How to Claim Pensioner Education Supplement While Studying in Australia

Who can claim Pensioner Education Supplement?

Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) is a regular extra payment administered by Services Australia to help eligible people with study costs while they continue receiving certain qualifying payments.

You may qualify if you meet the study rules and receive one of these Centrelink payments:

• Carer Payment
• Disability Support Pension
• JobSeeker Payment as a single principal carer
• Parenting Payment single
• Special Benefit as a single parent.

Specified Department of Veterans' Affairs payments can also qualify. These include Invalidity Service Pension, certain Partner Service Pension circumstances, Veteran Payment, Income Support Supplement and Carer Service Pension. Additional DVA payment categories can qualify where you have a dependent child, so DVA recipients should check the specific PES eligibility rules that apply to their payment.

If you receive Parenting Payment single, you can also read how to claim Parenting Payment through Centrelink. If you receive Disability Support Pension and need information about its application requirements, see how to claim Disability Support Pension with medical evidence.

What study qualifies for PES?

You must study an approved course with an approved education provider. Services Australia lists eligible course types as including secondary, undergraduate and graduate courses, certain masters courses, TAFE courses and diplomas. A Startup Year course can also qualify if you are getting a STARTUP-HELP loan.

PES is not available if you have already completed a masters degree or any type of doctorate under the standard PES approved-course rules.

Can you get PES while studying part time?

Yes, but only in specified circumstances. For PES purposes, part-time study is at least 25% of a full-time study load. A part-time student must also meet at least one of these conditions:

• be a single parent with a dependent child under 16
• receive Carer Payment
• have a disability, illness or injury that affects their ability to study full time.

Your actual study load also affects which PES rate applies.

How much Pensioner Education Supplement can you get?

Services Australia currently publishes two PES rates: $62.40 a fortnight and $31.20 a fortnight. The applicable amount depends on both your qualifying payment and study load.

For Centrelink recipients, the $62.40 rate generally applies when studying at least 50% of a full-time course load and receiving Carer Payment, Parenting Payment single, JobSeeker Payment as a single principal carer, Disability Support Pension, or Special Benefit as a single parent, subject to the detailed rules. A Disability Support Pension recipient can also receive the $62.40 rate when studying at least 25% of a full-time load.

The $31.20 rate can apply to eligible part-time students studying below 50% of a full-time load while receiving specified qualifying payments. Different study-load rules apply to some DVA recipients.

There are also limits on how long PES can be paid. Services Australia determines the period using the minimum time required to complete the course and other study or courses you have undertaken.

What are the residence requirements?

On the day you claim PES, you must be living in Australia, physically in Australia and an Australian resident. To continue receiving PES, you must continue living in Australia as an Australian resident.

If you have recently arrived in Australia as a resident, a newly arrived resident's waiting period of 2 or 4 years may apply, although Services Australia provides exemptions in some circumstances.

What documents should you prepare?

The exact documents depend on your circumstances and are identified during your claim. Study information can include your planned and previous course details, scholarship information, proof of enrolment or fee receipts, course acceptance notices and academic transcripts.

Proof of enrolment is required for certain tertiary courses at TAFE or private education providers and for certain secondary courses delivered by providers other than secondary schools. Where Services Australia asks for proof of enrolment, the official document from your education provider should show your full name, course name and the study period in which you are enrolled.

Services Australia may also ask for information about your study load. Required documents shown in an online claim must be provided before the claim can be submitted. Supplementary documents can generally be provided within 14 days after submitting the claim. If Services Australia later asks for more information, its supporting-document guidance says you generally have 14 days to respond or the claim may be rejected.

How do you claim PES?

The easiest route identified by Services Australia is online. You need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. You also need a Customer Reference Number (CRN) to link Centrelink to myGov. If you previously received a Centrelink payment, your existing CRN remains your CRN.

After signing in, select the option to apply for Pensioner Education Supplement and complete the questions and document requirements shown in the claim.

You can also claim:

• by phone through the Services Australia Youth and students line
• using the Claim for Pensioner Education Supplement form (SY004)
• in person at a Services Australia service centre.

If you use SY004, complete all relevant questions, sign and date it and attach the requested evidence. Services Australia says the completed paper claim can be uploaded online or posted to Student Services, Reply Paid 7804, Canberra BC ACT 2610.

When should you lodge the claim?

The SY004 claim notes contain important commencement-date rules. To protect any entitlement from the relevant course commencement period, the notes state that a claim should be lodged by 31 March, or 31 July for semester 2, for a full-year course, or within 4 weeks of becoming eligible for PES for other courses.

You may still qualify if you lodge later, but your PES may not be backdated to the course start date. The claim notes also provide specific backdating rules for full-year courses and some breaks in study. If you are waiting for approval of the Centrelink or DVA payment that would qualify you for PES, Services Australia advises lodging the PES claim as soon as possible.

What happens after you submit the claim?

When you submit online, Services Australia gives you a receipt containing your claim ID, an estimated completion date and a way to track progress. You can track the claim through your Centrelink online account in myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink app.

There is no fixed current PES processing time published on the claim page. Services Australia specifically warns that claims can take longer to process around the beginning of a semester.

Your decision is sent to your myGov Inbox if you receive electronic correspondence, otherwise by post. Services Australia may contact you if more information is required. If you believe the decision is incorrect, you can ask Services Australia to review it.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not assume any course automatically qualifies; both the course and education provider must satisfy the approved-study rules.
• Do not assume ordinary part-time study is enough. The load must be at least 25% and you must meet one of the specified part-time circumstances.
• Provide all documents marked as required before trying to submit an online claim.
• Do not delay a claim while waiting for a qualifying Centrelink or DVA payment to be approved; the SY004 notes advise claiming PES as soon as possible in this situation.
• Check whether you should claim ABSTUDY PES instead. Services Australia has separate rules and a separate claim pathway for ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement.