Youth Allowance (1 Viewer)

[*Erika*]

my parents earn a mid-range amount of money...too much for me to get youth allowance...

my father loses almost half his wage in tax and is a tight arse and likes to invest in things till we have no money...asset rich, cash poor...

everything i want, i pay for myself, my clothes...shoes...books, fees....everything except my food and housing....

during hsc i took time off my job to study, and spent all my savings, so i had no cash at all...i couldn't do anything the whole hsc period, while some people i know still got their youth allowance and didn't study and pissed it up the wall...so many of my friends on youth allowance have cars and i can't afford to run or buy one...unless i work too much, in which case i fuck up my studies...

same with making the required 17 grand in 18 months...my job pays ok, but if you're stuck at maccas, unless you're working full time, that amount is unachievable while still keeping up school...

and the whole concept of being dependant on your family and being judged on their income till you're like 22 or whatever it is is ridiculous...i'll be finished uni then!

i know some people really do use their youth allowance to live off, and work as well and contribute to their families...good on them, and thats what it was intended for, but i know way too many people who just don't get a job coz they can get 100+ dollars a week for doing nothing...

its hard, coz they can't do it on a case by case basis...but i wanna move close to uni, so i can get a proper job and pay stupid amounts of income tax to pay for future generations youth allowance anyway, so it will all even out...

i'm lucky (well...in a weird way) that my brother is a bit of a nutter (to put it plainly), so i think i'm gonna be able to stay my home environment isn't stable enough and i can't stay there....even when i do move to sydney, as soon as i can find a job that i can work and get enough money to live and still work properly at uni, i'll stop getting youth allowance, but alot of young people need financial help at this time that they just can't get, because of the choices their parents make, and the government setting extremly low means testing levels and unreasonably high amounts for people who are studying full time to make to prove their independance...

edit: man, that was a bit of an essay wasn't it...hehe [/end rant]

 

[golfstick]

you have to earn 75% of what's called the Commonwealth Award Wage in an 18 month period. For me that was $16536, but it goes up each year. How much you have to earn depends on either when you leave school or when the 18 month period is or something.

for you did that mean you only had to earn $12,000 or so?

I ask because I'm on track to make roughly $14K in the 18 month period (got about 4 months to go) and I probably won't reach $16K.

 

[*Erika*]

its apparently something like 17,000 now...

 

[lukebennett]

i have this friend and her parents have a pretty high income (doctor) and she has to pay her way for everything including board, hecs, textbooks.

she just quit her job cause shes going to uni. her work was too far away and was for holidays. can she get youth allowance?

 

[*Erika*]

i have this friend and her parents have a pretty high income (doctor) and she has to pay her way for everything including board, hecs, textbooks.

she just quit her job cause shes going to uni. her work was too far away and was for holidays. can she get youth allowance?

technically no...

unless there is sever family disruption....[edit: that would cause her to move out, living at home she only has the option to prove she's independant] or she's made 17,000 since she's left school (in an 18month period after she left school) to prove she is independant..

 

[theone123]

i have this friend and her parents have a pretty high income (doctor) and she has to pay her way for everything including board, hecs, textbooks.

she just quit her job cause shes going to uni. her work was too far away and was for holidays. can she get youth allowance?

lol ask your friend to ask her parants to fund her.

 

[lukebennett]

lol ask your friend to ask her parants to fund her.

her parents keep telling her they dont want more debt so they do want to. i couldnt even suggest that to her or she'd get really annoyed cause thats the reason why she has to pay all by her self

 

[lukebennett]

oh ok. i dont think she has the money to live independantly so i guess shes a bit stuck for now. hopefully her parents will loosen up a bit

 

[Smokey_22]

grrr i hate when people grizzle that they dont get youth allowance and their parents own over the thresh hold. GET OVER IT. you are obviously a lot more well off than the people who get it + therefore ur parents can afford it. y should the gov pay for u.... I understand if parents are not working for preventable reasons then they should be made to work but as for the rest with other circumstances. U people should try and live a week in their shoes and see what its like.
it just annoys me a lot.

well I hate it when people assume that just because my parents earn over the $28,000 that we are suddenly rich and my parents can afford to send me and my bro to uni as well as its associated costs for living away from home.
My parents can't afford it - and luckily ill be getting the "independant youth allowance" or it would be nearly impossible!!!

