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When Tertiary students need to claim
You can claim up to 13 weeks before you start your course. This is if you’re studying a course for:
- 30 weeks or more, you must complete and submit your claim before the 31 December in that year
- less than 30 weeks, you’ll need to submit your claim before the last day of your course.
When Australian Apprentices need to claim
You can claim up to 13 weeks before you start your Australian Apprenticeship. You must complete and submit your claim by the start date of your apprenticeship. If you submit your claim after your apprenticeship starts, we will still accept it. However, we may only pay you from the date you submitted your claim.
If a medical condition or special circumstances stop you from doing so, call us on our ABSTUDY line.
Steps to claim ABSTUDY Living Allowance online – Tertiary students and Apprentices
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1. Get ready to claim
The easiest way to claim is online. We encourage you not to come to a service centre during this time.
To claim online, you need a myGov account linked to Centrelink. If you don’t have a myGov account or a Centrelink online account you’ll need to set them up.
You’ll need a Customer Reference Number (CRN) to link your Centrelink online account to myGov.
If you ever got a payment from us you’ll still have a CRN, CRNs don’t change.
If you don’t have a CRN, you’ll need to confirm your identity online through myGov to get one and link to Centrelink.
Once you’ve created your myGov account follow these steps:
- Sign in to myGov.
- Select Apply for support from the Government support for Coronavirus alert. Then select I need a CRN.
- Follow the prompts to enter your identity details.
- You may need to confirm your identity with us before you start your claim.
- If you can’t get a CRN online, you can call us on the ABSTUDY line.
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2. Get your documents ready to claim
You’ll need to get some supporting documents ready to help answer some of the questions in the claim.
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3. Make your claim
If you’re a tertiary student or Australian Apprentice you can claim the allowance:
- online
- call us on the ABSTUDY line and we’ll help you claim
- printing and completing the claim for ABSTUDY form.
If you can claim online
- Sign in to myGov and go to Centrelink.
- Select Payments and Claims from the menu, then Claims, then Make a claim.
- Under Students, Trainees and Apprentices, select Get started.
- Answer all the questions – there’s help on each screen including how to submit your supporting documents and other forms.
- Submit your claim.
When you’re ready:
If you can’t claim online
To submit your claim form, follow these steps:
- Check you’ve answered all questions.
- Sign and date the claim form.
- Attach any supporting documents.
- Submit your claim to us.
You can submit your claim form in 1 of the following ways:
- online by uploading your documents online
- by post to
Services Australia
Student Services
Reply Paid 7804
Canberra BC ACT 2610
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4. Track your claim
After you submit your claim online, you’ll get a receipt telling you:
- your claim submission was successful
- the ID number of your claim
- an estimated completion date
- a link you need to track its progress.
You can track the progress of your claim online. Sign in to myGov and go to Centrelink, or use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
Outcome of your claim
We’ll let you know the result of your application. We’ll send a message to your myGov Inbox.
If you don’t get electronic letters, we’ll send you a letter in the mail.
If we need more details we’ll ask you for them.
You can ask us to review our decision if you think we’ve made a mistake.