Manage your payments while studying

What you need to tell Services Australia

You need to tell Services Australia if you:

• don’t stay enrolled in your course
• stop studying and don’t plan to return to study
• stop being a full time Australian Apprentice
• don’t start your course within 2 weeks of the course start date
• change your course
• start studying at a different institution
• reduce your study or training workload.

How to tell Services Australia

You can update your study details with Services Australia by:

• logging in to your Centrelink online account
• using the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app
• calling the Youth and students line or ABSTUDY line.

Declaring government payments

You need to declare most government payments in your tax return if you need to lodge. This includes tax-free government payments you receive. The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) uses this information to work out if you are eligible for any government benefits or concessions and tax offsets.

Find out more about declaring government payments and allowances on the ATO website.

If you don’t need to lodge a tax return, you may need to let the ATO know by submitting a non-lodgement advice. Find out more about a non-lodgement advice on the ATO website.