To get Youth Allowance as a student or an Australian Apprentice you must be one of the following:
- 18 to 24 and studying full time
- 16 to 24 and doing a full time Australian Apprenticeship
- 16 to 17 and independent or needing to live away from home to study
- 16 to 17, studying full time and have completed year 12 or equivalent.
You must also do all of the following:
- meet Australian residence rules
- satisfy income and assets tests
- be doing an approved course or full time Australian Apprenticeship.
You may stay on Youth Allowance after you turn 25 until you finish your course or apprenticeship.
You normally can’t get Youth Allowance if you’re studying full time in secondary school and under 18. You will only qualify for it if you meet one of the following criteria. You:
- are eligible for the away from home rate of Youth Allowance
- meet the independence criteria for Youth Allowance
- got Youth Allowance before starting a full time secondary course and transferred straight from Youth Allowance for job seekers to Youth Allowance for students.
You can use our Payment Finder to help check if you’re eligible.
You may not be eligible if you get certain payments from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). Read more about getting a Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) payment.
If you’re 21 or younger and looking for full time work, read more about Youth Allowance for job seekers.