Applying for Rent Allowance

Members in receipt of RA are paid a fortnightly subsidy through the Defence pay system. Members are responsible for finding a suitable rental property, entering into the lease with the landlord/agent and paying bond and rent in accordance with the requirements of the lease.

Members who have no resident family (MBR) or recognised other persons and members who have unaccompanied resident family (URF) and/or recognised other persons are usually eligible for RA.

Members who have accompanied resident family (ARF) and/or recognised other persons are not usually eligible for RA and must seek approval from DHA prior to signing a lease.

Eligibility depends on:

• the suitability of any properties you or your resident family and/or recognised other persons own in your housing benefit location if you areMBR or ARF, and
• the availability of Service residences if you are ARF.
  

Visit the ADF Pay and Conditions site to confirm if you are eligible for RA before you commit to a rental property.

Claims for accompanied resident family (ARF) Rent Allowance will only be assessed from 4 weeks prior to your 'confirmed' housing required date if no suitable Service residences are available, unless exceptional circumstances apply.

To confirm Service residence availability, it is important that you login to your Online Services account on a regular basis as properties are updated regularly.

Do not sign a lease agreement until your eligibility for rent allowance has been confirmed by DHA. Please read the 'How do I apply for RA?' section below for more details.

Members who have no resident family (MBR) or recognised other persons and members who have unaccompanied resident family (URF)and/or recognised other persons can apply for RA via Online Services. 

Members who have accompanied resident family (ARF) and/or recognised other persons must seek approval for RA prior to signing a lease. Submit ARF RA enquiries via Online Services.

Note: Claims for ARF rent allowance will only be assessed from 4 weeks prior to your confirmed housing required date if no suitable Service residences are available, unless exceptional circumstances apply.

After your RA eligibility has been confirmed with DHA, you will be required to submit documents specific to your circumstances to allow your application to be assessed and processed.

You will have 60 days to complete your application and provide these documents.

The documents you are required to provide with your application will be displayed on your Online Services dashboard.

Current serving members are able to access their present and past tenancy history to produce a tenant reference via their Online Services account.

Once logged in, click on the Tenant Reference Letter button at the bottom of the dashboard.

You can also download a PDF of the reference letter to keep on file and email as required, without needing to log in to online services.

You have 60 days to complete your application and provide all requested documents. Incomplete applications are cancelled after 60 days and any advances that have been paid to you will be recovered. We will send you a reminder seven days prior to cancellation.

RA benefits are calculated by taking into consideration the following:

• The rent ceilings and contribution rates set by Defence
• The property rent amount
• The location of the RA property compared to the location of the base you are posted to
• Your rank and categorisation
• The number of non-dependant occupants living in the rental property
• If you will be boarding in a private boarding house or with relatives/friends
• If you will be living in a remote location
• If your adult dependant is also an ADF member
• Election of the 2 bedroom rates available to Members With Dependants

The Rent Allowance Calculator is a tool for you to estimate the rate of rent allowance payable in different circumstances. The calculations are a guide only and may not reflect the final amount payable.

The ADF Pay and Conditions site explains how rent ceilings and contributions are used to calculate RA.

Click here to view a video explaining how rent allowance is calculated.

What is a member contribution?

The contribution rate is the minimum you pay towards your housing costs based on:

If you are a member who has accompanied resident family (ARF) and/or recognised other persons (ROPs) and have been approved to receive RA benefits, you may elect to reduce your rent ceiling and contribution rate where this is financially beneficial to you.

Members with ARF or ROPs may apply the rent ceiling and contribution amount based on a member eligible for two bedrooms. This is referred to as the ‘2 bedroom ceiling’. This can be applied to any tenancy regardless of the number of bedrooms in the property. The normal 3 bedroom rent ceiling is reduced by 10% and the contribution rate is also lower. This may provide a better financial outcome in some circumstances.

The Rent Allowance Calculator assists you in determining if reducing your ceiling is financially beneficial.

DHA may approve an increase to your Rent Ceiling in limited circumstances which are defined at PACMAN 7.8.12.

A request for a ceiling increase should be undertaken prior to committing to a rental agreement as approval is not guaranteed.

Complete the Ceiling Increase form (PDF 501KB). Submit completed forms in an Online Enquiry via Online Services.

Members who have unaccompanied resident family (URF), and/or recognised other persons are not required to make a contribution to their RA.

Members who have no resident family (MBR) or recognised other persons who are deployed, posted to a seagoing ship or submarine, or living under field conditions for longer than 21 days may not be required to pay rent contributions. Contributionswill be automatically adjusted by Defence Pay. Please direct enquiries to Defence Service Centre on 1800 333 362.

