Commonwealth Prac Payment

The information on this page is provided as a general guide and is subject to change. Final details may be updated as guidelines are reviewed and confirmed.

From 1 July 2025, eligible Curtin students undertaking mandatory placements as part of their degree may be able to access the Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) – an Australian Government initiative designed to ease the financial burden of placement costs.

What is the Commonwealth Prac Payment?

The CPP is a means-tested payment of up to $331.65 per week available to you during mandatory, unpaid placements in teaching, nursing, midwifery or social work. The payment is designed to support you during your placement, allowing you to gain real-world experience without the added stress of lost income or increased expenses.

The maximum number of weeks you can receive the CPP depends on your course and is based on the minimum period of placement required to achieve entry to practice as determined by the Accrediting body. Please see the maximum entitlements listed below:

Course Type	Placement Weeks
Nursing (Bachelor)	20 weeks of placement
Nursing (Masters)	20 weeks of placement
Social Work (Bachelor)	26 weeks of placement
Social Work (Masters)	26 weeks of placement
Education Teaching (Bachelor)	16 weeks of placement
Education Teaching (Masters)	12 weeks of placement
Midwifery (Bachelor)	20 weeks of placement (plus up to an additional 6 weeks for continuity of care)
Midwifery (Masters)	20 weeks of placement (plus up to an additional 6 weeks for continuity of care

What can it help cover?

The CPP is designed to assist with your placement-related costs, including:

travel and accommodation
materials and uniforms
general living costs.

Who is eligible?

You may be eligible if you are:

a domestic student
enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP)
Undertaking a mandatory placement as part of your bachelor’s or master’s degree in nursing, midwifery, social work or teaching
Completing your placement on a full-time basis (minimum of 30 hours per week)

In addition, you must:

be receiving an eligible primary Centrelink benefit (see eligible types below) or
meet the government’s ‘need to work’ test, demonstrating that you normally need to work more than 15 hours per week (in a continuous 4-week period during ordinary study periods, prior to applying) to support yourself 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.

Eligible Centrelink Income Support Types

Centrelink ISP

– Age Pension
– Austudy
– Carer Payment
– Disability Support Pension
– JobSeeker Payment
– Parenting Payment
– Special Benefit
– Farm Household Allowance
– Youth Allowance

Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) payments

– Age Pension
– Income Support Supplement
– Service Pension
– Veteran Payment
– Education Allowance

ABSTUDY

– ABSTUDY Living Allowance

When and how to apply

Applications will be opening soon. Eligible students who are enrolled in a practicum unit will receive an invitation via email to apply.

In order to be considered for the CPP, all applications must be submitted prior to the commencement of each prac placement. Please note you do not need to wait until your placement details have been finalised before submitting an application.

FAQs

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.

eligibility, you will need to notify the university as soon as practical to prevent overpayment. You will need to submit a Change in Circumstances application via the Student Management system.

If you have been assessed as ineligible for the Commonwealth Practicum Payment, you can request that the decision is reviewed by submitting an Appeal application via the Student Management system. Please note that you will be required to provide supporting documentation.

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.

Some students at risk of placement poverty may have exceptional circumstances, which prevent them from meeting the CPP 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 CPP course and will need to satisfy their higher education provider that exceptional circumstances apply before being considered for CPP support, including through provision of appropriate documentation (e.g. an individual education plan or medical documentation). Decisions on the payment of CPP 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.

CPP is considered assessable income for taxation and social security purposes and may impact the rate at which a person receives a social security payment. Recipients are required to declare the amounts of CPP they receive to:
– The Australian Taxation Office as part of annual tax returns (recipients should seek their own taxation advice)
– Services Australia, to assess their ongoing rates of social security payment or other allowance, if applicable
– The Department of VeteransVeterans’ Affairs, if applicable

CPP recipients are responsible for managing potential impacts of CPP on any Commonwealth Income Support Payments (ISP) or financial assistance from other sources.

At the end of each financial year, you will be notified of the amount of CPP you were paid during that financial year.

Further Information

Further information can be found on the Department od Education website: Commonwealth Prac Payment – Australian Government

If you have any questions, please contact Curtin Connect at 1800 222 888 or submit an enquiry via: https://students.connect.curtin.edu.au/app/ask

Key facts

Who is it for?

When does it start?

How much is it?