 

[GirlGoneMad]

grrr i hate when people grizzle that they dont get youth allowance and their parents own over the thresh hold. GET OVER IT. you are obviously a lot more well off than the people who get it + therefore ur parents can afford it. y should the gov pay for u.... I understand if parents are not working for preventable reasons then they should be made to work but as for the rest with other circumstances. U people should try and live a week in their shoes and see what its like.
it just annoys me a lot.

My parents earn over the thresh hold but it does not mean that we are rich. Most of the money goes on the house mortgage and bills, and there is only just enough to support the family (which has 7 ppl). My parents both work all the time and my mum is constantly having to do extra shifts to pay the bills. Our groceries are just the basics and if it wasn't for our laying hens, we wouldn't be getting enough protein. I can't really afford uni so I'll be using the library books. I am not trying to get anyone to feel sorry for me, I am just trying to get you to see the point, that families may be earning over the thresh hold but individual circumstances can mean that they may be worse off financially than some of those getting benefits. I know that many people are genuine with claims for pensions and other benefits, but many are not. There are many families with parents that are "dole bludgers" and those that fake their claims for a pension. These people are often given housing commission homes or rent allowance and other allowances which cut down on their everyday living costs. Their kids are allowed to get youth allowance and because they don't have as many expenses (like mortgages, full rent, higher priced health care etc ) as many working families who don't get many benefits and allowances, they are often better off. I know that many people lie on their claim for unemployment benefits. I know someone who would make up the jobs they applied for or use old ones on the form. Did you know that people living in areas where more people have low income/housing commision/govt benefits etc are more likely to spend money on avon, perfume and tupperware parties etc than people living in areas of a higher income level? It is generally because working families have more expenses and less Govt. help for living expenses. I don't mean to offend those who are genuine in their Govt. benefit claims, but it annoys me alot when people and the Govt think that all working families are better off than those who get benefits.

 

[moose87]

My parents earn over the thresh hold but it does not mean that we are rich.

SO SO SO SO TRUE!!!
I know ive had my rant about this already but its not v.fair that the gvmt can jus asssume certain things...each persons circumstances are different and should be treated as such...

 

[Katie123]

...they should try and assess everyones circumstances? try that x20 million people. the means test is just an easier way of doing things

 

[Smokey_22]

Why should people whose parents just go over the threshhold miss out on uni?
For some people, taking on that financial burden makes it impossible to go to uni without something like youth allowance. The threshold isn't very much (around $28,000) Some families are living in coastal areas (not always by choice) where rent/mortgages/rates are very high so they aren't going to have much of a disposable income that will allow to pay rent/food/uni fee's and all other living expenses that go with uni. This is especially hard when parents have to support more than 1 child at uni.

Paying taxes after you've graduated from uni would more than make up for the payments you've recieved to help you out during your studies and the government would also win out because the country would have a more educated workforce. ( there would be a lot of intelligent students who simply can't afford uni without government assistance) I don't think that EVERYONE who goes to uni deserves youth allowance - i just think that there needs to be a more effective way of determining

 

[jam3s]

why is it that in most country, medium earning families are the ones that suffers the most, ie pay shitloads of tax, and recive minimum help from the government .

 

[Shuter]

i'm lucky (well...in a weird way) that my brother is a bit of a nutter (to put it plainly), so i think i'm gonna be able to say my home environment isn't stable enough and i can't stay there....even when i do move to sydney, as soon as i can find a job that i can work and get enough money to live and still work properly at uni, i'll stop getting youth allowance

Heh heh, I'm in exactly the same boat, instead of working though I tihnk I'll just try and live off youth allowance, it sounds easier.

 

[uwsstudent]

centrelink has more info

i am sure they provide more detail on this

 

[baby706]

what about if you are working as a 1st yr apprentice and currently live with your mum and want to move out t be closer to work? she earns over the threshold but its unacceptable for me to live with my dad...can i get rent assist or something?

 

[Steven12]

so from above info, to have youth allowance, ur parents must earn below 28000 , and to be an independent you have to at least work for one year? if you live in outside your parents house, are u eligible for rent assitance?

 

[ToO LaZy ^*]

so from above info, to have youth allowance, ur parents must earn below 28000...

nah man, my parents earn just under 50k and i still get YA. as ur parents income gets higher, ur payment decreases

 

[roger321]

i dont get it... why is everyone wh inging about the high costs of uni?
with hecs its not like you have to pay everything upfront so there goes most of the finicial burden.

so really all there is textbooks and travel?