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7.05 Government allowances and pensions

Worksheet
Government allowances and pensions
1

To be eligible for Austudy you must satisfy the following:

  • Be 25 years or more, and

  • Studying full-time in an approved educational institution, or

  • Undertaking a full time Australian Apprenticeship.

The following table shows the fortnightly payments that eligible people could receive on Austudy:

Payment per fortnight
Single, no children\$455.20
Single, with children\$596.50
In a couple, no children\$455.20
In a couple, with children\$499.90

Consider each of the following cases and determine:

i

Whether the person is eligible for Austudy.

ii

If eligible, how much are they entitled to each fortnight.

a

Cassie is 28, a single parent and is undertaking a full-time apprenticeship as a hairdresser.

b

Jenny is 21, a single parent and is studying part time at TAFE.

c

Christa is 40, married with two children and is studying full time.

2

To be eligible for Youth Allowance, you must satisfy one of the following:

  • Be 16 to 21 years of age and looking for full time work

  • Be 18 to 24 years of age and studying full time

  • Be 16 or 17 years of age and studying full time and have completed year 12 or equivalent

  • Be 16 or 17 years of age, studying full time and either independent or need to live away from home to study

  • Be 16 to 24 years of age and undertaking a full time Australian Apprenticeship

The following table shows the fortnightly payments that eligible people could receive on Austudy:

Payment per fortnight
Single, no children, younger than 18 years, and living at parental home\$249.20
Single, no children, younger than 18 years, and required to live away from parental home to study, undertake training, or looking for work\$455.20
Single, with no children, 18 years or older and living at parental home\$299.80
Single, with no children, 18 years or older and required to live away from parental home\$455.20
Single, with children\$596.50
Member of a couple, with no children\$455.20
Member of a couple, with children\$499.90

Consider each of the following cases and determine:

i

Whether the person is eligible for Youth Allowance.

ii

If eligible, how much they are entitled to each fortnight.

a

Xanthe has two children, is living with her parents, and studies part time.

b

Homer is living with his parents, aged 18, and studying full time.

c

Paul is 22, the single parent of two children, living with his parents, and doing a full-time apprenticeship.

3

To be eligible for Age Pension you must satisfy the following:

  • Be at least 65 years old

  • Meet an income and assets test

The following table shows the fortnightly payments that eligible people could receive on Age Pension:

The person is singleThe person is in a couple
Maximum basic rate\$843.60\$635.90
Maximum pension supplement\$68.50\$51.60
Energy supplement\$14.10\$10.60
Total\$926.20\$698.10

Use the above information to find what the following people are entitled to:

a

Helen is 62 and has no income. She qualifies for all of the supplements. How much pension is she entitled to each fortnight?

b

Rosey is 82, single and doesn’t qualify for any supplements. How much pension is she entitled to each fortnight?

c

Justin is 81, single and qualifies for a Maximum Pension supplement. How much pension is he entitled to each fortnight?

d

Derek and Tara are a couple who live together. Derek is 77 and Tara is 79. As a couple, they qualify for one energy supplement and currently have no income. How much age pension are they, as a couple, entitled to each week?

4

The following tables show how much Youth Allowance a person can receive when they already have an income:

For a student on Youth Allowance:

EarningsFortnightly payment reduces by:
\$437 - \$524\text{50 cents for each dollar earnt over } \$437
\text{More than } \$524\$43.50 \text{ plus }60 \text{ cents for each dollar you earn over } \$524

For a job-seeker on Youth Allowance:

EarningsFortnightly payment reduces by:
\$143 - \$250\text{50 cents for each dollar earnt over } \$143
\text{More than } \$250\$53.50 \text{ plus }60 \text{ cents for each dollar you earn over } \$250

Consider each of the following cases and determine how much Youth Allowance they are entitled to each fortnight. Use the above tables and the tables in the previous question.

a

Anne, aged 19, is living with her parents, working part-time, and seeking full-time work. She earns \$207 a fortnight.

b
Bill is required to live independently, aged 21, working part-time but looking for full-time work. He earns \$569 per fortnight.
5

The following table shows how much Age Pension can reduce by if a person already has an income:

Marital status of PensionerIncome per fortnightAge Pension Payment will reduce by
\text{Single Person}\text{Up to }\$172\$0
\text{Single Person}\text{Over }\$17250\text{ cents for each dollar over }\$172
\text{A Couple}\text{Up to }\$304\$0
\text{A Couple}\text{Over } \$30450 \text{ cents for each dollar over }\$304

Use the above table and the table in the previous question to answer the following questions:

a

Kevin and Bea are a couple who live together. They are both aged over 65 and they qualify for an energy supplement. The couple sell vegetables from their garden at a Thursday market where they make \$125 a week. How much Age Pension do they, as a couple, receive each fortnight?

b

Ray and Eileen are a couple who live together. They are both aged over 65 and neither of them qualify for a supplement. Eileen works part-time and earns \$191 a week. How much age pension do they, as a couple, receive each fortnight?

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