Benefits
There are various government benefits available to help your child get through their Australian Apprenticeship. These range from specialized Tools for Your Trade payments (available only to Australian Apprentices in Skills Shortage trades), to more generalized government allowances and benefits. See below for a comprehensive list of relevant benefits.
Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
Education Tax Refund:
You may be eligible for the education tax refund (ETR) if you, or your partner, incurred eligible education expenses between 1 July 2009/10 and 30 June 2010/11 for the primary or secondary school studies (at school, home or TAFE) of:
or
- Yourself, if you were an independent student under 25 years old undertaking primary or secondary studies during the above period
For further information and to see if you are eligible, visit the
Education Tax Refund information page on the ATO website.
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Centrelink
Abstudy:
If your child is indigenous and a full-time Australian Apprentice, they could be eligible for Abstudy. Abstudy is an allowance to assist your child in staying at school or participating in further study. Depending on the situation, they may also be eligible for extra payments to help with the costs of their studies.
For further information and to see if your child may be eligible, visit the
Centrelink Abstudy information page.
Austudy:
If your child is aged 25 or over and is:
- Studying an approved full-time course at an approved institution
or
- Undertaking a full-time Australian Apprenticeship
They could be eligible for Austudy. For further information and to see the eligibility criteria, visit the
Centrelink Austudy information page.
Away from Home Allowance:
If your child needs to live away from your family home to study or train, they may be eligible for the higher Away From Home rate of Youth Allowance or Abstudy Living Allowance.
If they are an Australian Apprentice, they may be eligible for the higher rate if they need to live away from their family home to undertake their Australian Apprenticeship.
For further information and to see if they may be eligible, visit the Centrelink
Away from Home Allowance information page.
Fares Allowance:
If your child receives Abstudy, Austudy, Pensioner Education Supplement or Youth Allowance, and they are living away from their permanent home to study, they may be eligible for Fares Allowance. Fares allowance helps them to cover the cost of travelling between home and where they are doing their studies.
For further information and to see if you are eligible, visit the
Centrelink Fares Allowance information page.
Homeswest:
Homeswest provides public rental and accommodation properties to people on low income. To see if your child or family may qualify for Homeswest housing, visit the
Homeswest Housing and Accommodation information page.
Low Income Health Care Card:
A Low Income Health Care Card entitles you to various concessions such as;
- Cheaper medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS)
- Concessions offered by private companies
- State and Territory Government and local council concessions, for example:
- energy and electricity bills
- health care costs including ambulance, dental and eye care
- public transport costs
- water rates
For further information and eligibility criteria, visit the Centrelink
Low Income Health Care Card information page.
Rent Assistance:
The cost of renting can be a major financial burden. Centrelink has a Rent Assistance program which provides extra money for eligible people, if they rent privately.
For further information and to see if your child may be eligible, visit the
Centrelink Rent Assistance information page.
Youth Allowance:
Youth Allowance may assist your child if they are a young person who is studying, undertaking training or an Australian Apprenticeship, looking for work, or sick.
For further information visit the
Centrelink Youth Allowance information page.
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