Youth allowance

If you’re a student and looking for financial assistance, then Services Australia is here to help.

We deliver payments to students and Australian Apprentices who are studying or training.

Some of these are regular payments and take care of day-to-day costs. Others are paid less often and help with specific costs.

There are three main payments for students: Youth Allowance, Austudy and ABSTUDY.

These 3 payments are paid regularly while you’re studying or training.

So which one is right for you?

If you’re under 25 years, Youth Allowance is for you. If you’re 25 years or older, then look into Austudy.

For these payments, you generally need to be studying full time.

If you’re studying part time you may need to look at payments for job seekers, like JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance as a job seeker.

These have different eligibility requirements, with more emphasis on finding work.

Another student payment is ABSTUDY. You should consider this if you’re an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australian.

Unlike the others, ABSTUDY is available even if you’re studying part time.

Once you’re on one of these three payments, there are additional payments you might be able to get.

These include the Student Start-up Loan, the Relocation Scholarship, Fares Allowance and Rent Assistance. Plus, we’ll send you a Health Care Card.

If you’re on ABSTUDY, your extra payments may also include: Incidentals Allowance, School Fees Allowance, Residential Costs Option and others.

And if you’re not eligible for any student payment, but you’re on a low income, you could be eligible for a Low Income Health Care Card.

To explore payment options based on your situation, go to Payment and Service Finder available at servicesaustralia.gov.au/students.

You can also ask general questions on Facebook or Twitter.