Youth Allowance Calculator (Student / Apprentice)
Estimate your Youth Allowance entitlement as a full-time student or Australian Apprentice. Applies the parental income test (with family pool), personal income test with the Student Income Bank, partner income test (if independent), and assets cut-off. Rates from 20 March 2026. Looking for work instead? Use the JobSeeker / YA job seeker calculator.
Full-time student YA is 16–24. From 25 apply for Austudy.
Independent if 22+, married/de facto, has children, worked 30h/wk × 18mo in 2yr, or earned 75% of NTW ($29,663) in 14 months.
Away-from-home rate is ~$170 higher per fortnight.
Free area $58,108/yr for 1 YA child; +$5,578/yr per extra. 20c/$1 taper shared across pool.
The parental reduction is split across all YA/ABSTUDY children in the pool.
Free area $539/fn. Then 50c/$1 to $646, 60c/$1 above.
Max $13,500. Offsets income above the free area before taper.
Affects the assets hard cut-off.
Savings, shares, managed funds (excluding superannuation if preserved).
Car, contents, investment property (excluding principal home).
Enter values above to see results
Student stream vs job seeker stream
Youth Allowance has two streams with different rates and rules:
- Student / Apprentice (this calculator) — for full-time students and Australian Apprentices aged 16–24. Gets the Student Income Bank. Base rates are lower than the job-seeker stream.
- Job seeker — for 16–21 year olds looking for work. Rates align with JobSeeker Payment (higher post-2024 top-up). Has mutual obligation requirements. Use the JobSeeker calculator.
Parental income test
The defining feature of dependent Youth Allowance. Centrelink uses your parents' combined taxable income from the previous financial year (for 2026 claims, that's 2024-25).
- Free area: $58,108/yr for one YA/ABSTUDY child
- Extra free area per additional dependent child: $5,578/yr
- Taper: 20c/$1 above the free area, then divided equally across all YA/ABSTUDY children in the pool
Worked example: parents earn $100,000, with you as the only YA child. Excess = $100,000 − $58,108 = $41,892 × 20% = $8,378/yr ÷ 26 = $322.23/fortnight reduction. If your sibling is also on YA, that reduction is halved to ~$161/fortnight each.
Parents with self-employment or complex income may also be tested under the Family Actual Means Test (FAMT) — if that applies, actual household spending replaces taxable income. Not modelled here.
Student Income Bank
The Student Income Bank is a unique feature of student payments (YA, Austudy, ABSTUDY). It smooths out irregular income — useful if you work casually or pick up holiday shifts.
- Maximum balance: $13,500
- Accrual: up to $452/fortnight when your income is below the free area
- Offset: income above the free area is offset by bank dollars first, before the 50c/60c taper applies
Practical effect: if you build a bank during term and then earn $2,000 in one fortnight during university break, you can draw on the bank to keep receiving YA instead of losing it entirely.
Independence criteria
If you qualify as independent, the parental income test is skipped — major shift when parents earn well. The main paths:
- Age: automatically independent at 22
- Marriage / de facto: married or in a registered/de facto relationship for 12+ months
- Dependent child: you have (or had) a dependent child
- Full-time work: averaged 30 hours/week for at least 18 months within any 2-year period
- Earnings: earned at least 75% of Wage Level A of the National Training Wage ($29,663 in 2025-26) within any 14-month period since leaving secondary school
- Orphan / unable to live at home: separate special pathways
- Regional/rural concessional: lower earnings thresholds for students from regional areas where parents earn below ~$160k combined
Assets test — hard cut-off
| Situation | Cut-off |
|---|---|
| Single, homeowner | $321,500 |
| Single, non-homeowner | $579,500 |
| Couple, homeowner (combined) | $481,500 |
| Couple, non-homeowner (combined) | $739,500 |
Home is excluded. Car, contents, and investment assets all count. Preserved super (inaccessible before age 60) is generally excluded.
Related Centrelink calculators
- JobSeeker & YA (job seeker) Calculator — if you're looking for work, not studying
- Parenting Payment Calculator — for single/partnered parents with young children
- Family Tax Benefit Calculator — FTB A & B for families with children
- Child Care Subsidy Calculator — CCS percentage and out-of-pocket costs
- Age Pension Calculator — income and assets tests at pension age
Frequently asked questions
Who is eligible for Youth Allowance as a student or apprentice?
How much is Youth Allowance for students in 2026?
How does the parental income test work?
How can I become independent for Youth Allowance?
What is the Student Income Bank?
What are the assets limits?
Does a partner's income affect my payment?
Tax Accuracy & Sources
Youth Allowance calculations use rates from 20 March 2026. Real entitlements can vary with Rent Assistance, Pharmaceutical Allowance, Remote Area Allowance, Student Start-up Loan, and Family Actual Means Test outcomes that are not modelled. Use Services Australia's Payment & Service Finder for a formal assessment.