Fares Allowance

Fares Allowance helps students who have to live away from home to study cover the cost of travelling between their permanent home and the place where they are studying.

You may be able to get Fares Allowance if you are a student living away from your permanent home to study and receiving:

• ABSTUDY as a full-time or part-time tertiary student or as a secondary student
• Austudy as a tertiary student
• Pensioner Education Supplement as a tertiary student
• Youth Allowance as a full time student

For eligible students, Fares Allowance covers:

• a single journey from your permanent home to your place of study at the beginning of the academic year
• one return journey between your place of study and your permanent home during the year if you have been receiving Youth Allowance, ABSTUDY, Austudy, or the Pensioner Education Supplement for six months or more
• a single journey between your place of study to your permanent home when you finish or stop your studies for the academic year

A secondary or tertiary student eligible for ABSTUDY may be entitled to additional Fares Allowance entitlements.

Fares allowance is paid for the cost of the least expensive practicable form of public transport and can only be paid for travel within Australia.

You are usually paid Fares Allowance after your journey. You need to provide proof that you have travelled (and how much you paid) when you make a claim for Fares Allowance.