Allowances and Payments
Youth Allowance and Austudy
Youth Allowance Eligibility (ss7, 540) Youth Allowance is generally for people aged 16-24 who satisfy the activity test or people temporarily incapacitated for full-time study aged 21-24. People over 25 may be eligible if they were receiving Youth Allowance as an Australian Apprentice or stud...
Newstart Allowance
Eligibility (ss7, 593, 596, 613) To be eligible for Newstart Allowance, a person must be at least 21 and below age pension age. The person must: be unemployed (primarily concerned with finding full-time work, and not significantly engaged in setting up a business or some activity that inter...
Sickness and Mobility Allowances
Sickness Allowance Eligibility (ss7, 666) To be eligible for Sickness Allowance, a person must be aged between 21 and age pension age, and must be an Australian resident. The person must be temporarily incapacitated for work (or study, if receiving Austudy or Abstudy) and in Australia thro...
Family Partner and Parenting Allowances
Partner Allowance (benefit) Note: There have been no new claims of Partner Allowance since 20 September 2003. Eligibility (s771HA) The partner of a person receiving a benefit may also receive a Partner Allowance. The same eligibility requirements apply as for Partner Allowance (pension). ...
Income and Assets tests for Sickness, Youth, Newstart and Parenting Payment (Partnered)
Parental Means Test (s1067E) A person under the age of 21 receiving Youth Allowance is subject to a parental means test unless they fit into one of the exceptions: for example, the person is independent (see s1067A SSA), or have a parent receiving a social security pension or benefit or a servic...
Special Benefit and Carer Allowance
Special Benefit Eligibility (ss7, 729, 731) Special Benefit is a "safety net" that provides income support for people who do not qualify for another social security payment, and who need financial support. To be eligible for Special Benefit the person must: not be eligible for a pensi...
Bereavement Allowance
Eligibility (ss7, 315) The Bereavement Allowance is payable for a maximum of 14 weeks after the death of a person's partner. Where the person is pregnant at the time of her partner's death, this period may be extended to the end of the pregnancy (when, in the normal course of events, she would b...
Private: Compulsory Income Management
From 1st of July 2012 some welfare recipients living in a declared area may be subject to Compulsory Income Management. Income Management (also known as ‘Welfare Quarantining’) refers to arrangements whereby a percentage of the income support and family payments will be set aside to be spent only...
Page last updated 14/12/2017