External
The Income Support Bonus (ISB) is paid to eligible students every six months to assist with cost of living pressures. To be eligible to receive the ISB, a person must be:
- receiving an education allowance under the MRCAETS on 20 March and/or 20 September (test dates), and
- in secondary or tertiary education and aged:
- 16 years or older, or
- under 16 and receiving an education allowance at the double orphan, homeless, or living away from home rate.
A person does not need to claim the ISB. It is automatically paid to the person (or persons) receiving the education allowance. If a shared care arrangement exists for the payment of the education allowance, those proportions will be applied to the ISB.
Amount and taxation
The current ISB amount can be found in the payment rates chart. The ISB is tax-free, not subject to a means test and is not included as income for income test purposes.