How do I qualify for Youth Allowance?

If you are under 24 you may be eligible to apply for Youth Allowance. Though it dependis on what type of allowance you can receive.

What is Youth Allowance?

Youth Allowance is a payment designed for under 24-year old’s. They can either be looking for work or in full time study.

How do you qualify for youth allowance?

Apart from being under 24, youth allowance eligibility will require you to be enrolled in full time study, or be doing a full-time apprenticeship or looking for full time work.
Alternatively, if you are between the age of 16 and 17 you may also be eligible, if you must live away from home to do your studies.

The difference between being a dependent and an independent

Depending on whether you are in independent or dependent will have an impact on how much you are eligible to receive with Centrelink.

If you are over the age of 22 you are automatically considered an independent. So, if you are under the age of 22 you are considered a dependent. However, in some circumstances you can be considered an independent if you support yourself doing at least 30 hours per week for at least 18 months over any given 2-year period.

If you are a dependent qualifying for Youth Allowance will depend on how much your parents earn. The amount you can receive will determined after doing a parental means test.

How does residency impact Youth Allowance?

You must be an Australian resident to receive Youth Allowance. However, new residents must wait at least 104 before they can receive Youth Allowance.

What if you are living away from home?

If you are a dependent living away from your parent’s home, you may be eligible to receive a higher rate.

What courses and institutions are approved to receive Youth Allowance?

These refer to any Vocational Education Courses (VET) that have VET Student Loans (VSL), as well as any Higher Education Loan Programs (HELP) including HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, OS-HELP and SA-HELP.

What about distance study?

You can still get youth allowance if you are doing distance study, you just need to make sure you are meeting the study load requirements. It means you need to be doing full time study. Though institutions will vary in terms of what is considered full-time study or not.

Tips on how to make the most of your Youth Allowance

Receiving youth allowance can come in very handy when it comes to helping you getting by when either studying or looking for full time work. Here is how you can make the most of your youth allowance when you have it.

Budget

having a plan of how you are going to spend your money will prevent you from overspending and leaving you short on the important things, but you could always consider getting a cash advance if you are short on any important expenses

Prepare your own lunches

whether it’s for university, training or work. It’s always a much better idea to better idea to prepare your own lunches. This is because it saves you time and you can make yourself healthier meals than you would otherwise be able to buy.

Save some

if you can afford it, try and same some of your youth allowance. Even if it’s just a little bit, having some money to put aside is always a good idea. There are always unexpected costs that jump out of the blue so it’s a good idea to be as prepared as possible for those things. Putting a little bit aside will help you to pay for these unexpected things when they occur.

Report your income

if you are earning any income while receiving youth allowance it is important that you report this to Centrelink. It’s important to be honest about what you earn because there can be serious consequences if you are found to be earning more than you are reporting. It is considered income fraud. Though, if you report every 2 weeks on the day you are supposed to report, you will have no problem receiving your benefits. You can normally do this online or through the Centrelink mobile plus app.

Use your youth allowance to your full advantage

the youth allowance is there to assist you on your study journey. Use it wisely so that it will help you to achieve your full potential in terms of your career.