Rate chart for maximum payment of Youth Allowance (YA) 010-06040010

A person's rate of YA is calculated individually taking into account their personal and family circumstances. The starting point for this calculation is the maximum payment amount applicable to a person depending on:

• their age
• whether they are living at home or away from home for an approved reason
• whether they are in supported State care or unsupported State care
• whether they are partnered
• whether they have dependent children

The following is a list of additional circumstances that can affect the payment rate of YA:

• Parental Means Test, this includes the:
• parental income test
• maintenance income test
• change in circumstances of dependent siblings when the customer is dependent on their parent(s)/guardian(s)
• personal income test
• Student Income Bank
• Australian Apprentice Income Bank
• Working Credit
• partner income test
• whether a customer was receiving another long-term income support payment for 26 out of the previous 39 weeks
• whether a student’s first language is not English and they are undertaking an approved course in English (as a second language)
• whether job seekers receiving YA are subject to financial penalty for failing to meet a compulsory requirement

Youth Disability Supplement (YDS) is available to:

• Disability Support Pension (DSP) customers under 21 years of age, or
• YA and ABSTUDY customers under 22 years of age and who have been assessed by an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) as having a partial capacity to work (PCW) of less than 30 hours per week

The current rates for YA can be found on Rates and Thresholds under Youth Allowance (YA) - rates (incl. special Rate and YDS).