have regard to maintenance income for the financial year current at the point-in-time at which the ABSTUDY MIT is applied. 58.8.3 Maintenance income free area The maintenance income free area (MIFA) is the amount of maintenance income the parent of a ABSTUDY claimant/recipient can receive in relation to the ABSTUDY recipient, before it affects the rate of ABSTUDY. claimant/recipient’s The MIFA for a parent of a ABSTUDY claimant/recipient draws on some of the principles and thresholds that are used to calculate the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A maintenance income free area. The value of the MIFA for each maintained ABSTUDY claimant/recipient may depend on whether the parent also receives maintenance income for other dependent ABSTUDY or Youth Allowance claimants/recipients, or FTB children. As for the FTB Part A MIFA, the MIFA for ABSTUDY has two components: A component for allocated in relation to a first person ‘fixed costs’ ‘maintained’ child/young (the child MIFA In 2017-18 this amount is $1,587.75. ‘first amount’). A component allocated for each second and subsequent person ‘maintained’ child/young (the child MIFA In 2017-18 this amount is $529.25 for each additional ‘additional amount’). child. The rules for extending a MIFA in respect of each person under the ‘maintained’ child/young Maintenance Income Test for ABSTUDY coordinate the allocation of the MIFA component for ‘fixed so that this is applied once only to a parent receiving maintenance. This includes checking costs’ whether recognition for of maintenance income received has been, or is likely to be, ‘fixed costs’ extended under the FTB Part A maintenance income test (where an individual has ‘maintained’ children across FTB, Youth Allowance and ABSTUDY). This creates an of in the extension of the MIFA component for ‘order precedence’ ‘fixed costs’. The order of precedence is: FTB Child Youth Allowance recipient ABSTUDY recipient Student attracting a means tested Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme payment (AIC student) but none of the other payments listed above; whereby:
have regard to maintenance income for the financial year current at the point-in-time at which the ABSTUDY MIT is applied. 58.8.3 Maintenance income free area The maintenance income free area (MIFA) is the amount of maintenance income the parent of a ABSTUDY claimant/recipient can receive in relation to the ABSTUDY recipient, before it affects the claimant/recipient’s rate of ABSTUDY. The MIFA for a parent of a ABSTUDY claimant/recipient draws on some of the principles and thresholds that are used to calculate the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A maintenance income free area. The value of the MIFA for each maintained ABSTUDY claimant/recipient may depend on whether the parent also receives maintenance income for other dependent ABSTUDY or Youth Allowance claimants/recipients, or FTB children. As for the FTB Part A MIFA, the MIFA for ABSTUDY has two components: A component for ‘fixed costs’ allocated in relation to a first ‘maintained’ child/young person (the ‘first child MIFA amount’). In 2017-18 this amount is $1,587.75. A component allocated for each second and subsequent ‘maintained’ child/young person (the ‘additional child MIFA amount’). In 2017-18 this amount is $529.25 for each additional child. The rules for extending a MIFA in respect of each ‘maintained’ child/young person under the Maintenance Income Test for ABSTUDY coordinate the allocation of the MIFA component for ‘fixed costs’ so that this is applied once only to a parent receiving maintenance. This includes checking whether recognition for ‘fixed costs’ of maintenance income received has been, or is likely to be, extended under the FTB Part A maintenance income test (where an individual has ‘maintained’ children across FTB, Youth Allowance and ABSTUDY). This creates an ‘order of precedence’ in the extension of the MIFA component for ‘fixed costs’. The order of precedence is: FTB Child Youth Allowance recipient ABSTUDY recipient Student attracting a means tested Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme payment (AIC student) but none of the other payments listed above; whereby: