Earning incentive payments

Young people receiving Young Parent Payment can earn the following incentive payments:

• education incentive of $10 a week
• budgeting incentive of $10 a week
• parenting education incentive of $10 a week

A young person on the Young Parent Payment can earn the education incentive if:

• their service provider or Work and Income 'in-house' service has confirmed to YSSU that since they started receiving the Young Parent Payment they have continuously attended and participated in either education, training or work-based learning for at least 6 calendar months

A young person on the Young Parent Payment can earn the budgeting incentive if:

• their service provider or Work and Income 'in-house' service has confirmed to YSSU that since they started receiving the Young Parent Payment they have attended and participated in discussions on budgeting with the service provider or Work and Income 'in-house' service provider for at least 3 calendar months

and

• they have attended and completed a budgeting programme (this can have been completed before the client started getting their benefit)

A young person on the Young Parent Payment can earn the parenting education incentive if:

• the service provider or Work and Income 'in-house' service has confirmed that, since they started to receive the Young Parent Payment they have regularly engaged with their service provider or Work and Income 'in-house service' for at least 3 calendar months and
• they have participated in and completed a parenting education programme
• each of their dependent children is enrolled with a primary health organisation
• each of their dependent children aged 5 years or under are up-to-date with their Wellchild checks
• each of their dependent children aged 5 years or under attends an approved early childhood education programme or is placed in other suitable childcare during any time the young person is in education, training, work-based learning or part-time work

The earliest date the 3 month period can be calculated from is the date the young person was granted Young Parent Payment.

Sometimes a young person may be able to receive a parenting education incentive payment without meeting the criteria.

For more information see:

• Capacity issues prevent a young person meeting their parenting obligations

For couples, each person must earn their incentive payments in their own right. For example if one young parent attends a parenting programme, then only they can receive the parenting education incentive. If both young parents meet the obligation, they can both receive the incentive.

Incentive payments are non-taxable allowances and are not considered chargeable income for Extra help and hardship assistance.

For more information see:

• Removing incentive payments
• Examples of actions inconsistent with purpose
• Incentive payments can continue
• Restoring incentive payments
• Obligations