Who can get it
We pay School Fees Allowance if you’re the parent or guardian of a student who’s eligible for ABSTUDY and lives at home.
You and your child must meet criteria below to be eligible for the allowance.
Your child must be all of the following:
- eligible for ABSTUDY
- 15 years of age or younger
- living at home or not approved to live away from home
- a full time secondary student, including those approved for home schooling or distance education.
A primary school student is only eligible if they’re 14 or older on 1 January in the year of study.
You or your partner must meet 1 of the following conditions. You must:
- get an income support payment, including periods of nil rate
- get Farm Household Allowance
- get ABSTUDY Living Allowance
- have a current Health Care Card or Low Income Health Care Card.
Your child is in state care
If a child you’re caring for is in state care you can still get the allowance if all of the following apply. They’re:
- eligible for ABSTUDY
- 15 years of age or younger
- living at home or not approved to live away from home
- a full time secondary student, including those approved for home schooling or distance education.
Your child has special circumstances
You can get the allowance for your child if 1 of the following applies and they're not considered independent because of their age:
- they’re an orphan
- their parents can’t take care of them
- it’s unreasonable for them to live at home.
Page last updated: 18 November 2020
This information was printed 1 March 2021 from https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/abstudy-school-fees-allowance/abstudy-school-fees-allowance-home-rate/who-can-get-it. It may not include all of the relevant information on this topic. Please consider any relevant site notices at https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/site-notices when using this material.