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Living Away From Home Allowances Scheme

The Living Away From Home Allowances Scheme (LAFHAS) supports eligible Queensland families whose children need to live away from home to attend a state school or an accredited non-state school.

This may be because the students home is geographically isolated and/or the nearest school is a bypass school (PDF, 124KB).

What support is available?

The scheme provides financial support through 4 allowances:

  • Remote Area Tuition Allowance (RATuA)—helps pay tuition fees charged by non-state boarding schools
  • Remote Area Travel Allowance (RATrA)—helps pay a student's travel costs between home and boarding school during holidays
  • Remote Area Allowance (RAA)—contributes to the cost of boarding at a state high school campus, to complete approved agricultural courses equivalent to and in lieu of Years 11 and 12
  • Remote Area Disability Supplement (RADS)—helps with additional boarding costs for students with disability.

Use the 2024 LAFHAS rates list for information on the monetary support available.

Eligibility

LAFHAS frequently asked questions (PDF, 128KB)

For eligibility criteria please refer to the LAFHAS applicant guidelines (PDF, 346KB).

With regards to special circumstances, consideration may be given to applicants who do not meet residential distance criteria. Special circumstances include impassable roads (PDF, 163KB), itinerant occupations (PDF, 168KB) and additional special circumstances (PDF, 414KB).

For more information about eligibility criteria:

  • phone 1800 248 997 (freecall for rural Queensland only) or 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
  • email lafhas@qed.qld.gov.au.

Remote Area Disability Supplement (RADS) eligibility

To be eligible for the RADS you also need to:

  • ensure your child has been identified through the department's Education Adjustment Program
  • prove their travel, tuition and boarding costs are significantly greater than those of students without disability and are in excess of total assistance available from all government agencies.

Bypass schools

A bypass school is a rural or remote Queensland state school that may not deliver the programs a senior student needs to complete their chosen areas of study.

Students applying for the LAFHAS can disregard a bypass school when they complete the application's residential distance criteria.

A list of bypass schools (PDF, 124KB) is featured in the bypass schools procedure.

Payment details

Half of the LAFHAS annual entitlements are paid in Semester 1 and the other half in Semester 2:

  • Semester 1: Monthly payments will start after your application is approved and school attendance is confirmed.
  • Semester 2: Monthly payments will start once school attendance is confirmed.

Allowances are paid by electronic funds transfer as follows:

  • RATuA—paid direct to boarding schools to offset school tuition fee accounts
  • RATrA, RAA and RADS—paid direct to applicants' nominated bank accounts.

Use the LAFHAS travel calculator to estimate your total allowance.

2024 LAFHAS rates list

Remote Area Tuition Allowance

Students in Years 1–6

Amount

Allowance will cover tuition fees

up to $2,182  per year

Where total tuition costs exceed $2,182 an additional allowance of 50c per $1 over that amount can be claimed

up to a total maximum of $8,360 per year

Example 1

School fees are $8,000 per year.

$2,182 + $2,909 ($8,000 – $2,182 = $ $5,818. 50c per dollar of $5,818 = $2,909) = $5,091

Total Remote Area Tuition allowance will be $5,091 per year.

Example 2

School fees are $16,000 per year.

$2,182 + $6,909 ($16,000 - $2,182 = $13,818. 50c per dollar of $13,838 = $6,909) = $9,091

Total Remote Area Tuition allowance will be $8,360  per year.

Students in Years 7–12

Amount

Allowance will cover tuition fees

up to $3,144 per year

Where total tuition costs exceed $3,144 an additional allowance of 50c per $1 over that amount can be claimed

up to a total maximum of $10,276 per year

Example 1

School fees are $10,000 per year.

$3,144 + $3,428 ($10,000 - $3,144 = $6,856. 50c per dollar of $6,856 = $3,428) = $6,572

Total Remote Area Tuition allowance will be $6,572 per year.

Example 2

School fees are $20,000 per year.

$3,144 + $6,428 ($20,000 – 3,144 = $16,856. 50c per dollar of $16,856 = $8,428) = $11,572

Total Remote Area Tuition allowance will be $10,276 per year.

Remote Area Travel Allowance

Item

Annual entitlement

Minimum allowance

$174 per student

First 500 km

$0.98 per km

Additional kilometres

$1.63 per km

Maximum allowance

$2,138

Remote Area Allowance

Year

Amount

For students attending a campus of a Queensland State High School and undertaking an approved agricultural course in lieu of Years 11 and 12.

$2,913 per student per year

Remote Area Disability Supplement

Item

Amount

To compensate additional education costs incurred by students with disabilities to access school*

* The Remote Area Disability Supplement is payable retrospectively, upon lodgement of receipts and where applicants can demonstrate—through documentary evidence—that travel, tuition and boarding accommodation costs are significantly greater than those of students without disabilities and are in excess of total assistance available from all government agencies. Additional tuition fee costs can only be considered if the student is a full-time boarding student at the school.

Up to $9,478

How to apply

The application form must be received by the Department of Education no later than 31 December for the year of application to receive allowances.

You can apply:

Send your completed application by

  • email to Lafhas@qed.qld.gov.au
  • mail to: School Financial Resourcing
    Department of Education
    PO Box 15033 City East QLD 4002

Contact us

For more information:

  • phone 1800 248 997 (free call for rural Queensland only) or 13 QGOV (13 74 68)
  • email lafhas@qed.qld.gov.au.

Related links

Last updated:
28 July 2023
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