FAQ

Is the TILA Allowance a cash payment?
What cannot be paid under the Allowance?
Is TILA regarded as income for Centrelink reporting purposes?
How do I find out if a young person has Independent Status?
What happens if the young person does not supply their Centrelink Reference Number (CRN)?
What do I do if I have a complaint?
Eligibility Scenarios
Glossary

This page details answers to common questions and will be updated as time goes by.

1. Is the TILA Allowance a cash payment?

No. TILA is not a direct cash payment to a young person.

2. What cannot be paid under the Allowance?

TILA is not designed to be used on an ad-hoc basis for crisis assistance.

Therefore, TILA funds should not be used to replace assistance that is available through other existing schemes, such as:

• Rental bond assistance schemes;

• Centrelink payments e.g. maternity payment;

• Scholarship funds; and

• Other transitional support schemes.

Where a transition support program or similar support measure exists, TILA should not be used to replace any of these support measures. However, if a young person has received the maximum benefit or support available under an existing measure and the need is still unmet, there is scope for TILA to be used to complement this.

Example: TILA funds cannot generally be used for bond assistance if a young person can receive bond assistance from a state or territory government. However, if a young person can only receive partial bond assistance from a state or territory government, TILA can be used to fund the difference.

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3. Is TILA regarded as income for Centrelink reporting purposes? TILA is *not* regarded as income for the purposes of income support entitlement assessments by Centrelink and it is not subject to repayment by a young person. A young person eligible for TILA may also be eligible for income support. 4. How do I find out if a young person has Independent Status? Contact Centrelink. As a guide: The young person should: (i) be in receipt of, or be eligible for, one of the following payment types Youth Allowance; or Disability Support Pension; or Abstudy; or Special Benefit; AND (ii) have been granted Independent status for one of the following reasons: Homeless (unreasonable to live at home); or Supported state care; or Unsupported state care; or Refugee without parents in Australia ; or Orphan; or Parents unable to exercise their responsibilities .
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5. What happens if the young person does not supply their Centrelink Reference Number (CRN)? If a young person does not wish to disclose their personal details, including their CRN, it may affect their assessment of TILA. This is because the information collected on the Referral Assessment Form is essential to determine the eligibility of the young person. 6. What do I do if I have a complaint? If your complaint is with the Australian Government or how the allowance is assessed, you can contact the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations. If your complaint is with SYFS, please contact us to see if your concerns can be addressed. If this is not possible and you are not satisfied with the result, your concerns can be referred to DEEWR.
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