Student Visa (Subclass 500) Financial Requirements 2026: How Much You Need
The core number for the Subclass 500 student visa in 2026 is AUD $29,710. That is the 12-month living-cost amount the Department of Home Affairs expects a single student applicant to show, and it sits on top of your first year of course fees and your travel cost. Show it credibly and the financial side of your application is in good shape. Show it thinly, or at the last minute, and you have handed the case officer one of the easiest reasons there is to refuse a student visa.
This is a guide for anyone planning to lodge a Subclass 500 student visa, or already gathering documents. We cover the exact living-cost figures for 2026, how partners, children and school-age dependants change the maths, the alternative annual-income method, what “genuine access to funds” actually means, and why funds evidence is where so many otherwise-solid applications come undone.
The dollar amounts here are the ones the Department has applied since 10 May 2024 and that remain current. Fees and thresholds are reviewed regularly, so treat this as a working map, not the final word before you lodge.
What is the financial capacity requirement for a Subclass 500 visa?
The financial capacity requirement is the part of the student visa test where you prove you can pay for your studies and support yourself in Australia without relying on unlawful work. In short, you need to show enough money to cover 12 months of living costs, your first year of course fees, and your travel to and from Australia.
The Department calls this “evidence of funds”, and it is assessed alongside your enrolment and your Genuine Student status. The living-cost benchmark is a set figure, updated periodically, and it is not the same as what a student actually spends. It is a floor the Department uses to decide whether your finances are realistic.
Meeting the number on paper is only half the job. The funds also have to be genuinely available to you, which is a point we come back to below because it is where many refusals live.
The 2026 living-cost amounts you must show
For a single primary applicant, the 12-month living-cost amount is AUD $29,710. This is the base figure most students work from, and it is set out on the Department’s student visa financial capacity page.
If you are bringing family members, the amount rises. The Department adds a set living-cost figure for each accompanying person:
| Who is included | 12-month living-cost amount |
|---|---|
| Primary applicant (the student) | AUD $29,710 |
| Spouse or de facto partner | AUD $10,394 |
| Each dependent child | AUD $4,449 |
| School costs, per school-age child, per year | AUD $13,502 |
A few things worth pulling out of that table. The partner and child figures are added on top of your own, not instead of it. The $13,502 school-cost amount applies for each child of school age and is separate from the $4,449 living-cost figure for that same child, so a school-age dependant effectively carries two amounts.
These living-cost figures are not the whole requirement. They are one layer of a stack, and the layers add up quickly once a family is involved.
Course fees and travel: the other layers
Living costs are only part of the calculation. On top of the $29,710 (and any family amounts), you generally need to show:
- Your first year of course fees. This is the tuition your education provider charges for the first 12 months of study, as stated on your Confirmation of Enrolment. If you have already paid some of it, you can usually count what you have paid and show funds for the remainder.
- Travel costs. The Department expects evidence you can cover getting to Australia and, in principle, returning home. For applicants lodging while already in Australia, an additional travel component of around AUD $1,000 is factored in.
So the realistic total for a single student is not $29,710. It is $29,710 plus a full year of tuition plus travel. For a student with a partner and a school-age child, the living-cost side alone climbs to $29,710 plus $10,394 plus $4,449 plus $13,502, and that is before any tuition.
Run your own numbers early. People routinely underestimate the total because they anchor on the headline living-cost figure and forget the fees and travel sitting on top of it.
The alternative annual-income method
There is a second way to satisfy the financial requirement. Instead of showing a lump sum of savings, some applicants rely on evidence of the annual income of a parent or partner who is supporting them.
Under this method, you demonstrate that a spouse, de facto partner, or parent earns above a specified annual income, evidenced by official documents such as tax records or payslips. The idea is that a reliably high income can stand in for a pool of savings, because it shows ongoing capacity to fund the student.
The exact income figure required has been reported inconsistently across different sources, so we are deliberately not quoting a number here. Before you rely on this route, confirm the current amount and the accepted evidence on the Department’s official Subclass 500 visa page, because getting this wrong is not a small error. The income method also tends to draw closer scrutiny than a straightforward savings balance, so the supporting documents need to be complete and consistent.
What “genuine access to funds” really means
Here is the part that catches careful applicants off guard. Hitting the dollar figure is necessary, but it is not sufficient. The money also has to be genuinely available to you, and a case officer is entitled to look past the balance on a statement.
In practice, that means:
- Bank statements should show the funds held for a reasonable period. A large deposit that lands a few days before you lodge invites the obvious question of where it came from and whether it will still be there. Money that has sat in an account for months tells a much calmer story.
- Loans can count, but only from a genuine source. A loan from a financial institution can form part of your evidence if it is genuinely available and properly documented. Informal loans from friends, or funds parked in your account temporarily to inflate a balance, are exactly what the “genuine access” test is designed to catch.
- The source of the money should make sense. Funds that align with a family member’s known income or a documented sale of property read as credible. Unexplained sums do not.
