All financial hardship applicants – except for those whose Centrelink benefits we can verify electronically – must supply a completed financial hardship coversheet. This is needed to establish household composition and financial circumstances.

Financial hardship is assessed based on your gross household income. The supporting documents you need to provide depend on whether you are:

• Dependent (21 or younger)
• Independent (21 or younger)
• Independent (22+ and on the maximum rate of a benefit)
• Independent (22+ not on maximum benefit)
• Partnered
• A Business Owner or Dependent of a Business Owner
• Below Tax-Free Threshold

Dependent (21 or younger)

If you are 21 or younger, you are considered dependent unless you meet one of the conditions that make you independent (21 or younger).

We require evidence of your parents/guardians’ income, even if you are earning income yourself.

If your parents or guardians only income is a Centrelink income and asset tested benefit, you must supply:

• Your parents’ or guardians’ most recent Income Statement from Centrelink

If your parents or guardians receive income other than a Centrelink benefit, you must supply:

• Your parents’ or guardians’ Income Tax Return for the most recent financial year
• Your parents’ or guardians’ Notice of Assessment for the most recent financial year

Independent (21 or younger)

If you’re 21 or younger, you can be considered independent if any of the following apply. You:

• can show you support yourself through work
• are, or have been, married or are in a registered relationship
• live in a de facto relationship as a member of a couple for at least 12 months
• have, or have had, a dependent child
• are a job seeker assessed as unable to work over 30 hours a week
• are in a situation where it’s unreasonable to live at home
• have parents who can’t look after you
• are a refugee and your parents don’t live in Australia
• are an orphan and haven’t been legally adopted
• are in state care, including foster care.

See documentation guidelines for Independent (22+ and on the maximum rate of a benefit) or Independent (22+ not on maximum benefit) whichever applies to you.

Independent (22+ and on the maximum rate of a benefit)

If you are 22 or older Centrelink considers you independent.

If you personally receive the maximum rate of a Centrelink income and asset tested benefit, simply enter your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) in the QTAC application.

QTAC will confirm your information with Centrelink electronically.

Independent (22+ and not on the maximum rate of a benefit)

If you are 22 or older Centrelink considers you independent.

If you don’t receive the maximum rate of an eligible Centrelink benefit, you must supply:

• your Income Tax Return for the most recent financial year
• your Notice of Assessment for the most recent financial year
• your most recent Income Statement from Centrelink (if you receive benefits)

Partnered

If you have a partner, you must document gross income for both you and your partner.

To document your gross income please supply:

• your Income Tax Return for the most recent financial year
• your Notice of Assessment for the most recent financial year
• your most recent Income Statement from Centrelink (if you receive benefits)

To document your partner’s gross income please supply:

• your partner’s Income Tax Return for the most recent financial year
• your partner’s most recent Income Statement from Centrelink (if they receive a benefit)
• your partner’s Notice of Assessment for the most recent financial year

A Business Owner or Dependent of a Business Owner

Business owners and their dependents must fully document their gross business income and expenses as well as individual income.

Sole traders and their dependents must supply:

• the business operator’s individual Income Tax Return

Business operators who run a partnership, company, or trust should supply their individual tax return AND relevant evidence of business income, which may include:

• Business Accounts including a complete, itemised list of expenses
• Partnership Tax Returns
• Company Tax Accounts
• Trust Tax Return

Below the tax-free threshold

If any member of your household aged 22 or older was not required to lodge an Income Tax Return because their income was below the tax-free threshold, you must provide an official non-lodgment advice from the Australian Taxation Office for that person.

QTAC also requires documentary evidence of all income the individual earned below the threshold. 

See the table below for guidance on how to document income below the tax-free threshold.

Gross household income includes:

• gross salary and wages from employment
• Centrelink taxed benefits/payments
• employer reportable super and employer reportable fringe benefits
• gross income from a business/primary production
• income from partnerships/trusts
• gross interest earned (refer to Centrelink for the deeming rules)
• gross dividends received (refer to Centrelink for the deeming rules)
• gross rental income from investment properties
• capital gains income
• tax-free payments from Centrelink and
• Department of Veterans’ Affairs payments

We calculate eligibility under Financial Hardship based on gross household income from all sources. The figures below are indicative only and subject to change.

If your household income is slightly higher (within 10%), it is still worth applying, as other factors can be taken into consideration.

If you or your family have experienced extreme financial situations such as early payout of super for medical reasons, please submit supporting documentation in addition to the Income Tax Return, Notice of Assessment and Centrelink documents requested. We assess such situations case by case.

Re-read all correspondence from QTAC carefully and double check the documentation guidelines to be absolutely sure you have supplied full and complete documentation.

Sometimes when applicants claim to be living on very low annual income (less than the maximum of JobSeeker payment) we request further evidence. All claims to be living on income below this level must be substantiated.

Refer to our quick guide.

The document we require is clearly labelled “Income Statement.” We need it to check the name and date of birth of the person receiving the benefit, the name of the benefit, and whether the individual is receiving the maximum rate (yes or no).

No other document provides all this information. Be sure not to confuse your Income Statement with a similar looking document titled, “About your Family Tax Benefit/Youth Allowance/Disability Support Pension.”

This document does not provide us with all the information we need and is not assessable.

We calculate eligibility under Financial Hardship based on gross household income. The Income Tax Return is the only document that provides us with all the information needed for our assessment.

We need the Notice of Assessment in addition to the full Income Tax Return as evidence the document was formally lodged with the Australian Taxation Office.

Pay summaries are not assessable as they usually only show income from one employer.

ATO tax summaries are not assessable as they do not show full details of income from all sources.

The Notice of Assessment is not assessable alone without its accompanying Income Tax Return because it shows taxable income only.

The Income Tax Return is the longer, multi-page document a taxpayer or their accountant lodges with the Australian Taxation Office.

The Notice of Assessment is the shorter, one-to-two-page document that the Australian Tax Office sends back to the taxpayer once assessment has been finalised.

Both are required for us to assess your eligibility for EAS Financial Hardship.

PayG Payment summaries and ATO Income Statements cannot be used as evidence of financial hardship. They show gross payments from one or more employers, but do not include other kinds of income such as Centrelink benefits, interest, investments, and rent.

Screenshots from the ATO website cannot be used as evidence of financial hardship. These provide an incomplete, unofficial, point-in-time summary of tax information. We require a full Income Tax Return that has been officially lodged with the Australian Taxation Office and its accompanying Notice of Assessment.

Bank statements cannot be used as evidence of financial hardship. They show income and expenses for one or more bank accounts over a period of time, but do not provide an overall picture of an individual’s finances for the past financial year.

If you wish to be considered for EAS Financial Hardship, you will need to lodge you Income Tax Return and have it assessed in time for your QTAC application. You cannot be made eligible without supplying this document.

If you have been made eligible for scholarship the offering institution will contact you directly.