Homeschool Funding in Western Australia: What Families Can Access

Western Australia does not provide a direct government subsidy to registered home educators. The Department of Education registers you, assigns you a moderator, and provides access to free exemplars and online resources. Beyond that, the costs of education are carried by the family.

That said, there are several funding streams and supports that WA home educators can access legitimately, and most families are not claiming everything they are entitled to.

Centrelink Family Payments: What Applies

The most significant financial support available to WA home educators is through the federal Centrelink system rather than state education funding.

Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB-A) may continue for an eligible child under 16. For a child aged 16 to 19, home schooling generally does not meet the study requirements for FTB-A unless an exemption or another applicable condition applies. Do not assume home education registration automatically extends eligibility; check your Centrelink record and the current Services Australia rules.

Schoolkids Bonus (SEB) — this payment was abolished in 2016 and is no longer available.

ABSTUDY and Youth Allowance do not typically apply to home-educated children under 16, but Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in remote areas should check the specific provisions of ABSTUDY for their circumstances — eligibility rules differ from mainstream Youth Allowance and can cover educational costs in some remote scenarios.

Carer and NDIS Funding

NDIS funding is not education funding, and NDIS guidance excludes educational supports for home schooling. A child may still receive disability-related supports that meet NDIS criteria, but those supports must be linked to disability support needs rather than ordinary educational outcomes.

NDIS (National Disability Insurance Scheme) plans may fund, where the support is disability-related and meets the NDIS criteria:

• Speech pathology and occupational therapy
• Social skills programs, social groups, and community participation programs

The key is to discuss disability-related functional goals with your NDIS planner or support coordinator. Do not describe ordinary home education as an NDIS support; NDIS guidance specifically excludes educational supports for home schooling.

If your child is not yet NDIS-funded, check the NDIS access requirements rather than assuming that a diagnosis such as autism or ADHD qualifies.

Carer Allowance and Carer Payment may be available to parents of children with disability or health conditions requiring substantial care, subject to their own care and income eligibility rules. Home education alone does not establish eligibility.

Volunteer-Run and Community Supports

The WA home education community is resourceful about distributing costs.

Co-op resource sharing is widespread. Families commonly share textbooks, manipulatives, science equipment, and subscription software across co-op groups. A Year 4 maths workbook used by three families costs each family a third of the retail price. Establishing yourself in a local co-op or HEWA network early gives you access to this economy.

HEWA membership starts at $30 per year and provides access to member discounts on curriculum and resource subscriptions. The discounts on platforms like Mathletics, ReadingEggs, and WorldBook may help offset the membership cost.

Home Education Association (HEA) membership at $79 per year provides access to a broader national discount network and includes the HEA helpline, which is useful for navigating registration and moderator questions.

Library systems are significantly underutilised by new home educators. The Perth metropolitan library network and regional library networks provide free access to a substantial range of educational books, audiobooks, online databases, and learning resources. Many branches have quiet study spaces available during school hours. State Library of WA provides digital access to several educational databases for WA card holders.

Online Curriculum and Free Resource Streams

Families can use several free or low-cost online resources:

• SCSA website — free access to the full WA Curriculum and Assessment Outline, achievement standards for all learning areas across all year levels, and teaching and learning examples. This is your authoritative source for curriculum alignment.
• Stile — online science and STEM curriculum resource. Some content is freely accessible.
• Reading Eggs and Mathseeds — paid subscription platforms, but frequently offered at significant discount through HEWA membership deals or Centrelink concession arrangements.

For families in remote areas, the Department of Education's School of Isolated and Distance Education (SIDE) is a separate distance education provider. It may offer referral or single-subject enrolments for students seeking formal WACE subjects; check current eligibility with SIDE or your regional moderator.

What Home Education Actually Costs in WA

Without a curriculum subscription, families can reduce costs by using free SCSA resources, library access, and co-op resource sharing. Structured curriculum packages, digital subscriptions, and specialist co-op fees add costs that vary by approach and family size.

The Western Australia Portfolio & Assessment Templates is a one-time cost that eliminates the documentation infrastructure problem — the time and money many families spend trying to build their own portfolio system, buying generic templates that do not map to WA requirements, or paying a home education consultant for what amounts to paperwork guidance.

Tax: What You Can and Cannot Claim

Homeschool curriculum and resource costs are generally not deductible as education expenses for federal tax purposes in Australia — the ATO's self-education deduction is specifically for costs related to your own income-earning employment, not your child's education.

The one exception worth noting: if you are a qualified teacher who provides tutoring as a business and uses some of your teaching materials within that business context, there is a potential argument for partial deduction. This is a niche scenario that warrants specific advice from an accountant familiar with self-employment deductions.

For a broader look at what homeschooling costs in Australia and how families manage the expense across different states, see our homeschool cost Australia overview.

See more Western Australia guides →