Commonwealth Prac Payment

The Commonwealth Prac Payment (CPP) is funded by the Australian Government to help eligible students cover the costs of their mandatory placements.

For placements undertaken in 2025, the payment is $331.65 per week.
For placements undertaken in 2026, the payment is $338.60 per week.

This applies to eligible students enrolled in accredited entry-to-practice nursing, midwifery, social work or teaching degrees.

Key facts

Who is it for?

Eligible domestic students undertaking mandatory practicum placements and enrolled in an accredited entry-to-practice teaching, nursing and midwifery or social work degree. A means test will apply to be eligible for this payment.
How much is it?

$331.65 per week for placements undertaken in 2025. $338.60 per week for placements undertaken in 2026. Payments based on the single Austudy rate. Payments will be considered as taxable income.
When does it start?

The CPP came into effect on 1 July 2025, for students on or commencing an eligible placement (students on placements which end prior to 1 July 2025 are not eligible).
What's required?

You must submit an application with appropriate supporting documentation to be considered for this payment. You should aim to submit your application once your placement dates have been confirmed. Late applications may result in delayed payment.

Eligibility criteria

To be eligible, you must:

be a domestic student enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place
be enrolled a Bachelors or Masters degree in an eligible course of study that leads to entry-to-practice in teaching, social work, or nursing and midwifery
be completing a mandatory placement on or after 1 July 2025
be completing your placement on average more than 30 hours per week*
not exceed the CPP maximum limit on the number of weeks of support available for your course
meet one of the following income tests and provide relevant supporting documentation:
- be the recipient of an approved Centrelink or Department of Veterans Affairs Income Support Payment OR
- be employed and, during the four weeks prior to applying for the CPP or the four weeks prior to commencing your placement (whichever is earlier, this is known as the evidentiary period), demonstrate that you were:
  - working on average more than 15 hours a week, and
  - earning an average of less than $1,500 per week pre-tax/pre-deductions for placements undertaken in 2025, or less than $1,536.37 per week pre-tax/pre-deductions for placements undertaken in 2026 (inclusive of all income sources).

Payments are calculated on the minimum duration (weeks/hours) required by the placement unit according to the 2026 Handbook.

If your placement is scheduled outside a study period, you must provide your documents from the most recent study period before the placement to confirm your eligibility.

To ensure your application gets processed quickly, you'll find important information about submitting the required evidence below.

IMPORTANT: How to provide the correct evidence

To be eligible for the CPP under the Need to Work and Income Test, you must provide evidence that you:

worked an average of more than 15 hours per week, and
had a total income (including employment, scholarships, investments, and other sources) of less than:
- $1,500 pre-tax/pre-deductions (placements undertaken in 2025), or
- $1,536.37 pre-tax/pre-deductions (placements undertaken in 2026

This evidence must cover a continuous 4-week period prior to applying for the CPP OR the four weeks prior to commencing your placement (whichever is earlier).

You cannot split the evidentiary period. All four weeks must be continuous.

Your evidentiary period must:

fall entirely within a Deakin study period in which you were enrolled and studying
not overlap with an inter-trimester break (see inter-trimester dates below)
not overlap with a previous placement

If your four-week evidentiary period overlaps with the inter-trimester break or a previous placement, you must instead use the four continuous weeks immediately before that inter-trimester break or the previous placement (whichever applies).

Relevant inter-trimester breaks:

Trimester 2 2025: 20 October – 31 October 2025
Trimester 3 2025: 16 February – 27 February 2026
Trimester 1 2026: 15 June – 3 July 2026
Trimester 2 2026: 19 October – 30 October 2026

To assist you in determining your evidentiary period, please refer to the examples below.

For applications submitted in 2026 for placement undertaken in 2025:

Example A: You submit your CPP application on 19 January 2026 for a placement that commenced on 1 December 2025. Because your placement start date is earlier than your application date, your evidentiary period is the four continuous weeks immediately before 1 December 2025.

If you were enrolled in Trimester 3 2025, your evidentiary period will be 3 November to 30 November 2025, or four consecutive weeks ending as close as possible to 30 November 2025, provided they do not overlap with the Trimester 2 2025 inter-trimester break. If these dates overlap a previous placement, use the four weeks immediately before that placement.
If you were not enrolled in Trimester 3 2025, your evidentiary period will be 22 September to 19 October 2025, or four consecutive weeks ending as close as possible to 19 October 2025, provided they do not overlap with the Trimester 2 2025 inter-trimester break. If these dates overlap a previous placement, use the four weeks immediately before that placement.

For applications submitted in 2026 for placement undertaken in 2026:

Example B: You submit your CPP application on 2 March 2026 for a placement that commences on 20 April 2026. Because your application date is earlier than your placement start date, your evidentiary period must be the four continuous weeks immediately before 2 March 2026.

