Youth Allowance for students

Youth Allowance is the main Services Australia payment for full-time students aged 16 to 24. It is income-tested at both the student's level and at the parents' level (until the student is classified as independent).

Eligibility basics

To qualify for Youth Allowance as a student you must:

• Be a full-time student in an approved course (most degree, diploma and certificate-level study qualifies).
• Be aged 16 to 24.
• Meet the Australian residence rules.

Apprentices have their own variant (Youth Allowance for apprentices). The rules below cover the student variant.

Two means tests

Two tests run in parallel:

1. Parental income test. Until you are independent for Centrelink purposes, your parents' combined adjusted taxable income is tested. The cut-out moves each year with indexation, but as a rough guide the test starts reducing your payment once parental income passes about $66,722 (the 2026 free area) and cuts the payment to zero well into the $150,000s, depending on how many siblings are also receiving payments.
2. Personal income test. Your own employment income above $539 per fortnight (the 2026 free area) reduces your payment. You can also bank up to $13,500 in an income bank that lets you earn over the threshold without a reduction, useful in summer holiday work.

Income above the $539 free area reduces the payment by 50 cents per dollar up to $646 a fortnight and 60 cents per dollar above that. The thresholds are indexed, so always check Services Australia for the current numbers.

Becoming independent

Once you are classified as independent, the parental income test is removed. The main ways to be classified as independent are:

• You are 22 or older.
• You are or have been married, in a de facto relationship, or have a dependent child.
• You worked an average of 30 hours a week for 18 months in any two-year period.
• If your family home is in a regional or remote area, other earnings-based workforce tests can apply; Services Australia lists them on its independence page.

Once you are 22 you are treated as permanently independent for this payment.

What you get

Youth Allowance is a fortnightly payment. The rate depends on age, living arrangement and dependent status. The maximum basic rates from 1 January 2026 for a single student with no children are:

These rates are reviewed each 1 January. Students who rent and are not living with a parent may also get Rent Assistance on top.

A separate one-off payment, the Tertiary Access Payment, is $3,000 or $5,000 (depending on how remote your family home is) for eligible regional and remote school leavers who relocate to start full-time study at Certificate IV level or higher. Services Australia pays it.

This is general explanatory information. For advice on your circumstances, contact Services Australia.