Income limits

If a student's income is more than $284.70 gross per week (as at 1 April 2026) their gross Student Allowance will reduce by the equivalent amount of income received over this figure.

Example if a student receives $295.00 gross per week, their Student Allowance rate will reduce by $10.30.

For students under 24, the full Student Allowance rate begins to abate when the combined parental income exceeds $72,108.92 gross annually (at 1 April 2026).

The cut-off points for parents' combined taxable income (as at 1 April 2026) are:

• $131,670.35 gross annually if the student lives at home or
• $141,451.55 gross annually if the student lives away from home

Note parents' combined taxable income is adjusted to take into account:

• an exemption of $7,000 for each additional student in the family (who is not younger than 16 on the 31st December the year before the application, and is not older than 23 on 1 January in the year of the application) who are also studying full-time at either secondary or tertiary level and
• an exemption of $3,400 for parents who live in separate households

A higher rate of Student Allowance will be paid if the couple's combined income is $569.40 gross or less per week (at 1 April 2026).

If the couple's combined income is more than $569.40 but less than $1,185.75 gross per week (at 1 April 2026), Student Allowance will be paid at a lower rate.

In any week that their income is $1,185.75 gross or more (at 1 April 2026), there will be no entitlement to Student Allowance.

Note the personal income assessment limit noted above still applies to the student.