Had to move out of home to start your apprenticeship, or to take one in a town where the work actually is? There’s a specific payment for exactly that situation — the Living Away From Home Allowance (LAFHA) for apprentices. It’s not huge, but it’s a weekly top-up that’s easy to miss if nobody tells you it exists.
There’s also a fair bit of confusion because Centrelink has its own, completely different “living away from home” rate under Youth Allowance, and the two get mixed up constantly. This guide covers which one is which, how much the apprentice version actually pays, and how you’d go about getting it.
The short version (TL;DR)
- LAFHA for apprentices pays roughly $125.52 a week in year one, $94.14 a week in year two, and $47.07 a week in year three (2026-27 rates, indexed annually).
- You need to have moved away from your parents’ or legal guardian’s home specifically to start or continue your apprenticeship.
- It’s a different payment to Centrelink’s Youth Allowance away-from-home rate — you generally can’t get both.
- You apply through your Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) provider, not through Centrelink or the ATO.
- Rates step down each year of your apprenticeship, so it’s front-loaded toward when the move is freshest and often hardest financially.
What LAFHA actually is
LAFHA is a weekly payment for Australian Apprentices who’ve had to relocate away from their parents’ or guardian’s home specifically because of their apprenticeship — whether that’s to start the apprenticeship in the first place, to keep going with it, or to attend essential off-the-job training somewhere else. It’s meant to help cover the extra cost of paying your own rent and living expenses that you wouldn’t have if you were still able to live at home.
It’s administered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations and paid out through your Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) provider — the organisation that manages your training contract, such as BUSY at Work, MEGT or a similar provider depending on where you’re based.
How much it actually pays
The weekly rate is set per year of your apprenticeship and is indexed each year on 1 July. For the 2026-27 financial year, the rates are approximately:
- Year 1: $125.52 per week
- Year 2: $94.14 per week
- Year 3: $47.07 per week
These figures move slightly each year with indexation, so treat them as the current ballpark rather than a fixed number — check the official rate sheet before relying on an exact figure for budgeting. Notice the rate drops each year — it’s designed to help most with the initial cost of setting up an independent household, tapering off as you’re presumably more established by year three.
Who’s actually eligible
Broadly, you may be eligible if you’ve had to move away from your parents’ or legal guardian’s home to:
- Start an Australian Apprenticeship
- Continue an apprenticeship you’re already doing
- Undertake essential supplementary training with a different employer
- You’re experiencing homelessness (this can apply even without the standard “moved for the apprenticeship” circumstance)
There are a few things that rule you out. You generally won’t be eligible if you’re already receiving Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY (specifically the away-from-home components of those payments), if you’re already getting rental or accommodation assistance from another government source, or if you actually moved away from your parents’ home more than three months before your apprenticeship started — the move has to be genuinely connected to the apprenticeship, not incidental to it.
LAFHA vs the Centrelink rate — why people mix them up
This is where a lot of apprentices get confused. Centrelink’s Youth Allowance also has a “living away from home” rate for young people who’ve had to move out, which is a completely different payment with its own eligibility rules, run by Services Australia rather than DEWR. They’re not designed to stack — if you’re getting Centrelink’s away-from-home rate, that generally rules you out of apprentice LAFHA, and vice versa.
Which one actually suits your situation better depends on your personal circumstances — your age, your income, whether you have other Centrelink entitlements, and how the numbers compare. That’s a genuinely individual calculation, so it’s worth talking it through with your AASN provider and, if you’re weighing it against a Centrelink payment, with Services Australia directly, rather than assuming one is automatically better.
How to actually apply
You don’t apply to Centrelink or the ATO for this one — you go through your Australian Apprenticeship Support Network (AASN) provider, the same organisation supporting your training contract. They’ll talk you through whether you meet the “moved away for the apprenticeship” test, get your documentation sorted (proof of your new address, when you moved, and why), and set the payment up if you’re eligible. If you’re not sure who your AASN provider is, your Registered Training Organisation or employer should be able to point you to them.
Timing matters
Because of the three-month rule, it pays to sort this out early rather than waiting. If you move for the apprenticeship and then don’t get around to applying until months later, you risk falling outside that window and losing eligibility altogether, even though the move was genuinely for the apprenticeship. Applying as soon as you’ve relocated (or as soon as you start the apprenticeship, if that comes first) is the safer approach.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get LAFHA if I’m renting with mates, not living solo?
Eligibility is generally about whether you’ve moved away from your parents’/guardian’s home for the apprenticeship, not about your specific living arrangement once you’ve moved. Confirm the specifics of your situation with your AASN provider.
Does LAFHA count as taxable income?
Tax treatment of apprentice support payments can vary by payment type. Check with the ATO or a registered tax agent for how it applies to your return.
What if I moved for a job, not specifically the apprenticeship?
The link between your move and your apprenticeship matters for eligibility — a move that’s incidental to your apprenticeship (like moving for an unrelated reason) may not qualify. Your AASN provider assesses this on your specific circumstances.
Can I switch from Centrelink’s rate to LAFHA later?
Potentially, but the two payments interact and you generally can’t receive both at once. If your circumstances change, raise it with both Services Australia and your AASN provider to work out which payment you should be on.
This guide is general information only — not financial or legal advice. Amounts and rules change and vary by state and trade. Always confirm with the official sources linked above before making decisions. Information correct as at July 2026.
Official sources: Australian Apprenticeships — Financial support for apprentices, Service NSW — Living Away From Home Allowance (apprentices), Services Australia — Youth Allowance.