for students who continued to board and study in person.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, which occurred in Australia from March 2020, some students were required to leave their on campus term accommodation. Many students also transitioned to online study, as face-to-face teaching was unavailable.

Students who were receiving the Away from Home rate, and temporarily transitioned to online learning as a result of COVID-19, remained eligible for the Away from Home rate. Tertiary students must return to face-to-face study as soon as it becomes available to continue to be eligible for the Away from Home rate.

Students who had to move out of education provider accommodation (such as on campus) and are, or were temporarily staying with their parents, remain eligible for the Away from Home rate providing they:

• remain enrolled in their course of study, and
• intend to return to their campus accommodation as soon as the education provider allows them to return

This includes students who:

• had their accommodation arrangement cancelled by the education provider and moved their belongings out of that accommodation
• were approved for the Residential Cost Option (RCO)

Note: the Away from Home rate of ABSTUDY Living Allowance can be paid for any period that the education provider does not charge a residential fee, rather than the reduced rate of Living Allowance.