Earning money from part-time work
Changes have been made to the way the personal and parental income tests are used to work out your fortnightly rate.
Any income you earn from working may affect your rate of payment. Previously, if you had income while studying, your Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY (Living Allowance) payment rate would be worked out using both parental and personal income tests.
Under the new rules, if you are a dependent customer your payment will now be affected by only 1 test - either the Parental Means Test or the Personal Income Test.
The test that has the greatest effect on your payment rate will be used to work out your fortnightly payment rate - you could be paid using the Parental Means Test one fortnight and using the personal income test in another fortnight.
The personal income threshold for students and Australian Apprentices who receive Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY will remain at $236 per fortnight and $62 per fortnight for Youth Allowance jobseekers.
Even if you are working and your personal income is above the $236 threshold, your Centrelink payment may not change. This will happen if the Parental Means Test has a bigger effect than the personal income test.
Remember, you must always report all changes in your personal income or circumstances to Centrelink.