Current students / Finances / Scholarships and financial support / Commonwealth Prac Payment / What happens next

Commonwealth Prac Payment

What happens next

Receiving your outcome

Once we've assessed your application, we'll send an email to your University email account with the outcome.

Receiving payments

If approved, you can expect to receive payments within 10 business days of receiving your outcome, or within 10 business days of your placement commencing, whichever is later.

Payments are made weekly.

Update your bank details

Make sure your bank account details are correct, as we'll pay CPP into your nominated bank account. Log in to Sydney Student, go to 'My finance', 'Your finances', then select 'Bank details' to review and make changes.

Confirming your eligibility for subsequent placements

If you’re completing more than one placement in a calendar year, you need to check that you continue to meet both the ‘Need to Work Test’ and the ‘Income Test’ ahead of your subsequent placement. Your eligibility for CPP may change from placement to placement.

You don’t need to do this check:

for a subsequent placement that you’ll complete back‑to‑back with your first placement, or
if you receive an eligible ISP.

Steps

Work out the dates of your four-week evidence period for a subsequent placement.
Count the hours you worked in the period.
Calculate your income from all sources during the period. Include wages, subsidies, scholarships and other forms of financial assistance. Read what to do if you received lump sum payments.
Check the hours you worked and income you earned against the CPP eligibility criteria to see if you're still eligible.
If you no longer meet the ‘Need to Work Test’ or the ‘Income Test’, notify us immediately by submitting the Change in circumstances form.

You don’t need to contact us if you still meet both tests and your circumstances haven't changed.

Four-week evidence period for subsequent placements

The four-week evidence period for a subsequent placement is different from the one you used when you applied. It must:

be continuous, with the last day generally being the most recent pay date prior to you starting your placement
be during a study period, which includes the semester teaching dates, exam period and replacement exam period if you are sitting exams, and intensive sessions if you are enrolled in them
not overlap another placement.

This means your four-week period might be earlier than your most recent pay date.

Find out more by reading What is my CPP four-week evidence period for a subsequent placement?

Lump sum payments

If you received any lump sum payments (e.g. financial support vouchers, scholarships) you’ll need to convert the total annual amount for each payment type into a four‑week equivalent before adding it to your other income for the four‑week evidence period.

How to calculate it:
Divide the annual amount by 52 weeks, then multiply the result by 4.

Example:
If you received a $1,000 financial support voucher:

$1,000 ÷ 52 = $19.23 per week
$19.23 × 4 = $76.90

$76.90 is the amount counted as income for your four‑week evidence period.

Notifying of changes to your circumstances

You need to notify us immediately of any significant events or personal circumstances that may impact your CPP eligibility or ability to undertake your placement.

There are serious consequences for failing to report these changes, including:

that you may be required to repay any payments when we reassess your future CPP eligibility
potential investigations for misrepresentation or fraud, which may lead to compliance actions or legal consequences
misconduct action by the University, including suspension and expulsion.

Reporting your payments for social security and tax purposes

CPP is considered assessable income for taxation and social security purposes and may impact the rate at which you receive a social security payment. You're required to declare the amounts of CPP you receive to:

The Australian Taxation Office as part of annual tax returns (you should seek your own taxation advice)
Services Australia, to assess your ongoing rates of social security payment or other allowance, if applicable
Department of Veterans Affairs, if applicable.

You're 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 we will notify you of the amount of CPP you were paid during that financial year.

Complaints

If you’re dissatisfied with an aspect of the CPP process you can lodge a complaint.

Last updated: 27 February 2026

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Current students

On this page

Receiving your outcome

Receiving payments

Update your bank details

Confirming your eligibility for subsequent placements

Steps

Four-week evidence period for subsequent placements

Lump sum payments

Notifying of changes to your circumstances

Reporting your payments for social security and tax purposes

Complaints

Have a question?

When will I receive my Commonwealth Prac Payments (CPP)?

What happens to my CPP if I fail or don't complete my placement?

What happens to my CPP if I change courses?

What is my CPP four-week evidence period for a subsequent placement?

Commonwealth Prac Payment

What happens next

On this page

Receiving your outcome

Receiving payments

Update your bank details

Confirming your eligibility for subsequent placements

Steps

Four-week evidence period for subsequent placements

Lump sum payments

Notifying of changes to your circumstances

Reporting your payments for social security and tax purposes

Complaints

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