The TAC can only pay first five days of lost wages for a client or the first five days of lost wages for a parent visiting their dependent child in hospital if they will suffer acute financial hardship without the payment.  This is how we determine that a client or visiting parent is in financial hardship.  

The TAC considers a client to be in financial hardship when that client or visiting parent does not have sufficient income to meet reasonable and immediate family living expenses. For example, a client who is holds a current pensioner concession card or health care card. Where the client has a domestic partner the TAC will also have regard to the income of that client's domestic partner to meet reasonable and immediate family living expenses.

Reasonable and immediate family living expenses includes but is not limited to the following expenses that are due and payable:

• the reasonable costs of living including:
  • food costs
  • rent or mortgage payments
  • regular medical expenses
  • rates, water and sewerage payments
  • gas, electricity and telephone bills
  • costs of petrol for the person's vehicle
  • public transport costs (excluding non-TAC funded taxi fares)
• the costs of repairs to, or replacement of, essential whitegoods situated in the person's home
• school expenses
• funeral expenses
• essential expenses arising on the birth of the person's child or the adoption of a child by the person
• expenditure to buy replacement essential household goods because of loss of those goods through theft or natural disaster when the cost of replacement is not the subject of an insurance policy;
• the costs of essential repairs to the person's car or home
• premiums in respect of vehicle or home insurance
• expenses in respect of vehicle registration
• essential medical expenses