Extended entitlement to Concession Cards 101-06060030

Age Pension customers who have employment income that would preclude payment will continue to be entitled to their Pension Concession Card (PCC) for the duration of the 24 week employment income nil rate period (CUR/AGE).

At the end of the employment income nil rate period, if the Age Pension payment is cancelled, then the customer's entitlement to their PCC also ceases.

If the customer’s Age Pension is in an extended employment suspension period, they retain their PCC entitlement until the end of the suspension period, for a maximum of 2 years. See Extended suspension periods for pension payments. If the customer's PCC extension period ended before 1 January 2023 they are not eligible for the 2 year extension.

Check Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

Customers who received DSP can continue to qualify for a PCC for a total of 2 years (including a 24 week employment income nil rate period) from the date DSP ceases due to employment income or due to the number of hours worked as long as they remain Australian residents or, if paid under the Agreement with New Zealand, are Special Category Visa (SCV) holders residing in Australia.

In some instances, DSP may be cancelled or suspended immediately without a 24 week employment income nil rate period being applied. If a customer's DSP is cancelled/suspended in such circumstances due to their personal income and working hours (that is: lose qualification), eligibility for the Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) may continue for up to 2 years from the date the payment stops.

If the customer's DSP is cancelled solely based on a partner's employment income, the PCC entitlement is cancelled on the same day that DSP is cancelled.

If the customer has a partner receiving DSP who is in an extended employment suspension period, they retain their PCC entitlement until the end of the suspension period, for a maximum of 2 years. See Extended suspension periods for pension payments. If the customer's PCC extension period ended before 1 January 2023 they are not eligible for the 2 year extension.

If their payment is cancelled due to transfer to Self-Employment Allowance, customers are entitled to a 52 week extension to their PCC.

Check Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

PP (single or partnered) with a partial capacity to work as assessed by an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) and granted payment on or after 1 July 2006.

These customers will be entitled to a total of 52 weeks extension to their Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), including the 24 week employment income nil rate period, when their own employment income reduces their payment to nil.

If employment income is due to partner's employment, extension is limited to the 24 week employment income nil rate period.

If their payment is cancelled due to transfer to Self-Employment Allowance, customers are entitled to a 52 weeks extension to their PCC.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

PPS customers:

• are entitled to Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) for 24 weeks of employment income nil rate period
• who have 52 weeks continuous income support once payment has cancelled, are entitled to the Health Care Card (HCC) for a further 2 weeks
• whose payment is cancelled due to transfer to Self-Employment Allowance, are entitled to the HCC for a 26 week extension period

PPS customers whose payments cease because their youngest child is no longer under 14 years retain eligibility for the PCC for a period of 12 weeks. This PCC extension only applies to customers who have been cancelled on or after 20 September 2023 for cancellation reason C14. This is up from under 8 years of age (C08) from 1 January 2014.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

CP customers who have employment income that would preclude payment will continue to be entitled to their Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) for the duration of the 24 week employment income nil rate period.

At the end of the employment income nil rate period, if their payment is cancelled, then the customer's entitlement to their PCC also ceases.

If the customer’s Carer Payment is in an extended employment suspension period, they retain their PCC entitlement until the end of the suspension period, for a maximum of 2 years. See Extended suspension periods for pension payments. If the customer's PCC extension period ended before 1 January 2023, they are not eligible for the 2 year extension.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

Special Benefit customers are not entitled to the employment income nil rate period. If their payment is cancelled, the customer's entitlement to their HCC or PCC also ceases unless the below applies.

Health Care Card (HCC)

Customers who have been on an income support payment for 52 weeks or more are entitled to the HCC for the 26 weeks after cancellation, provided their payment is cancelled due to full time employment or employment income for themselves or their partner.

Pensioner Concession Card (PCC)

Customers who have been on an income support payment for 39 weeks and are aged 55 years and over, are entitled to the PCC for the 26 weeks after cancellation, provided their payment is cancelled due to full time employment or employment income for themselves or their partner.

If their payment is cancelled due to transfer to Self-Employment Allowance customers are entitled to a PCC for a 26 week extension period.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

• JobSeeker Payment (JSP)
• Parenting Payment Partnered (PPP)
• Special Benefit (SpB)

and are currently an Australian resident are entitled to a Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) for the 26 weeks after cancellation provided their payment is cancelled due to full time employment or employment income for themselves or their partner.

• JSP and PPP customers will remain qualified for a PCC for a total of 50 weeks, including the 24 week employment income nil rate period
• SpB customers remain qualified for a PCC for the 26 week extension period only. SpB customers are not entitled to the employment income nil rate period

If a JSP customer's payment is cancelled due to transfer to Self-Employment Allowance customers are entitled to a 26 week extension to their HCC.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

Note: if the customer reclaims income support, their concession card eligibility will be a Health Care Card (HCC). The reason is that the customer will no longer meet the continuous receipt of a payment requirement.

Customers who are over Age Pension age and have employment income that would preclude payment will continue to be entitled to their PCC for the duration of the 24 week Employment income nil rate period.

