Students exempt from parental income limit

We don’t need your parental income when you claim the Tertiary Access Payment if you’re exempt.

If you’re exempt, you need to meet all the eligibility criteria except for parental income. The main reason why you’re exempt must be 1 of these:

  • you’re unable to live at home due to extreme circumstances
  • you’re an orphan
  • your parents can’t look after you
  • you’re a refugee
  • you’re in state care
  • you’ve been in prison for 6 months or more.

Or, you must be 1 of these:

  • you have or had a child
  • you’re caring for someone else’s child.

If you’re an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person you may also be exempt for either of these reasons:

  • you have adult status in a traditional community
  • you’ve returned to live in an Indigenous community after being adopted or fostered by a non-Indigenous family for more than 2 years.
Page last updated: 10 December 2021.
QC 53451