Allowances and reimbursements

We cover flights, insurance, and provide a living and accommodation allowance for volunteers completing an in-country assignment or the in-country phase of a hybrid assignment. 

In-country allowances are designed to support a modest local lifestyle and cover living costs while on assignment. The living and accommodation allowance rates are country, area or region specific. Payments are made monthly, one month in advance. Explore the table of current living and accommodation allowances.

In general, volunteers will receive the following allowances or reimbursements:

• Settling in allowance assists with expenses associated with passports, excess baggage, and any other costs associated with your departure and setting up accommodation in your country of assignment. If your assignment duration is six months or less, the program will provide you with a one-off settling-in allowance of AUD$500. For assignments of more than six months, the settling-in allowance is AUD$1,000. The allowance is paid to your Australian bank account before departure.
• Living allowance covers daily expenses such as food, internet data and incidentals.
• Accommodation allowance enables you to access accommodation to a standard that is considered reasonable, safe and secure. In some locations, accommodation is provided directly by the program.
• Resettlement allowance is provided for assignments of more than six months. It is paid after the assignment to offset some of the costs of excess baggage, departure tax, travel incidentals and expenses associated with resettling back in Australia. The resettlement allowance is AUD$1,200.
• Reimbursements are made for some reimbursable expenses related to travel, medical appointments, and documentation. Explore what expenses are eligible for reimbursement.

If you are completing a hybrid assignment, both in-country allowance and remote allowances will be relevant to your assignment, and the allowance amount will be based on the phase of your assignment. For more details, refer to the remote volunteering allowance page, as well as the allowance section of the Australian Volunteers Guidebook.

Please note that volunteering may have financial implications depending on your personal situation, such as impacting some Australian Government support payments (Centrelink payments).
The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) has released a Fact Sheet to provide advice on how payments you receive as a volunteer are treated for taxation purposes.
We cannot provide financial advice and encourage you to seek independent professional financial advice regarding your personal circumstances and potential financial impacts of volunteering.