How much Austudy can you get?
Austudy is paid fortnightly in arrears, which means each payment covers a period that has already passed. The amount you actually receive is your maximum basic rate, reduced by the income and assets tests, plus any supplementary help you qualify for. This page gives the maximum basic rates; the test pages explain the reductions.
Maximum basic rates (in force at 20 September 2026)
These rates were set by the 1 January 2026 indexation and published in the Department of Social Services Guide to Social Policy Law, which states that Austudy rates are indexed to consumer price movements with an effective date of 1 January each year. They are the rates applying on 20 September 2026, because Austudy is not part of the September pension indexation round.
| Your situation | Maximum basic rate per fortnight |
|---|---|
| Single, no dependent children | $677.20 |
| Single, with dependent children | $854.20 |
| Partnered, no dependent children | $677.20 |
| Partnered, with dependent children | $733.20 |
| Special rate: single, no children, long-term income support recipient starting full-time study | $799.70 |
| Special rate: partnered, with or without dependent children | $733.20 |
The special rate, explained
The special rate exists for people who have been receiving another income support payment long term and then start full-time study or an Australian Apprenticeship. It recognises that someone moving off a longer-term payment into study may face a sharper drop in income than a new student. Whether you qualify depends on your payment history and when you started your course or apprenticeship, so it is worth asking Services Australia directly if you think it may apply to you rather than assuming the standard rate.
What can sit on top of the basic rate
Some recipients also qualify for Rent Assistance if they pay rent for accommodation that meets the rules, and Austudy recipients may be eligible for the Energy Supplement, a tax-exempt supplementary payment for qualified income support recipients. These extras are not automatic for everyone, and they taper away under the income test too — Services Australia notes that once your Income Bank is depleted, extra payments such as Energy Supplement and Rent Assistance may also reduce. Treat the basic rate as the starting point, not the total, and use the Payment Finder for a personal estimate.
A worked sense of scale
A single student with no children on the maximum basic rate receives $677.20 per fortnight before any test reduction and before supplements. Over a year that is roughly $17,600 at the basic rate alone — helpful, but for most students in a capital city it will not cover rent, food, transport, and study costs on its own. That is why part-time work matters so much for Austudy recipients, and why understanding the income test free area is worth real money: earnings up to the free area do not reduce your payment at all.
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).