Commonwealth Prac Payment

Your application must include evidence that supports your eligibility for the CPP.

Your application and supporting documentation must be in English and verifiable. For any documentation issued in a language other than English, an official translation in English must also be provided. The Institute of Modern Languages (IML-UQ) provides pay-by-use NAATI certified translation and interpreting services for the UQ community and general public.

The type of documentation required will depend on your circumstances:

Income support payment (ISP) documentation

You must provide evidence confirming the ISP you are currently receiving or expect to receive on the start date for the placement.

Acceptable documentation demonstrating current eligibility for an ISP payment includes:

• a current Centrelink Income Statement (can be obtained using the Centrelink Online Services ‘request document’ functionality)
• a current ABSTUDY Income Statement
• a current DVA Payment Summary or a General Statement of Pension.

'Need to work' and income documentation

You must submit supporting documentation for the applicable evidentiary period showing the number of hours worked and your pay before tax.

Acceptable documentation for the evidentiary period includes:

• payslips
• payroll prints, time and wages sheets
• a letter from your employer
• for self-employed students, client invoicing and billing information and/or sole trader timesheets.

The evidence must confirm you have worked for more than 60 hours and earned less than $6,000 during the 4-week evidentiary period.

Documentation for other types of income

If you are receiving other income, you'll need to submit relevant supporting documentation. For example, for a scholarship, the award notification letter confirming the details of the award including the year, value and payment dates.

Exceptional circumstances

An exceptional circumstances application needs to identify the relevant exceptional circumstances category that has prevented you from meeting one or more of the CPP eligibility requirements. This should be accompanied by documentiary evidence.

If you have or had an approved Student Access Plan (SAP) for the semester for which you are applying, you can submit a copy of your SAP and the forms and documentation provided to the Student advisor when you applied for the SAP.

If you do not have an approved SAP in place or do not wish apply for one, you will need to submit an application using the template we provide to you, as well as a supporting medical document or carer’s document as applicable. 

The following documentation is acceptable for each category of exceptional circumstances. This is not an exhaustive list:

Disability

Documentation from a registered health practicioner outlining the general details of the disability or condition which affects the student's ability to engage with work or study. This documentation should also include the kinds of adjustments to work or study that a student may require.

Health and medical

Medical certificate or statements/letters of support from a registered health practitioner outlining the:

• general details of an illness, or chronic condition which affects the student's ability to engage with work or study
• kinds of adjustments to work or study a student may require as a result of their condition and how long these should apply
• estimated time the applicant will be unable to meet eligibility requirements.

Health and medical - Carer

Additional documentation may be required for the circumstance of care giving, where the applicant is providing care to someone with a significant relationship to them. Letters of support should be provided by the person receiving the care’s:

• registered health practitioner
• treating registered health practitioner, or
• service.

Acute personal or family life

Acceptable documentation includes:

• statutory declarations
• medical certificate or statements or letters of support from registered health practitioner
• death certificate, death or funeral notice - if obtaining this documentation is difficult or not culturally appropriate, you may instead provide a letter from a medical or mental health professional who can attest to the impact your circumstances had on your health or wellbeing
• evidence of mandatory relocation
• documentation from local governments, State or Territory governments, Australian Government departments or agencies such as evidence of income support payments from Services Australia, ATO statements of income
• pay slips from employers or timesheets/invoicing information for sole traders
• support from the Indigenous Higher Education Unit of the Higher Education Provider
• family violence support service documents, documents issued by a police service, or documents issued by a court as per the Fair Work Ombudsman’s publication, Notice and evidence for family and domestic violence leave
• evidence from a registered service provider
• evidence of residence in an area affected by natural disaster or emergency
• evidence of compulsory legal proceedings or court-imposed requirements or conditions.