Eligibility for Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Boarding Allowance (BBA/ABA) 010-03040010

There are two boarding allowances:

• Basic Boarding Allowance (BBA), and
• Additional Boarding Allowance (ABA)

Basic Boarding Allowance (BBA)

To be eligible for BBA, the student:

• and applicant must both met general AIC eligibility criteria
• must live away from the family home in an approved boarding arrangement during the school term
• must not be receiving a pension
• must not have been formally placed in full-time residential care at a special institution by a state or territory authority that provides a foster care allowance (or a similar allowance intended for the upkeep of the student) to the organisation that operates that institution

Additional Boarding Allowance (ABA)

To be eligible for ABA, the student:

• must qualify for BBA
• must have boarding costs that exceed the BBA rate, and
• must either:
• be exempt from the Parental Income Test (PIT), or
• the PIT does not reduce the ABA rate to Nil

See the Process page to determine a student's eligibility for each allowance.

AIC Boarding Allowances (BA) are automatically calculated and paid as part of a customer's new claim for AIC.

To claim AIC, applicants can submit a Claim for Assistance for Isolated Children (SY040) form.

See Claiming Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC).

Boarding Allowance (BBA/ABA) rates are based on the number of nights the student is boarding. For students boarding:

• full-time - at least 4 nights per week, the maximum rate is payable
• part-time - 3 nights or less per week, the rate is based on the number of nights boarding per week. For example, if a student is boarding 3 nights per week, 3/7 of the maximum rate is payable
• short-term - the rate is based on the actual period boarding

Additional Boarding Allowance (ABA) rate is calculated using a combination of the Parental Income Test (PIT) and the amount of actual boarding charges being paid.

For the maximum rates of each allowance, see Rates and Thresholds index.

AIC Boarding Allowances (BA) are not taxable, and entitlement is not affected by study load.

Payment method varies, depending on whether the student is:

• Boarding at school, hostel or other institution - payments are made by Term instalments, and paid in advance
• Boarding privately - payments are made fortnightly in arrears
• Short-term boarders - payments are made by lump sum, either at:
• the start of the boarding period, if known, or
• after the boarding period ends