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ABSTUDY Living Allowance 010-02070080

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Determining the Payee for Living Allowance

Table 1

Student or apprentice details

Payee

The student or Australian Apprentice (apprentice) is in one or more of the following categories:

  • studying at a secondary non-school, tertiary or Masters and Doctorate level
  • undertaking an Australian Apprenticeship
  • 18 years old or over
  • has independent status

Payee is the student or apprentice.

The student is 16-17 years old and a secondary school student and has dependent status.

Payee is one of the following:

  • parent/guardian
  • boarding school
  • boarding hostel which is signatory to an ABSTUDY Hostels Agreement
  • private board provider, if requested by the parent/guardian
  • student, if requested by the parent/guardian
  • student, if the student is not benefiting from the allowance because the parent/guardian uses it for other purposes, for example, gambling, alcohol

The student is under 16 years old and a secondary school student and has dependent status.

Payee is one of the following:

  • parent/guardian
  • boarding school
  • private board provider, if requested by the parent
  • boarding hostel which is a signatory AN ABSTUDY Hostels Agreement

Circumstances to consider when paying Living Allowance

Table 2

Item

Description

1

Payee where student boarding at a hostel that is not an ABSTUDY Hostels Agreement

Where the student is boarding at a hostel that is not a signatory to the Standard Hostels Agreement or the Bilateral Management Agreement, the student is not eligible for Living Allowance, and the hostel is not eligible to receive payments on behalf of the student.

See ABSTUDY Hostel Agreements.

2

Payee for an ABSTUDY boarding instalment of Living Allowance

Where Living Allowance is being paid as an ABSTUDY boarding instalment, payments must be made direct to the boarding school or hostel. See Payment of away from home rate for ABSTUDY.

3

Payee for Residential Costs Option

Where a student has opted for the Residential Cost Option, payments of residential costs are to be made direct to the residential college or hostel. For fortnightly Living Allowance payments made under the Residential Costs Option, see provisions in Determining the Payee for Living Allowance table.

See Payment of Residential Costs Option (RCO) for ABSTUDY and ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES).

4

Customers in State Care

Students/Australian Apprentices (apprentice) who are in State Care receive their allowances direct unless they are a student who is boarding at a school or hostel that is a signatory to an ABSTUDY Hostels Agreement. The carer does not receive payments on the customer's behalf; however, the authority may request payment be made direct to the carer or a person nominated by the customer if:

  • the relevant government authority or an organisation approved by that authority believes payment of allowances direct to younger students/ apprentices could jeopardise the customer-carer relationship, or
  • it is determined the student/ apprentice is unable to manage his/her own finances (for example, a customer in a special school)

In these cases, the request must be included in the documentation from the welfare department. Payment directions (that is, name and bank account) must be included in the relevant section of the ABSTUDY claim form.