The Student Assistance Act 1973 stipulates that ABSTUDY benefits are not payable in respect of an applicant until Centrelink is given:
- the applicant's tax file number; and
- where another person's income or assets are required to be taken into account for the purpose of calculating the benefit, that person's tax file number.
Payments may not commence on an ABSTUDY claim until either the relevant persons (see 8.2) have either provided their TFN or lodged a claim for a TFN with Centrelink for referral to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
Legislation requires that the following categories of persons must provide their TFN when applying for ABSTUDY assistance:
- students aged 16 or older;
- Australian Apprentices;
- parents/guardians of students aged less than 16 years;
- parents/guardians of all students aged 16 years or older, upon whom the student is financially dependent; and
- the student's or Australian Apprentice's partner.
The following categories of persons do not need to provide a TFN when making claim for ABSTUDY assistance:
- customers who have previously supplied their TFN to Centrelink;
- students under 16 years of age;
- students, parents or partners who are exempt from providing their TFN under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 as they receive a FaCS or DVA income support pension or benefit;
- students, Australian Apprentices, parents or partners who are at risk from another person and whose physical safety could be at increased risk from the disclosure of their TFN;
- Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander clients who are attending a traditional ceremony at the time of claim lodgement - a TFN must be provided on their return from participation in that ceremony;
- students, Australian Apprentices, parents or partners who have lost all records of their TFN because of fire or flood damage to their home within the six months preceding the claim for ABSTUDY - ceases to take effect six months after the damage occurred;
- customers who have lodged a claim for a TFN through Centrelink but have not yet received advice from ATO;
- parents who live permanently outside Australia and who do not earn income in Australia;
- parents or partners who are temporarily overseas - a TFN must be provided on their return to Australia;
- aged person 80+ (no review required);
- persons living in a Natural Disaster Zone (review required, review period is 90 days);
- homeless person (review required, review period is 90 days);
- profoundly disabled persons;
- person in Nursing Home;
- person in Psychiatric Institution; and
- partner uncontactable (review required, review period is 90 days).
A student or Australian Apprentice and the student's or Australian Apprentice’s partner or the student's or Australian Apprentice’s parent/guardian will be regarded as having supplied a TFN if:
- s/he has provided the TFN to Centrelink for a previous claim; or
- s/he provides her/his TFN for the current claim; or
- s/he has lodged a TFN claim/enquiry form with Centrelink.