Youth Allowance Questions (1 Viewer)

[kimjuliana]

I know that there is a thread which explains some of the common questions regarding youth allowance but I have some more questions. I hope some can help me because I'm so confused!

1. When must I start my claim for youth allowance? Can I start now or do I have to wait after I turn 18?

2. Is there a form for this or must I do this online?

3. How much do my parents need to earn per annum after taxes so that I can get youth allowance? (One of my family friends who is in University claim was rejected because she was dependant but one of her parents earn more than $55, 000 per annum after taxes)

4. What documents or paperwork do you need to start a claim? I know I'll probably need some legal identification, but what do I need for other test like Personal Income Test and a Parental Means Test etc...

5. Which courses are Centrelink approved? I'm a undergraduate and I'm unsure if my selected courses are approved. Can someone link me a list of courses that are approved? I've been searching on the Department of human services website but I can't seem to find anything. I can only find a list of Masters degrees that are approved.

Thanks guys! I hope someone can help me with this!

 

[Lina3]

Funny, I have just returned from Centrelink after formalizing my claim for youth allowance.
1.I believe you do have to be 18 to claim for youth allowance UNLESS you plan to live away from home for study or you are already independent (ie living away from your parents) in which case I think the age limit is 16.

2.You have to start your claim online. However, you need your own Centrelink account, one that is not affiliated with your parent's account.

3.I do not think there is a strict parent income limit since every situation is different. Unless your parents are both earning $100,000+ p.a its still worth putting in a claim. Your parents need to fill out the income test by hand, after you have done the online application.

4.To start a claim you only need a Centrelink account. After you log on, it is easy to find 'Make a Claim' on your main page. However, after you put in for a claim online and the income forms are filled out you need to your closest Centrelink in person with appropriate identification to the value of 100 points as well as the forms. They give you a list of all the types of identification and how many points each one is worth (eg a birth certificate is worth about 50 while a school ID card is only worth 20) so make sure to read those carefully to make sure you have sufficient identification.

5. It looks like all Australian university courses at the undergraduate level are approved as well as TAFE and official apprenticeships. I typed in my course (also undergraduate) and had no problem with it. You can always call them if any issues come up.

Hope that helped

 

[MessyRoom]

1. You don't have to be 18 to claim YA, my 17 year old sister just claimed, she just has to have written permission from our parents so the money will go into her bank account.
2. If you go in, they'll just tell you to start it online. Then they send you a letter saying they need a bunch of paperwork, you take that into them and then they send you a letter if you got approved or rejected.
3. It depends on the amount of dependents your parents have, take a look here, if you scroll down a little it has a table of the amount of children and the threshold.
4. No paperwork to start a claim, but they'll want ID, proof of your parents income, if your parents get any benefits at all, Centrelink will already know their income. You'll need to fill out an assets form and a bunch of other things, they'll give this to you.
5. Bachelor's are all approved courses.