Young person

Fines

If you have a fine and are under 18 years old, or you got your fine when you were under 18, there are different rules that apply to you.

If you receive a fine, you should deal with it as soon as possible. Don’t ignore your fine. Even if you don’t want to challenge your fine, you have options for dealing with your fine.

Your parents aren’t responsible for your fines. 

For more information, see Fines and young people.

Government benefits

As a student, you may be eligible to receive Centrelink payments to help you with the cost of living.

You may be able to apply for:

• Youth Allowance (if you are under 24 years old and a student or apprentice)
• Youth Allowance for job seekers (if you are under 21 years old and looking for work)
• Austudy (if you are over 25 years old and a student or apprentice)
• ABSTUDY (if you are an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student or apprentice).

To find out what payments you are eligible for, see Payment and Service Finder tool on the Centrelink website. 

When you turn 15 years old, you can apply for your own Medicare card.

For information on visiting doctors, getting your own Medicare card and accessing other health services, see Health services for young people on the NSW Government website. 

Leaving school

After you complete your high school, there are many things you can do to prepare for your future.

For example, you can:

• get your own tax file number (TFN) from the Australian Taxation Office, if you don’t have one
• create a myGov account and link to your Centrelink online account
• get your own Medicare card.

For more information, see Leaving secondary school on the Services Australia website.

Leaving state or foster care

When you turn 15 years old your caseworker will start making your leaving care plan with you.

If you have left state or foster care, you can apply for:

• Rent Choice Youth
• Independent Living Allowance.

Rent Choice Youth is a program for young people aged between 16 and 24 years to find a place to live, get approved for a lease, pay the rent up to three years. You will be linked to a support worker to help you work towards your goals.

For more information, see Rent Choice Youth on the Communities & Justice website.

From 1 February 2023, young people who have recently left out-of-home care, can access the new Independent Living Allowance. This is a $250 fortnightly payment to help with your accommodation and essential living expenses.

For more information, see Independent Living Allowance on the Department of Communities and Justice website.

For more information about services and support to help you transition to living independently, see Leaving care information for young people on the NSW Government website.

Social media age restrictions

Australian laws require some social media companies to take steps to stop anyone under 16 from having an account on their platform.

For more information about which services are included in the ban for under 16s, see Which platforms are age-restricted? on the eSafety Commissioner website.

It is not a crime for a person under 16 to use one of these social media platforms, but companies that don't take reasonable steps to stop people under 16 from having accounts on their platforms can face large fines.

Social media companies can ask you to provide your government ID to check your age, but they must also offer other options.

For more information about the law on social media age restrictions, see Social media ‘ban’ or delay FAQs on the eSafety Commissioner website.

When can I?

All young people have questions about when they will be old enough to be able to choose options for themselves. When can I get a job, get my own Medicare card, drive, vote? For more information, see When can I?