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Students can usually first get ABSTUDY when they start high school. Primary school students may also be eligible if they’re 14 or older on 1 January in the year of study.
Who this is for
This information is for the parents and guardians of students who live at home.
If you’re a student, read more about the support you can get when you’re doing high school study.
What help is available
Watch this video to learn how ABSTUDY can help school students living at home.
What you can get will depend on your child’s age and circumstances. Some payments also depend on your income.
To help with school fees, we pay ABSTUDY School Term Allowance. We pay this at the start of each school term, up to 4 times a year. We also pay ABSTUDY School Fees Allowance at home rate directly to your child’s school or you each year.
If your child can’t attend a local government school, they may attend a local fee-paying school. We may pay a higher rate of ABSTUDY School Fees Allowance to help.
You can get these ABSTUDY payments at the same time as getting Family Tax Benefit, until your child turns 16.
When your child turns 16
From the age of 16, your child may get a fortnightly payment of ABSTUDY Living Allowance. This payment helps with living costs. Their payment rate will depend on you and your child’s income.
If your child is 18 or older on 1 January in the year of study, they may also get ABSTUDY Incidentals Allowance. This is paid once a year to help buy study materials.
How to get started
Before starting an ABSTUDY claim, you can read more about each payment. You won’t need to claim each ABSTUDY payment separately. When you claim one payment, we’ll work out what else you can get.
If your child is 15 or younger, call the ABSTUDY line to claim. You can call from October in the year before your child starts high school.
If your child is 16 or older, they need to call the ABSTUDY line to claim themselves.