For Year 12 students leaving school, it is an exciting but sometimes uncertain time as they navigate life changes.

There are financial and support services available that may be useful for students to know before they finish high school.

Leaving school information

The Services Australia website has information to support students finishing secondary school whether they are interested in working, doing an apprenticeship or traineeship, or doing further study. The interactive school leavers video is a fun way to find out about student payments, Medicare and more.

Youth Allowance for students and apprentices and ABSTUDY provide financial support for students. There are also other payments for students who need to move away from a regional or remote area.

Medicare benefits

Students will need to add a bank account to their Medicare account to get Medicare benefits. This has to be done whether they have their own Medicare card or choose to stay on their parents’ card. They can find out more at getting Medicare benefits.

Resources for schools

The School Leavers Resource eKit on the Services Australia website has been updated for this year, and we encourage all secondary schools to download and use this.

It contains many different resources that explain Centrelink payments and how to get started with myGov.