The Department is not trying to trap anyone. It is trying to distinguish students who can actually support themselves from applications that were dressed up to pass a numeric test. If your funds are real and stable, this is nothing to fear. If they are borrowed for a week to screenshot a statement, it is a serious risk.
Why thin funds evidence is a fast route to refusal
Weak financial evidence is one of the quickest ways a student visa gets refused, and it is often avoidable. The pattern is depressingly consistent.
An applicant gathers documents in a hurry, a relative transfers a large sum in to top up the balance just before lodgement, and the statement technically shows the right number on the right day. To an experienced case officer, that story is easy to read and easy to reject. A last-minute deposit with no history behind it is not evidence of financial capacity. It is evidence that the funds might not really be there.
The fixes are unglamorous but effective:
- Build the balance well before you lodge, not the week of.
- Keep clear documentation of where larger amounts came from.
- Match your evidence to the correct 2026 figures for your exact family composition, including school costs where they apply.
- If you are using the income method or a loan, make sure the paperwork is complete rather than assumed.
Because a student visa refusal can carry consequences well beyond the lost application charge, including complications for future applications, this is an area where slowing down pays off. Our team covers the practical side of student life once you are onshore in our post on how many hours you can work on a student visa in Australia, which is worth reading alongside the funds rules so your financial picture and your work plans line up.
How the Genuine Student test sits alongside the funds test
Money is only one of the two big hurdles. The Subclass 500 also requires you to satisfy the Genuine Student (GS) requirement, which replaced the older Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) test.
The GS requirement asks whether you are coming to Australia for a genuine course of study, and it looks at your circumstances, your study history, your reasons for choosing the course and provider, and your plans. The funds test and the GS test are separate, but they talk to each other. Financial evidence that looks manufactured does not just fail the funds test. It can also undermine your credibility on the GS assessment, because a case officer who doubts your money may start doubting your intentions.
The reverse is true as well. A clean, well-documented financial picture supports the story that you are a serious student who has planned this properly. The two elements are strongest when they are consistent with one another. If you want a sense of how these threads come together on a real application, our student visa service page sets out how we approach the Subclass 500 end to end.
A note on the application charge itself. The base charge for a Subclass 500 has changed in recent pricing rounds, so rather than quote a figure that may be out of date by the time you lodge, check the current amount on the Department’s current visa pricing page before you pay. The charge is separate from the funds you must prove and does not reduce the living-cost amount you need to show.
Frequently asked questions
How much money do I need for an Australian student visa in 2026?
For a single student, the 12-month living-cost amount is AUD $29,710, plus your first year of course fees and travel costs. If you lodge while already in Australia, an extra travel component of around AUD $1,000 is factored in. Family members add further set amounts on top.
Can I use my parents’ or partner’s income instead of savings?
In some cases, yes. There is an alternative method that relies on the annual income of a parent, spouse or de facto partner rather than a savings balance. The required income figure has been reported inconsistently, so confirm the current amount and accepted evidence on the official Subclass 500 page before relying on it. Expect this route to attract closer scrutiny than a straightforward savings balance.
Do loans count as evidence of funds?
A loan can count if it is genuinely available to you and comes from a genuine source, such as a financial institution, with proper documentation. Informal loans arranged to temporarily inflate a bank balance are what the “genuine access to funds” test is designed to catch, and relying on them is a real refusal risk.
How much extra do I need for a partner or child?
On top of your own $29,710, the Department adds AUD $10,394 for a spouse or de facto partner, AUD $4,449 for each dependent child, and AUD $13,502 per school-age child per year for school costs. A school-age child therefore carries both the $4,449 living-cost amount and the $13,502 school-cost amount.
How long must the funds be in my account?
There is no single magic period, but bank statements should show the funds held for a reasonable stretch of time rather than appearing as a large last-minute deposit. Money with a settled history is far more persuasive than a balance that jumps just before lodgement, because the funds also have to be genuinely available, not merely present on the day you apply.
A realistic next step
If you are preparing a Subclass 500 application, the realistic next step is to sit down with your exact family composition and add up the correct 2026 figures: $29,710 for yourself, the partner, child and school amounts where they apply, a full year of course fees, and travel. Then look honestly at your evidence and ask whether the money has a history behind it or only a balance on the day. That single question separates most solid student applications from the ones that get refused on funds.
If you want that checked before you lodge, you can book a consultation with our migration lawyers and we will assess your enrolment, your funds evidence and your Genuine Student position together.
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About the author: Tina Nematian is the Principal Lawyer at One Planet Migration Law. She is admitted as an Australian Legal Practitioner and is a Registered Migration Agent, and has guided clients through partner, skilled, employer-sponsored, student, and humanitarian visa applications across Australia.
Visa fees, thresholds and processing times in this article were current as of 3 July 2026. Always check immi.gov.au before lodging.
This article is general information only and does not constitute legal or migration advice. Visa rules change frequently and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Speak with a registered migration lawyer or agent before making any application.
