The 18 months doesn’t have to be all at once or in the same job. You can average your work hours over an 18 month period, if you haven’t worked 30 hours every week.
Full time work can include:
- paid leave
- overseas work
- unpaid leave during a workplace shutdown you couldn’t control
- full-time apprenticeships and traineeships
- times you got workers compensation, if you can show you were still connected to your job.
To check if your work history makes you an independent, use the independence through work history tool.
You may need to give us documents showing the hours and dates you worked, such as:
- letters from all employers on a company letterhead
- payslips or payroll reports.
Examples of being independent through work history
Matt has had 2 part-time jobs for the last 18 months. For 10 months he worked 40 hours a week and for 8 months he worked 20 hours a week. Matt is independent because he worked an average of 30 hours a week for 18 months.
Jacinta worked full time as a sales assistant. She worked 35 hours a week for 6 months before doing a 6 month TAFE course. When she finished her course, she worked 30 hours per week for 12 months. Jacinta is independent because she worked full time for a total of 18 months out of 2 years.