Parental Assistance Test for young people aged 16 to 19

To qualify for Emergency Benefit equivalent to Jobseeker Support or Jobseeker Support Student Hardship some young people must meet the Parental Assistance Test. This assesses whether the young person can reasonably be expected to rely on their parents for financial support. To meet the Parental Assistance Test they must:

• meet the Parental Income Test or
• have a Parental Support Gap with all their parents

A young person must meet the Parental Assistance Test if they:

• are not included as a dependent child in another person's benefit
• do not have dependent children
• do not get Foster Care Allowance for a child (and neither does their partner, if any)

and

• if Jobseeker Support is the equivalent benefit:
  • are 18 or 19 years old if they are the primary client or
  • are 16 to 19 years old if they are the partner

or

• if Jobseeker Support Student Hardship is the equivalent benefit:
  • are 18 or 19 years old or
  • are 16 or 17 years old and have a partner aged 18 or older who is the primary or an included partner

Note when 2 young people are in a relationship, the Parental Assistance Test applies to each person individually.

For the Parental Assistance Test, a dependent child of a young person is a child who:

• is or will be included in the young person's Jobseeker Support
• the young person or their partner gets Orphans Benefit or Unsupported Childs Benefit for

The Parental Assistance Test requirements that apply depend on whether the equivalent benefit is Jobseeker Support or Jobseeker Support Student Hardship. This includes any transitional arrangements that affect when the Parental Assistance Test starts to apply to some young people.

Please refer to the Parental Assistance Test guidelines for the relevant equivalent benefit.