At the end of the employment income nil rate period, if the payment is cancelled, then the customer's entitlement to their PCC is also cancelled.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

• Must have 52 weeks continuous income support for entitlement to extension beyond 24 week employment income nil rate period
• Customers who have 52 weeks continuous income support entitlement and are suspended under the Youth Bonus Wage Subsidy (YBWS) are still entitled to the below concession extensions
• Entitled to Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) for 26 weeks. From 1 July 2024, this includes 24 weeks of employment income nil rate period with an additional 2 weeks
• If their payment is cancelled due to transfer to Self-Employment Allowance customers are entitled to a 24 week extension to their PCC, plus a 26 week HCC extension which is served concurrently with the PCC extension

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

Customers will be entitled to a total of 52 weeks extension to their Pensioner Concession Card (PCC), including the 24 week employment income nil rate period, when their own employment income reduces the customer's payment to nil.

If employment income is due to partner's employment, extension is limited to the 24 week employment income nil rate period.

Customers who are suspended under the Youth Bonus Wage Subsidy (YBWS) are entitled to the above concession extensions.

If their payment is cancelled due to transfer to Self-Employment Allowance customers are entitled to a 52 weeks extension to their PCC.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

Customer in receipt of a social security payment and payment ceases due to the direct deduction of a New Zealand payment and customer was in receipt of a Pensioner Concession Card (PCC).

Customer is still entitled to a PCC under the Agreement between Australia and New Zealand.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

Customers in receipt of the following payments and who have been in receipt of an income support payment for 52 weeks or more and payments have now ceased due to income from employment of the customer or partner, are entitled to the HCC for the 26 weeks after cancellation immediately following the 24 week employment income nil rate period:

• JSP and YA as a job seeker (other than as a single principal carer or with a partial capacity to work), continues following the 24 week employment income nil rate period
• Special Benefit (SpB) are not entitled to the employment income nil rate period and continue post cancellation

Note:

• JSP, YA (job seekers) and SpB are entitled to the HCC for the 26 weeks after cancellation provided they had been in receipt of an income support payment for 52 weeks or more prior to cancellation. The cancellation code 'FTE' must be used to allow this process to happen, see Cancellation, suspension and rejection reason codes for Newstart System (NSS)
• Customers who are suspended under the Youth Bonus Wage Subsidy (YBWS) are entitled to the above concession extensions
• This is also the case if the full time employment is their partner's

If their payment is cancelled due to transfer to Self-Employment Allowance, customers are still entitled to the above extension provision.

PPP customers in an employment income nil rate period are entitled to a 24 week extension of their HCC. At the end of the employment income nil rate period, if the payment is cancelled, then the customer's entitlement to their HCC is also cancelled. See Item 6.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

Customers in receipt of the following payments are entitled to an automatically issued HCC after 01 January 2019, will immediately have their concession entitlement cancelled after a 24 week employment income nil rate period:

• Youth Allowance (Students and Apprentices)
• ABSTUDY Living Allowance
• Austudy

Note: customers for this cohort who lose entitlement for a reason other than employment income of nil rate period will have their HCC cancelled from the date they lose entitlement.

Mobility Allowance (MOB) customers who commence receiving a funded package of support under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) will have their MOB payment cancelled but will continue to be entitled to their Health Care Card (HCC).

The HCC will continue to be reissued to the customer unless the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) advise that the customer is no longer receiving a funded package of support.

• Customer may not have been on income support payment long enough (52 weeks) to be entitled to an extension to their concession cards beyond the 24 week employment income nil rate period
• Check Summary screen to see date of grant

PPP customers are entitled to a 24 week extension of their HCC, when their and/or their partner's employment income reduces the customer's payment to nil (known as the employment income nil rate period), on or after 1 January 2008. At the end of the employment income nil rate period, if the payment is cancelled, then the customer's entitlement to their HCC is also cancelled.

Check the Concession Entitlement Summary (MCCS) screen for current entitlement start date. The Card Issue Summary (CCIS) screen displays actual cards issued, not current entitlement.

Customers, who receive Self-Employment Allowance from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations, with no top up income support payment from Centrelink, may be eligible for a Low Income Health Care Card. These customers are required to lodge a claim for the Low Income Health Care Card (LIC) in order to receive a LIC.

Customers who continue to receive income support payments whilst receiving Self-Employment Allowance retain entitlement to any automatically issued Health Care Card (HCC) or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC).

Extended concessions card entitlement may be available for Self-Employment Assistance customers whose income support payment has been cancelled due to transfer to Self-Employment Allowance.

In some instances, the system may not automatically issue an extension concession card to qualified customers following a transfer to Self-Employment Allowance. In these cases, refer the situation to the Level 2 Policy Help Desk ensuring that the 'Enquiry Detail' category reflects 'Concessions'.

The Resources page contains a link to the online query form for Level 2 Policy Help Desk.

A person who is no longer eligible for payment because of an increase in self-employment income, may qualify for an extension concession card based on the above extensions rules for their payment type. Due to a current system limitation, customers may not be issued an extension concession card automatically by the system.

In these cases, refer the situation to the Level 2 Policy Help Desk ensuring that the 'Enquiry Detail' category reflects 'Concessions'.