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Eligibility for Advance Payment

You may be eligible for an Advance Payment if you already get one of these payments:

• ABSTUDY
• Age Pension
• Austudy
• Carer Payment (adult)
• Carer Payment (child)
• Disability Support Pension
• Newstart Allowance
• Parenting Payment
• Widow Allowance
• Widow 'B' Pension
• Wife Pension
• Youth Allowance.

You usually need to have been getting one of these payments (or a combination of them) continuously for 3 months, and have not had an Advance Payment in the past 12 months, and:

• are not repaying a previous Advance Payment, and
• are not having money taken out of your payment already (or may be recovered) to pay a debt to the Australian Government—for example, to Centrelink, and
• can afford to repay the Advance Payment out of your main payment for 6 months, and
• be in Australia when you apply for the Advance Payment.

Exceptions to eligibility requirements

If you get Youth Allowance and you need help to pay for the costs of studying, you do not need to have been receiving payment for 3 months. However, you have to meet the other eligibility requirements.

If you get Parenting Payment (partnered) and you separate from your partner, you may be eligible for another Advance Payment within 28 days of separation, as long as you have paid back any previous Advance Payments.