Home Raising kids Teenagers Preparing for adult life checklist

Preparing for adult life checklist

If you’re a teenager, use this list to choose a pathway after school, get a payment, find a job and control your health care.

Getting ready to leave school

When you leave school, you can:

  • work full time 
  • do an apprenticeship or traineeship
  • continue studying at university or a vocational education and training provider. 

If you aren’t sure what to do next there are resources that can help. You can use:

  • Your Career to search study and training courses, and find information about pay and available jobs across different careers
  • myfuture to explore occupations, courses, industries and find resources to help you apply for jobs
  • Job Jumpstart to work out what jobs might suit you.

Find out more about vocational education and training and higher education.

If you want to continue studying after school, you need a Unique Student Identifier (USI) to apply for courses. Find out how to get a USI on the USI website.

There are payments to help while you’re studying. Find out about financial help while you’re studying.

If you’re planning to work after school and build your career, you can use Workforce Australia to help in your job search.

Find out about payments you may get while you’re looking for work.

Check if you’re eligible for any of these payments:

Claim a Centrelink payment

You can claim a payment in your Centrelink online account through myGov.

If you don’t have a myGov account, create one and link Centrelink.

On the Services Australia website, you can find out about other payments if you’re:

Starting work

Visit the Youth Law Australia website to find out what age you can start work in your state or territory.

To find a job you can:

The Job Jumpstart website has tips for writing resumes and cover letters and interviews.

Transition to Work program

You may be eligible for a Transition to Work program, which helps you to:

  • develop skills to get a job
  • connect with education or training
  • find local jobs
  • connect with local community services.

Find out more about Transition to Work on the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations website.

You need a tax file number (TFN) if you want to get a job. Your TFN is a personal reference number you use for tax and superannuation.

Find out how to get or find your TFN.

When you start working, you need to choose which super fund you want to use.

To help you decide, use the YourSuper comparison tool on the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website. It helps you compare super funds based on their performance.

Superannuation, or super, is money set aside during your working life for when you retire.

Your employer pays a percentage of your income into a super fund for you. This is an investment and grows over time to help you save for retirement.

Find out more about super on the ATO website.

If you’re working, you’ll need to either lodge a tax return or non-lodgment advice at the end of each financial year.

Find out how to prepare for tax time.

Lodge your tax return

You can lodge your tax return in your Australian Taxation Office (ATO) online services through myGov.

Select Australian Taxation Office, then select Tax, then Lodgements and Income Tax.

If you don’t have a myGov account, create one and link ATO.

You can find out about other lodgment options on the ATO website.

There are laws to make sure your workplace is safe, you’re paid fairly and you can access entitlements like leave.

Understand your rights and entitlements as a young worker or student on the Fair Work Ombudsman website.

Looking after your health

You can get your own Medicare card when you turn 15. You can choose to:

  • transfer to your own card
  • stay on your parent’s card and get a digital copy of the card.

Find out about Medicare on the Services Australia website.

Transferring to your own card

If you have a myGov account with Medicare linked, you can get your own card online.

Select My card, then Get a new card and number and follow the prompts.

If you don’t have a myGov account, create one and link Medicare.

You can find out more about getting your own Medicare card on the Services Australia website.

Getting a digital copy of your parent’s card

If you’re on your parent’s Medicare card, you can get a digital copy of it in the myGov app.

Find out how to set up the myGov app.

To add your Medicare card to your myGov app, go to the Wallet on the home screen. Then select Add to wallet and follow the prompts.

Find out more about how to get a digital card on the Services Australia website.

You may be able to claim money back from Medicare at your doctor’s or use your Medicare online account through myGov.

If you don’t have a myGov account, create one and link Medicare.

Find out more about claiming your Medicare benefit through myGov.

Updating your bank details

Medicare pays your benefit into your bank account. When you change banks, make sure you update your bank details so you can get your benefit.

If your Medicare online account is linked to myGov, sign in now to update your bank details.

Select My details, then View and edit my details and scroll to bank details and select Edit.

If you don’t have a myGov account, create one and link Medicare.

When you turn 14, you can manage your own My Health Record.

You need to create a myGov account and link to My Health Record to access it.

You get these free immunisations through school in years 7 and 10:

  • diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) at 12 to 13 years old
  • human papillomavirus (HPV) at 12 to 13 years old
  • meningococcal ACWY at 14 to 16 years old.

Find out more about immunisation for adolescents on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

Access your immunisation history statement

When you turn 14, you can access your immunisation history statement in your Medicare online account through myGov.

If you have a Medicare online account linked to myGov, sign in now to get your statement.

If you don’t have a myGov account, create one and link Medicare.

Find out more about how to access your statement when you’re 14 or older on the Services Australia website.

You can get help for your mental health through school counsellors, your GP or a psychologist.

Free mental health services

There are free services that offer support and advice. You can find out how to contact them on their websites:

Mental health services in your state or territory

You can also get help through community organisations in your state or territory.

Finding housing

If you’re planning to pay rent or buy a home, you may get Rent Assistance or other payments. Find out more about renting and buying a home.

If you’re homeless, or at risk of being homeless, there are youth housing and accommodation services. You’ll need to call them and ask if there are any vacancies. Find a service in your state or territory.

Find out about making a leaving care plan with your case worker,  if you’re leaving out-of-home or foster care on the Youth Law Australia website.

Information in your state or territory

Get information about leaving out-of-home or foster care on your state or territory website.

Payments

If you’re leaving out-of-home or foster care, find out about the Transition to Independent Living Allowance on the Department of Social Services website.

You can also find out if you’re eligible for a Centrelink payment if you’re transitioning out of care on the Services Australia website.

Getting transport

Find out what you need to do and what age you can start learning to drive on your state or territory website.

You may get free or low cost public transport if you’re a student or if you have a concession card. Check if you’re eligible on your state or territory website.

Voting

When you turn 18 you need to enrol to vote. It’s compulsory for all eligible Australian citizens to enrol and vote in federal elections, by-elections and referendums.

You can enrol to vote on the Australian Electoral Commission website.
Page last updated: 8 September 2025