Commonwealth Prac Payments

From 1 July 2025, the Australian Government will introduce the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) to assist eligible students with costs related to mandatory placements in higher education courses for teaching, nursing, and social work.

The Commonwealth Prac Payment will help ease financial pressures for eligible students during practicums and will help ensure they persist with their studies, graduate, and enter the workforce. At UWA, students undertaking degrees with a mandatory placement can now receive financial support through the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP). This payment will help ease the financial burden of placement costs and ensures you can focus on your learning and practical training.

From July 2025, if you’re eligible, you may be able to access up to $331.65 per week during your placement. This payment is benchmarked to the single Austudy rate and is means-tested to provide support to students who need it most.

Key Benefits of the Commonwealth Prac Payment

The Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) is designed to support students in programs such as nursing, teaching, midwifery, and social work who are required to undertake mandatory placements. This financial aid will assist around 68,000 students across Australia, including those studying at UWA, by assisting covering the costs of:

travel and accommodation, especially for placements located far from home or campus
materials and uniforms, which will often continue to be useful in future employment
general living costs during placement, allowing you to focus on your education.

The CPP provides up to $331.65 per week and is available for the minimum period of placement required to achieve entry to practice in the eligible field of education as determined by the Accrediting body. The minimum period of placement are:

Nursing (Bachelor) – 20 weeks of placement
Teaching Education (Bachelor) – 16 weeks of placement
Teaching Education (Masters) – 12 weeks of placement
Social Work (Bachelor) – 26 weeks of placement
Social Work (Masters) -26 weeks of placement

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible to receive the CPP, you must be:

A domestic student
Enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place ;
Be undertaking an approved Bachelor’s or Master’s degree that leads to entry-to-practice in Teaching, Social Work or Nursing;
Be completing your placement on a full-time basis (minimum of 30 hours per week) ; and

In addition, you must either:

Be receiving a Commonwealth income support payment (Criteria 1)

Be able to demonstrate a need to work by having worked more than 15 hours per week in a continuous 4-week period during ordinary study periods, prior to the application (Criteria 2)

AND

Have a gross (pre-tax) income of no more than $1,500 per week during the same 4-week evidential period. This includes scholarships received from the University that are paid to you (tuition scholarships are exempt)

How to apply for the Commonwealth Prac Payment

You will be required to submit a complete application for CPP before commencing your first placement. Applications will be open two months before the placement start date and close two weeks before the placement begins.

You will need to supply supporting documentation, depending on your eligibility criteria:

If applying under Criteria 1 (Commonwealth Income support payment):

A copy of your Centrelink Payment Details or Income Statement retrieved from Centrelink online services

If applying under Criteria 2 (Need to Work):

Evident that you have worked more than 60 hours over a continuous four week period. Acceptable documents include payroll summaries, time and wage slips, payslips, or for self employed applicants - client invoices, billing records or sole trader timesheets.

Assessment/Re-assessment

Your application will be assessed against the eligibility criteria that has been set by the Department. We will also check if you are in receipt of a scholarship from the University. If you are, this will be included in your weekly gross earnings calculation.

You will be required to complete a confirmation of ongoing eligibility at the beginning of each Semester, for the remainder of your course. This will be emailed to your UWA email address and will include a form that you will need to complete and outline any changes to your circumstances that may impact your eligibility as well as providing supporting documentation for either Criteria 1 or Criteria 2.

Outcome notification

You will be provided with an outcome of your application in writing to your student email account. The outcome email will include details on how the payment will be provided, the frequency of payments and a list of obligations and conditions that you will need to adhere to. You will be required to respond to this outcome email agreeing to the information provided.

FAQs

When will I receive my payment?

All payments will be processed fortnightly to students, with the first payment being administered the week prior to the start of the placement. You will need to ensure that your bank account details have been entered in studentConnect prior to the start of your placements to avoid delays in the processing of your payments.
What if my placement is delayed or undertaken at a different time?

If your placement is delayed or you are required to undertake it at a different time than it was originally scheduled, you will need to submit your application at least two weeks prior to the start date of your placement.
What if I am undertaking a part-time placement?

To be eligible for the Commonwealth Practicum Payment, students are required to be undertaking a placement on a full-time basis, that is, a minimum of 30 hours per week.
What if I undertake part or all my placement interstate or overseas?

If your placement is a required placement for your course and is within the maximum approved placement weeks, you will be eligible to receive the Commonwealth Practicum Payment.
What if my circumstances change during my placement?

If there are any changes to your circumstances throughout your studies that may impact your eligibility, you will need to notify the university as soon as practical to prevent overpayment.
What if I need to defer my placement?

If you need to defer your placement for any reason, you may retain the amount paid for the current placement, pending completion of the deferred placement. If you are not planning on returning to complete the placement, you will need to return any money paid to the University.
What if I withdraw from my course?

If you withdraw from your course and have received the Commonwealth Practicum Payment and you have not completed your placement, you will be required to return the payment for the equivalent period of placement that was not undertaken. You will be contacted with details on how to return the payment to the University. An administrative encumbrance will be placed on your account until the payment has been returned.
What if I change my mind and move to an alternative course that offers the Commonwealth Practicum Payment?

If you withdraw from your course and enrol into another discipline that is approved for the Commonwealth Practicum Payment (eg from teaching to nursing), your entitlements will reset.
What types of Scholarships are included in the income assessment?

Any scholarships or bursaries that you have been awarded from UWA that are not tuition scholarships are counted towards your income assessment. Payment of student contribution amounts supplied accommodation or any other form of indirect/in-kind support to students will not be counted towards the income testing requirements.
What if my course requires me to undertake more practicum weeks than is approved by the Department?

Where a provider requires you to undertake a period of placement above the minimum standard requirement, you will not be entitled to the Commonwealth Practicum Payment for the additional periods. This information will be provided to you once your application has been assessed.
What if I am required to retake or repeat a placement to achieve the minimum requirements?

The department is currently considering policy related to supporting students in this scenario and further information will be provided once a decision has been reached.
Does the Commonwealth Practicum Payment impact my social security or tax?

Commonwealth Practicum Payments are considered ordinary income for taxation and social security purposes and may impact the rate at which you receive a social security payment. You are required to declare the amounts of Commonwealth Practicum Payment that you receive to the Australian Taxation Office as part of your annual tax return and to Services Australia for assessment of your ongoing rates of social security payment or other allowance, if applicable.

UWA will provide you with an official document that declares how much Commonwealth Practicum Payment you have received each financial year. Students are responsible for managing potential impacts of Commonwealth Practicum Payments on your support payments or financial assistance from other sources.
How to do I review an outcome that I received for my application?

If you have been assessed as ineligible for the Commonwealth Practicum Payment, you can request that the decision is reviewed in line with the University’s Review of Academic Decision Process via the public facing form.
What does exceptional circumstances mean

Some students may have exceptional circumstances, which prevent them from meeting the eligibility criteria related to placement hours or means testing but who still require support so they can participate in their placements alongside other students.

This could include where a student has a demonstrated need to change the number of hours of their placement to less than 30 hours per week on average (e.g. as part of reasonable adjustments for a student with a disability) or where illness or caring responsibilities has resulted in a student not being able to work more than 15 hours per week on average during their normal higher education study.

These students will still need to be enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place in an eligible course and will need to demonstrate the exceptional circumstances that apply before being considered for support, including through provision of appropriate documentation (e.g. an UniAccess Adjustment Plan or medical documentation). Decisions on the payment to students under exceptional circumstances will be determined on a case-by-case basis and would only apply to the week/s in which a student is affected.

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