When organising an overnight away from base activity you should arrange a reasonably priced residential expenses package. This is where you package the travel, accommodation and meal costs with service providers for multiple students to save money.
We work out reasonable costs when you claim. If you organise accommodation, meals or travel costs that are more expensive, we might not cover the full activity costs.
Which accommodation costs we cover
Accommodation costs are reasonable if they’re under the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) travel allowance rates for that location. You should book rooms that are modest, comfortable and based on a twin share basis. We don’t cover the costs of room service, mini bar purchases or phone calls.
Which meals we pay for
Meal costs are reasonable if they are under the ATO travel allowance rates for that location. You should try to organise meals that are healthy and of reasonable quality. We don’t cover the costs of snacks, morning or afternoon tea.
In some cases, the residential expenses package you organise with a service provider will not include all meals. For example, a package may include breakfast, accommodation and dinner but not lunch. In this case, we may approve a separate meal allowance for lunch.
Which travel costs we cover
The rules for reasonable travel costs under ABSTUDY Fares Allowance are different for each type of transport. The rules will depend on the journey costs involved in the away from base activity.
You can ask us to arrange the travel for you by sending an email to abstudy.travel@servicesaustralia.gov.au. Read about what you need to know when making travel requests.
When arranging travel yourself, you should do so through our approved travel service provider, QBT, where possible.
You should try to organise an economy class rail or bus service that travels the most direct route. When rail or bus services aren’t available, we may pay the allowance for economy airfares or motor vehicle trips. We may also pay for chartered transport in limited circumstances.
If you need to use an alternative travel provider, you’ll need to get approval from us. Call the National Business Gateway line or email our ABSTUDY Away from Base team.