How to get financial help

If you find yourself in a position where you need some financial support, as long as you’re eligible, the government can help.

Getting financial support from the government while you study, work, or look for work is another way to get support while creating an independent life.

But what options are available? And how do you apply?

174,000

young people aged 16-24 receive a student payment or ABSTUDY

Most government support comes from Centrelink

Centrelink is the Australian Government service that provides financial assistance to Australians.

You can access Centrelink online (through the Services Australia website) or visit a Centrelink service centre.

The Australian government offers a range of payments to help people with the cost of living.

What are government payments?

If you’re studying, unemployed, have children or have a disability, you may be able to receive a payment.

There are many types of payments offered by the government. Services Australia’s guide for payments lists them all.

Centrelink payments available to young people

Payments for students and Australian apprentices include:

Youth Allowance for students and apprentices: Financial help if you’re 24 or younger and a student or Australian apprentice.
Austudy: Financial help if you’re 25 or older and studying or an Australian apprentice.
ABSTUDY: A group of payments for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander students or apprentices.
Tertiary Access Payment: A payment to help students with the cost of moving from regional or remote areas for tertiary study.
Pensioner Education Supplement: A regular extra payment to help with your study costs if you get certain payments.
Youth Disability Supplement: An extra payment if you’re a young person with a disability and on an income support payment.

Who is eligible for government help?

Not every young person immediately qualifies for financial support from the government. You will need to pay close attention to the eligibility criteria.

First, you must meet the residence rules. You usually need to be an Australian resident or hold a specific visa type to get a Centrelink payment or concession card.

Second, you will sometimes need to meet an income and assets test. This requires you to let Centrelink know your income, your family’s income (or your partner’s income), and declare anything valuable that you own.

Every payment has its own criteria to meet. Look for the ‘eligibility criteria’ to understand whether you can access a payment or not.

How much you get paid

How much you’ll get paid depends on your living and financial situation. Every payment is different. Some will be more than others.

You will be paid fortnightly, but there is also a weekly payment option if needed.

Who to contact for help and advice

Your first point of contact is Centrelink. Before calling Centrelink, use the contact section on their website. You might be able to get a direct phone number to the department you need to speak to.

Expect any phone call to Centrelink to take a while. There are lots of people in Australia and they are often trying to call Centrelink all at once.

The phone lines are open between 8am and 8pm from Monday to Friday. The best time to call is first thing in the morning. The queues fill up quickly, so call at 8am exactly if you can.

You can also use social media to contact Services Australia. They have a number of tailored accounts where they post about payments and services, and answer questions.

How to get started with a Centrelink application

Before you can make a claim, you need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. If you don’t have a myGov account, it’s easy to create one.

What’s MyGov?

MyGov is the Australian Government’s digital home for managing all your government services in one place.

It helps you manage Centrelink payments, as well as your tax through the Australian Tax Office (ATO), and your health through Medicare (just to name a few).

Steps to set up a myGov account

Go to myGov and select Create an account.
Read the terms of use. If you agree to the terms, select I agree.
Enter your email address, then confirm this address using a code emailed to you. Your myGov account must use a unique email address. You can’t use the same email for another myGov account.
Enter your mobile number if you have one. If you enter your mobile number you’ll get a code sent to it each time you sign in to your myGov account.
Create a password and 3 secret questions and enter answers.
You’ve created your myGov account, so then select Continue to myGov.
After you prove who you are through myGov (by entering some details about you), you’ll get a Customer Reference Number (CRN). Services Australia will check if you already have a CRN or create one for you and link Centrelink to your myGov account.

What is a CRN?

CRN stands for Customer Reference Number. Everyone that gets a payment from Centrelink must have one of these numbers. You can’t get a payment until you do.

Once you have a Centrelink online account (linked to your myGov), you can make a claim.

A ‘claim’ is what the process is called to fill out a form and be assessed. If your claim is successful, you will start receiving the payment.

Look for the words ‘how to claim’ on the Service Australia page about any of the payments (see all payments available to young people).

Keep good records for Centrelink

Getting financial assistance from the government is your right, as long as you’re an Australian resident (or hold a specific visa type) and meet the income and assets test.

The government continuously checks on people to make sure they’re getting the right payments. To protect yourself, keep good records. This means keeping your payslips, keeping your bank statements, and making notes about the hours you work.

If you document everything in one place, it will be much easier to prove what you have been doing, and when, if anyone asks.