This page relates to questions surrounding suitable purchases, changes to items approved, purchase of not-approved items and purchase of items prior to approval. If you need clarification on any terms please view the Glossary of Terms and/or the TILA Guidelines.

FAQ Purchases

? What items can be purchased with the TILA allowance?
A The following is a list of items grouped into categories are examples that can be purchased with the TILA allowance:

• White goods - Fridge, washing machine
• Kitchen appliances - Microwave, toaster, blender, mixer
• Furniture - Lounge room and dining room suites, coffee table, TV stand/entertainment unit, bed and bedroom furniture
• Bedding and manchester - mattress, sheets, pillows, doona, rugs, towels
• Food and clothing
• One-off transport expenses - driving lessons, car or motor-cycle purchase, registration, insurance, car/motor-cycle repairs to make it roadworthy, push-bike
• Educational expenses - laptop or desktop computer, clothing for school, textbooks, enrolment fees for school, TAFE or University, broadband connection
• Employment expenses - work tools, interview and work clothes
• Bus and train passes
• Utility connection fees - phone, electricity and gas connections.

? Do I need to get more than one quote for the same item?
A No. There is no need to get multiple quotes for the same item - for example three quotes for a washing machine. The Service Provider only needs the one quote. Quotes must have your name on it when it is generated by the store's system. It cannot be handwritten at a later date unless the docket does not allow for your name to be entered in a field on the computer quote.

? Can I claim the GST on purchases?
A The TILA allowance is GST free. That means GST cannot be claimed on purchases. If your referring worker and their organisation pays for items after your application was approved, they cannot claim GST as they will be fully reimbursed the amount of TOTAL purchases made on your behalf to the maximum allowed of $1,500. The referring organisation acts as a conduit between you and the Service Provider.

? I am looking to buy a car/motor-cycle. Can the TILA allowance be used to for this?
A A car or motor-cycle can be purchased with the TILA allowance however it must be purchased from a licensed dealer with an ABN (Australian Business Number). This means the car or motor-cycle cannot be purchased from a private seller in the paper, a family member, relative or friend or on Ebay. The car or motor-cycle must also be registered in your name.

? Can I buy the car/motor-cycle from a private seller?
A No. See response above.

? Does it matter if the car/motor-cycle is not registered or insured in my name?
A Yes it does. In order for a car or motor-cycle to be approved, it must be purchased from a licensed dealer with an ABN, and must be registered in your name. If you want the TILA allowance to pay for insurance, the insurance policy will need to be in your name, as well.

? Can I use the TILA allowance to buy second-hand goods?
A Yes you can buy second-hand goods. However, we advise young people that this as an opportunity to buy new things which will normally have a longer warranty. We understand buying second-hand goods can provide value for money and the ability to purchase more items to maximise the TILA allowance. Second-hand goods must still be purchased from a business with an ABN and not from a private seller. Please note: Referring organisations selling second-hand goods, where they are the referring organisation for the young person seeking to purchase such items from their store(s), must declare a Conflict of Interest to the National TILA Service Provider upon submitting the application.

? Can the TILA allowance be used to pay for Bond?
A The TILA allowance can only be used to pay for Bond where the referring organisation has attempted to access the relevant State-based Bond Scheme and either the young person is not eligible or the amount provided by the scheme is not sufficient. In this instance, TILA can be used to pay for the Bond or the shortfall.

? Can the TILA allowance be used to pay for Rent?
A Rent payments cannot be paid to the referring organisation for clients residing in the referring organisation's crisis and/or supported accommodation services.

? I don't start school/TAFE/Uni semester for another x months. Can I still use TILA to pay for my textbooks and enrolment fees?
A The TILA allowance must be used within 28 days of an approval. This means once your application has been approved and payments sent to your referring worker, you have 28 days from the date on the cheque to make purchases. If your referring worker's organisation is paying, then after the approval is given, they have 28 days from the approval date to pay for the textbooks and enrolment fees. If the purchases cannot be made in this timeframe because your semester does not start for some time you will need to reapply closer to the start date.

? Do I have to notify TILA of any changes to items to be purchased?
A Yes you must contact TILA if the items chosen no longer match what was written on the application form.

? I have gone to the store and the item is no longer in stock. What do I do?
A You must contact TILA if the approved item is no longer available. You may be able to purchase a replacement item but you must wait to receive instruction from TILA staff that it is ok to do so. If no similar item is available and we have drawn a cheque payment, the cheque will need to be returned and a new quote submitted for approval.

? What happens if we purchase an item that has not been approved?
A Where an agency has purchased a non-approved item, we are under no obligation to reimburse the agency.

? Are we allowed to purchase items before the application has been approved?
A No. The TILA Guidelines are very clear as is the description of Option 1 in the Part B on page 2 of the application form. A referring agency may only make purchases after an approval has been given by the TILA National Service Provider. Purchases made prior to approval will not be reimbursed.

? The young person is moving in within the next few days or has moved in recently. Can we purchase these items now and wait for the approval?
A No. Please see the previous response. TILA is not meant to be used as an emergency payment and is to be used as part of a planned transition process. We recommend the agency submit the application at least 3 - 4 weeks prior to the expected transition date.

? Once we hand over payment to the supplier what do we need to do next?
A The next step is to ensure you or the young person obtains a copy of a receipt for the purchase. The receipt must be in the young person's name. If your service is paying for the items, you must instruct the store to place the young person's name in a field on the generated tax receipt. This is normally placed in the account field or delivery instructions.

A copy of the receipt must be forwarded to TILA via fax, scanned and emailed, or posted. Once a valid receipt is received, the application can be closed if Option 2 was selected or the referring service is reimbursed where Option 1 was selected.