Contact Toll Transitions on 1800 819 167 to discuss storage entitlement if you are deploying and do not intend to retain your rental property.

You may share the property with other members or civilians. The number of occupants you share with will determine the amount of RA you will receive.

You must let us know each time the occupants change in the RA property via ‘View/Update Tenancy Details’ in Online Services.

RA is paid to you as part of your pay and is paid from the date you occupied, changed categorisation or as determined by PACMAN Chapter 7 Part 8. If you are claiming RA from a date in the past, the backdated portion will be included in your first payment.

We will advise you once we have processed your RA application and have informed Defence to commence your RA payments. You will start to receive RA payments within the first two pay periods after we have informed Defence. The payments will continue each fortnight.

If you have any questions about the RA payments in your pay, you can contact the Defence Call Centre on 1800 DEFENCE (1800 333 362).

If you are a member who has accompanied resident family and/or recognised other persons, you will only be approved rent allowance if there are no suitable service residences available in the housing benefit location.

You will need permission from your commanding officer when:

• you wish to live in an extended housing benefit location.
• your service location changes and you wish to stay in your current rental property.
• you have approval to live in an extended housing benefit location but want to move to another property that is still in the extended housing benefit location.

The lower ceiling of your housing benefit location and the location of your RA property is used to calculate the RA.

The ADF Pay and Conditions site explains how RA is calculated.

A remote location is one where Defence has not determined a rent ceiling at PACMAN Annex 7.E.

In these circumstances, DHA will assess the local market and determine a rent ceiling. Complete the Property Search form PDF (107KB). Submit completed forms in an Online Enquiry via Online Services.

Members who are in boarding accommodation have their Rent Allowance calculated differently from the standard rent allowance calculation outlined in PACMAN. There are 3 different boarding scenarios defined in PACMAN, each rent allowance calculation is different:

1. Boarding in a commercial establishment. (i.e University accommodation)

• Refer to PACMAN 7.8.17 Contribution for rented home and Annex 7.D Part 2 Column C to determine the member contribution.
• Refer to PACMAN 7.8.10.6 Rent ceilings member living in rental accommodation with no resident family or recognised other persons and Annex 7.E Part 2.3 to determine the ceiling that applies.

2. Boarding in a private home with the homeowner

• Refer to PACMAN 7.8.17 Contribution for rented home and Annex 7.D Part 2 Column B to determine the member contribution.
• Refer to PACMAN 7.8.10.6 Rent ceilings - member living in rental accommodation with no resident family or recognised other persons and Annex 7.E Part 2 to determine the ceiling that applies.

3. Boarding with the homeowner and other occupants

• Refer to PACMAN 7.8.17 Contribution for rented home and Annex 7.D Part 2 - Column C to determine the member contribution.
• Refer to PACMAN 7.8.10.6 Rent ceilings - member living in rental accommodation with no resident family or recognised other persons and Annex 7.E Part 2 (part 2, 3 or 4 to apply) to determine the ceiling that applies.

How is rent allowance worked out? Using the applicable member contribution and rent ceiling for your scenario above, and the formula set out in PACMAN 7.8.19 Rent allowance General.

Assistance with the upfront payment of a bond, rent in advance, or a utility connection deposit, is available in the form of an interest-free loan from Defence which you repay fortnightly from your pay over the term of your lease up to a maximum of 25 fortnights.

Advances are paid in the next available pay after you request them.

Repayments will commence immediately once the advance has been paid to you. For enquiries about the repayment of advances, contact 1800 DEFENCE – (1800 333 3623).

Bonds and advances are requested via Online Services after your RA eligibility has been approved.

Lease letting and stamp duty fees can be reimbursed including on renewal of a lease. A receipt is required to process this reimbursement and can be provided by submitting an enquiry via Online Services.

Defence does not provide any subsidised support or reimbursement for water usage, post box, gardening charges and/or other domestic charges in rental properties.

RA is paid from the date of occupancy. If you have a Commonwealth funded relocation and you paid rent prior to the date you occupied, a period of this may be reimbursed if costs savings to Defence are able to be determined.

Upon processing your application, DHA will undertake an assessment of eligibility to any rent paid prior to occupation of the property and will automatically process this reimbursement for you. No additional documents are required to support this eligibility.

An allowance may be payable for furniture hire if:

• you are a member who has no resident family (MBR) or recognised other persons. or 
• you are a member who has unaccompanied resident family (URF) and/or recognised other persons, and
• your share of the property rent is less than your rent ceiling.

You can only use the allowance to hire furniture and not for rent-try-buy schemes.

The ADF Pay and Conditions site lists the furniture items you can claim.

Application for this allowance can be made via Online Services at the time of applying for RA or at a later date by using the ‘View/Update Tenancy Details’ link on your dashboard.