If your resident family lives away from you, they may be categorised as your Resident family who live apart from you due to approved service, compassionate, work or study reasons. (URF).
When you can have unaccompanied resident family
Your family may be your unaccompanied resident family if they move away from you and you have no Your partner and children who live with you. in your housing benefit location.
Your family may also be categorised as your unaccompanied resident family if they live apart from you due to approved service, compassionate, work or study reasons.
You need approval for your resident family to be unaccompanied resident family.
If your resident family are children only, they must:
- have a A person who lives with you but who isn’t a resident family member. living with them
- be living in a home you're responsible for in your previous housing benefit location.
You’ll need to make sure you have your relationship recognised or add your family member as resident family before you can change your family's categorisation.
On a posting
You can have unaccompanied resident family if you're posted to a new location and all of your resident family choose to:
- stay in your old location
- move to a different location, depending on the situation.
If your family members stay in your old location or move to a location for approved service, compassionate, work or study reasons, your old location will be your family benefit location. If your resident family moves to a different location, it will be a location without benefits.
Service couples
If you and your partner are a When you and your partner are both ADF members. who live apart, only one of you can have unaccompanied resident family.
If you’re posted away from your family, you can nominate your family as unaccompanied resident family. If your partner lives with your children, your partner will have accompanied resident family.
If you’re both staying in living-in accommodation in different locations, you won’t be categorised as having unaccompanied resident family. You’ll be each other’s non-resident family.
Changes to your family's categorisation
You'll need to reapply to keep your family’s unaccompanied resident family categorisation when you’re posted somewhere else, even if you had unaccompanied resident family in your old location.
You must change your family’s categorisation from being unaccompanied resident family when:
- your primary service location is located within the family benefit location
- your family moves to your housing benefit location
- you no longer have any unaccompanied resident family.
Your categorisation may change if you no longer meet the eligibility criteria.
You should update your family's categorisation as soon as your situation changes to avoid possible overpayments.
Apply for your family to be unaccompanied resident family
If you're eligible to have unaccompanied resident family, you can apply to change your family's categorisation.
You'll need to reapply for your family to be unaccompanied if you move to a new posting location or change your primary service location.