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

Is the customer approved for the Away from Home rate for their study or work?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, the Away from Home rate is not payable. Procedure ends here

Is the customer an Australian Apprentice or undertaking a tertiary or secondary non-schooling level course?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, see Step 3 in Table 2

Customer is an Australian Apprentice or is undertaking a tertiary or secondary non-schooling level course.

A customer is normally entitled to the Away from Home rate from the date they start living away from the permanent home to study or work.

It is expected that the customer starts living away from the permanent home from the first day of study or work.

Has the customer advised they have started, or will start living away from home on a date other than the first day of study or work?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, see Step 10 in Table 2

A customer who moves away from the permanent home to start study or work on a day other than the first day of study or work, is normally entitled from the date they start living away from home.

If the customer has, or will move away from the permanent home to start study or work on a day:

• before the first day of the course or work, see Step 2 in Table 2
• after the first day of the course or work, go to Step 5

The Away from Home rate is normally payable from the date the customer moves.

If the customer has circumstances beyond their control that prevents them from moving earlier, the Away from Home rate may be payable from the first day of the course or work.

Circumstances beyond the customer's control are those that are unavoidable or unintentional and prevent the customer moving away from home by the first day of the course or work. Such circumstances can include:

• illness or injury of the customer or an immediate family member
• death of a close relative or friend
• difficult home circumstances
• participation in cultural ceremonies
• weather conditions

See the Resources page for scenarios to assist with determining what is reasonable.

Does the customer have circumstances beyond their control that prevent them from moving away from the permanent home until after the first day of the course or work?

• Yes, see Step 1 in Table 2
• No, see Step 5 in Table 2

If the customer has circumstances beyond their control that prevent them from moving earlier, and they have incurred accommodation costs at the study or work location for a period after the first day of the course or work, the Away from Home rate is payable from the later of:

• the first day of the course or work, or
• the date the customer began incurring accommodation costs at the away from home residence

The customer must provide details of the circumstances beyond their control that prevented them from moving out of the permanent home at an earlier date. A Service Officer may request documentary evidence of the circumstances beyond the customer's control where they deem it is necessary.

The customer must provide evidence of accommodation costs and the date the costs commenced. This evidence may be a lease agreement or rental/board statement.

Record a DOC on the customer's record.

Go to Step 10.

The Away from Home rate can be paid from an earlier date only where it is determined that the day the customer moved out of the permanent home is reasonable for the purpose of commencing study or work.

Examples of why it is reasonable to move out of the permanent home earlier than the first day of the course or work for related purposes include:

• to travel to the study or work location
• to establish a residence at the study or work location
• to enrol and purchase necessary books or equipment
• to purchase necessary tools and work uniforms prior to starting work
• to undertake a compulsory orientation program
• settling family into a new location (e.g. a new school)

To determine whether the date the customer moved away from the permanent home is reasonable, consider what would be a normal and acceptable time frame to undertake the activity.

For example, it would not be reasonable to move away from the permanent home 2 months prior to the course commencement to allow time to buy the books and stationery necessary for the course. It may be necessary to move 3 weeks prior to the course or work commencement date to find and establish private rental accommodation. See the Resources page for examples of what is reasonable.

The customer must provide the date and reason they moved out of the permanent home. A Service Officer may request documentary evidence of the reason for the early move out of the permanent home, where they deem it is necessary. Evidence may include a lease agreement or travel documentation.

Is the date the customer moved out of the permanent home reasonable?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, go to Step 8

A secondary school student is entitled to the Away from Home rate from 01 January, provided the student has started 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, 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, in an approved ABSTUDY Homestay arrangement, or a hostel which is a signatory to the ABSTUDY hostels agreement, and whose payments are delivered as ABSTUDY boarding instalments.

Note: some schools may have term dates that differ from the standard state-based term dates. Take this into account when calculating the third Friday.

Is the student boarding at a school, an approved ABSTUDY Homestay arrangement or hostel which is a signatory to the ABSTUDY hostel agreement?

• Yes, and they:
• start before the third Friday in the relevant term, go to Step 4
• start after the third Friday in the relevant term, go to Step 5
• No, and they:
• start before the third Friday in the school year, go to Step 6
• start after the third Friday in the school year, go to Step 7

The start date of the Away from Home rate is the first day of the term entitlement period of the term the student starts living away from home.

See the Resources page for scenarios of entitlement start date for students starting in various school terms.

Go to Step 11

The first date of eligibility for the Away from Home rate is the date the student moved out of the permanent home to start the course of study.

If a student's late start was due to circumstances beyond their control, they are entitled to Living Allowance from the first day of the term entitlement period.

Students who start late due to COVID-19, must confirm how they are impacted. For example, one of the following:

• a letter/verbal confirmation from a board provider or advice on a website confirming reduced capacity at a boarding place
• medical practitioner confirming health related impacts, such as an autoimmune disorder
• relevant state/territory education department websites confirming school closures
• relevant state/territory websites confirming travel restrictions

See the Resources page for scenarios of entitlement start date for students starting in various school terms.

Go to Step 11

The start date of the Away from Home rate is 1 January in the year the student commences studies before the third Friday in the school year.

Go to Step 11

The first date of eligibility for the Away from Home rate is the date the student moved out of the permanent home to start the course of study.

If a student's late start was due to circumstances beyond their control:

• they are entitled to Living Allowance from 01 January
• they must provide evidence to confirm other impacts which can include (but is not limited to) the following:
• Medical Certificate
• Statement from independent 3rd party
• Letter/verbal confirmation from school or board provider
• relevant state/territory websites confirming natural disaster

Go to Step 11

The customer is eligible for the Away from Home rate from the first day of the course or work.

Note: a customer who applies for the Away from Home rate from a date earlier than the first day of the course or work, should be approved for the Away from Home rate from the first day of the course or work, until the assessment from an earlier date is finalised.

The customer is eligible for the Away from Home rate from the date the customer moved.

The start date of the Away from Home rate cannot be before the start date of eligibility for ABSTUDY Living Allowance. The first date of eligibility for the Away from Home rate can only be the same or later than the first date of eligibility to Living Allowance.

Before coding the Away from Home rate on the customer's record, see Calculating the start date for ABSTUDY to determine the start date for ABSTUDY Living Allowance.

To code the Away from Home rate on the customer's record for:

• Tertiary students, see Coding away from home rate for ABSTUDY Tertiary Students
• Secondary students, coding will depend on their circumstances, see
• Travelling time and access between the permanent home and the education provider or employment location make daily travel impossible or unreasonable
• Home conditions are a serious impediment to educational progress
• Special course requirements
• Limited local school facilities do not offer a full school program
• Student with a disability requires specialist education or facilities
• Itinerant family prevents regular access to education
• Student has been excluded from all local schools
• Student is experiencing racial discrimination at the local education provider
• It would be unreasonable to break a student's continuity of study at a school
• Student is in receipt of an independent school scholarship from a qualifying school