How to claim Austudy

A university avenue in Canberra Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

A university campus in Toowoomba, Queensland Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

A book bag ready for study Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.

You claim Austudy online through your Centrelink online account, linked to myGov. If you cannot claim online, Services Australia's Youth and students line can help you with the alternatives. Claiming early matters: payments are generally not backdated to before you claimed, so a claim lodged in week three of semester cannot recover weeks one and two.

Before you start: gather these

Your myGov sign-in details, with your Centrelink online account linked. If you do not have a myGov account, create one first and then link Centrelink.
Your tax file number and your bank account details for payment.
Details of your course or apprenticeship: provider, course name, start date, and full-time enrolment confirmation, or your Australian Apprenticeship registration details.
Income details: recent payslips, and business or self-employment income details if relevant, for you and your partner.
Asset details: bank balances, term deposits, investment details, property other than your principal home, vehicles, and any assets held overseas.
Identity documents if Services Australia asks you to confirm your identity, and residency details.

The claim, step by step

Sign in to myGov and open Centrelink, then select the Austudy claim and work through the questions about your study, income, assets, living arrangements, and partner circumstances. Answer with gross income figures, and use the claim's document upload to provide what is asked for rather than waiting to be chased. If you cannot provide something immediately, the claim process allows you to provide details later, but your claim cannot be finalised until the essential evidence is in — so upload what you have and note what is outstanding. Your provider may also need to confirm your enrolment, so tell your institution that you have claimed and ask them to respond promptly to any confirmation request.

After you submit

Services Australia assesses your claim against the age, study, residency, income, and assets conditions. You will be told the outcome in your myGov inbox and by letter, including your rate and your reporting requirements. If you are granted payment, check the first payment carefully against your own estimate: a wrong study-load record or a mistyped income figure is much easier to fix in the first fortnight than after months of payments. If your claim is rejected, the letter must explain why, and you have review and appeal rights — ask for an explanation first, because many rejections come from a missing document rather than a failed test.

Claim timing tips

Claim as soon as you have accepted your enrolment or your apprenticeship is registered, even if the semester has not started — Services Australia can process the claim ahead of your start date. If you are transferring from another payment, ask about the transition before your old payment ends so there is no gap. And keep copies of everything you submit: screenshots or saved copies of your claim answers are your best evidence if a detail is later disputed.

Never pay anyone to lodge your claim. Claiming Austudy is free. Anyone who charges a fee to lodge a Centrelink claim for you, or who promises a guaranteed result, is not acting for Services Australia. Report suspected scams and deal only with Services Australia directly.

Sources: Services Australia, Austudy pages (income tests for Austudy; assets test for allowances); Department of Social Services, Guide to Social Policy Law (Austudy current rates, last reviewed 2 January 2026).

General information only. This page explains Austudy in plain English. It is General information only, not legal/financial/medical advice. It cannot decide whether you qualify. Only Services Australia can decide a claim. Rules, rates, and limits change over time, so always confirm the current position with Services Australia before you act on it. Contact: hello [at] tapetoolhq.com.