If you were enrolled in Trimester 3 2025, your evidentiary period will be 19 January to 15 February 2026, or four consecutive weeks ending as close as possible to 15 February 2026, provided they do not overlap with the Trimester 3 2025 inter-trimester break. If these dates overlap a previous placement, use the four weeks immediately before that placement.
If you were not enrolled in Trimester 3 2025, your evidentiary period will be 22 September to 19 October 2025, or four consecutive weeks ending as close as possible to 19 October 2025, provided they do not overlap with the Trimester 2 2025 inter-trimester break. If these dates overlap a previous placement, use the four weeks immediately before that placement.

Example C: You submit your CPP application on 20 April 2026 for a placement that commences on 15 June 2026. Your evidentiary period is the four continuous weeks immediately before 20 April 2026 (23 March to 19 April 2026), or four consecutive weeks ending as close as possible to 19 April 2026. If this period overlaps a previous placement, use the four weeks immediately before that placement.

Refer to the following tables for more information about determining your evidentiary period.

Evidentiary periods for 2025 placements
Year your placement was undertaken or confirmed	Were you enrolled and studying at Deakin during the four weeks immediately before your placement start date?	Your evidentiary period
2025	Yes	Use the four continuous weeks immediately before your placement start date. The weeks must fall entirely within a Deakin study period in which you are enrolled and studying (for example, Trimester 2 2025 or Trimester 3 2025) and must not overlap with a previous placement or inter-trimester break.
2025	No	Use the four continuous weeks between 22 September to 19 October 2025, or four consecutive weeks ending as close as possible to 19 October 2025

Evidentiary periods for 2026 placements
Year your placement was undertaken or confirmed	Are you submitting your CPP application before or after your placement start date?	Were you enrolled and studying at Deakin during the four weeks immediately before your placement start date or application date (whichever is earlier)	Your evidentiary period
2026	Before	Yes	Use the four continuous weeks immediately before your application date. The weeks must fall entirely within a Deakin study period in which you are enrolled and studying (for example, Trimester 3 2025 or Trimester 1 2026) and must not overlap with a previous placement or inter-trimester break.
	Before	No	Use the four continuous weeks between 22 September to 19 October 2025, or four consecutive weeks ending as close as possible to 19 October 2025
	After	Yes	Use the four continuous weeks immediately before your placement start date. The weeks must fall entirely within a Deakin study period in which you are enrolled and studying (for example, Trimester 3 2025 or Trimester 1 2026) and must not overlap with a previous placement or inter-trimester break.
	After	No	Use the four continuous weeks between 22 September to 19 October 2025, or four consecutive weeks ending as close as possible to 19 October 2025

Supporting documentation

Based on the eligibility criteria you meet, you will be required to provide the documents listed below:

If you are the recipient of an approved Centrelink or Department of Veterans Affairs payment, you must submit either your Centrelink payment details or Centrelink Income Statement.
If you are applying based on your 'need to work', you must submit one of the following: payslips, payroll summaries or printouts, or time and wage sheets for four consecutive continuous weeks in the evidentiary period demonstrating that you:
- Worked an average of more than 15 hours per week, and
- earned less than:
  - $1,500 pre-tax/pre-deductions for placements undertaken in 2025, or
  - $1,536.37 pre-tax/pre-deductions for placements undertaken in 2026.

Employer Confirmation Form: use this form to provide evidence of your employment, hours worked, and income to support your eligibility for the Commonwealth Prac Payment under the need-to-work and income tests. Please note: If you have multiple employers, each employer must fill a separate form.

Employer Confirmation Form (PDF, 269.4 KB)

Exceptional circumstances: you should provide clear, date based, detailed documentation. Ensure your documentation is current, written specifically to support your eligibility for the CPP. Often repurposed documents can fail to provide the specific information required. Do not submit prescriptions, test results or referral letters.

Maximum number of weeks of support

The maximum number of CPP funded weeks of placement for each eligible discipline are:

Study discipline	Total available funded CPP weeks
Nursing (Bachelor)	20
Midwifery (Bachelor)	20 plus 6 weeks for continuity of care
Teacher Education (Bachelor)	16
Teacher Education (Masters)	12
Social Work (Bachelor)	26
Social Work (Masters)	26

Once you receive the maximum number of CPP funded placement weeks for your discipline (as listed above), you are not eligible for additional CPP funding, even if your course requires you to complete more placement weeks than the standard requirement.

How to apply

Apply once your placement dates are confirmed and you meet eligibility requirements with all documentation ready.

Applications open two months before your placement starts and close six months after it begins. Applications submitted outside this timeframe will not be considered, so apply as early as possible to avoid delays.

Applications will close on 14 June 2026 at 5pm and re-open on 1 July 2026 at 9am. If your confirmed placement falls within this period, we recommend that you apply now to avoid delays.

You will receive an outcome of your application within 28 days.

Applications now open.

APPLY NOW

Frequently asked questions

For answers to frequently asked questions about the CPP, please read our dedicated page.

More information

For further information about the CPP, please email commpracpayment@deakin.edu.au. You can also read more on the Australian Government website.

Please note: Deakin is in ongoing consultation with the Australian Government and the eligibility criteria are subject to change.

Commonwealth Prac Payment

Key facts

Who is it for?

How much is it?

When does it start?

What's required?