What is YA?
YA is an income support payment that provides financial assistance to young job seekers, aged 16 to 21 who are looking for work or undertaking other activities to improve their employment prospects, AND full-time students or Australian Apprentices aged 16 to 24.
YA may also be paid to a person who:
- is temporarily incapacitated for work or study, or
- has claimed DSP and is awaiting the assessment of their claim.
A young person aged 15 years old may qualify for YA if they are independent and have reached the minimum school leaver age in their state/territory.
Dependent young people undertaking full-time secondary study are NOT considered to be of YA age until they turn 18, unless they:
- are independent
- are required to live away from home to study, or
- are determined by the Secretary to be not benefiting from FTB that is being paid to the person's parents.
Assistance for people aged above the age limits for YA is generally provided through other payments, such as JSP (for older job seekers) and Austudy (for older full-time students and apprentices).