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When we pay
You can expect to hear from us within 21 days of claiming Incidentals Allowance.
If you’re starting a new course or Australia Apprenticeship, we’ll pay the allowance when we approve your claim.
If you’re a continuing student or Australian Apprentice, we’ll pay the allowance in late January.
Example of a payment over a 2-year course
In March 2022, Bruce started getting ABSTUDY for an Advanced Diploma of Engineering. He started studying on 1 March 2022 and will finish on 21 April 2023.
In 2022, he got an Incidentals Allowance payment of $655.70 at the start of his course in March. This is because he’s studying for more than 24 weeks in 2022.
In 2023, he'll get an Incidentals Allowance payment of $162.30 before he returns to study. This is because he’s studying for 12 weeks in 2023.
Example of a payment over a 3-year course
In February 2022, Jordan started getting ABSTUDY for a 3-year Bachelor of Arts that ends in December 2024.
In 2022, he got an Incidentals Allowance payment of $655.70 at the start of his course.
In 2023 and 2024, he'll get the maximum amount of Incidentals Allowance at the beginning of each year. This is because his course is longer than one year and longer than 24 weeks in each year.
Example of a payment for more than one course at the same time
In 2022, Debra got 2 payments of Incidentals Allowance because she started 2 approved courses.
In January 2022, Debra started getting ABSTUDY for a Certificate II in Aboriginal Arts. The course takes 20 weeks. She got an Incidentals Allowance payment of $322.60 when her course started.
In February 2022, Debra let us know she was starting a second approved course. This course goes for 15 weeks. She got another Incidentals Allowance payment of $162.30 when her course started in February. This is because you can get Incidentals Allowance for more than one approved course at a time. It was important she let us know about the changes to her study.