Rent Assistance (RA) portability 061-01070040

Rent Assistance is portable for temporary absences, according to the maximum portability period of the payment with which the RA is paid, in the following circumstances:

• If the main payment is portable indefinitely, RA is portable for a maximum of 26 weeks for a temporary absence. Payments that are indefinitely portable are Age Pension and Disability Support Pension (DSP) (in some situations). If the Age Pension or DSP customer is payable after 26 weeks because of discretionary extension provisions, RA can continue as long as the extension applies. See Discretion to extend portability period
• Customers going overseas to study part of their Australian course overseas (DSP, Carer Payment (CP), Parenting Payment (PP), Youth Allowance (YA) or Austudy) are payable for the period of time they are studying overseas. RA is also portable during these defined periods of overseas study. The maximum 26 week limit does not apply and RA is portable throughout. Note: RA only applies to paying rent in Australia so cannot apply to the overseas residence
• If the main payment is portable for a limited period, RA is portable for the same period that the payment is portable. In most cases, this is a maximum of 6 weeks for a temporary absence. If the portability period of the customer's main payment is shorter, RA will also cease. If the payment is being continued longer than 6 weeks for the purposes of overseas study or to attend a Defence Forces Reserve Service training camp, RA will continue until the main payment stops. RA will also remain portable for the duration of a portability extension when one is applied to the main payment
• If the main payment is Family Tax Benefit (FTB), RA is portable for 6 weeks unless there is another main payment that allows RA portability beyond 6 weeks (for example indefinitely portable DSP)
• RA only remains payable if the customer continues to pay rent on their principal place of residence in Australia whilst they are overseas. Rent needs to be verified for RA to continue. A customer should be asked about continuing payment of rent if they intend to be overseas for more than a few weeks

RA is not portable if the customer is paid under the 1 July 2004 portability provisions or the pre 20 September 2000 portability rules.

RA is not payable to people who are not Australian residents.

If a customer leaves Australia to live in another country RA is cancelled from the date the customer leaves Australia.

A customer who has stopped living in Australia will not be able to claim RA during any temporary returns to Australia.

Where a customer's main payment is suspended or cancelled due to a departure overseas, RA ceases to be payable as well. If the customer's payment is either automatically or manually restored on their return to Australia, RA will generally also be restored.

For RA qualification, a customer must reside in the principal home in Australia. The amount of RA payable will depend on whether the customer is paying rent, lodgings, or board and lodgings, the amount paid, the customer's age, and if they are sharing their accommodation.

The customer must have proof of the type and amount of payment made for their accommodation, for example, verification by way of lease agreement or a Rent Certificate form. RA is payable if the rent paid is in excess of the minimum threshold amount.

If a rent review is due before departure, the customer must ensure that the Rent Certificate form or Rent Declaration is completed and returned before departure.

If a rent review is due during the customer's absence, the customer must be advised. If the departure date is less than 14 days from date of notification, the customer should attend their service centre to collect a Rent Certificate form, which must be completed before departure. The Resources page has links to these forms.

If the review falls due in the week before return, the customer may deal with it after they have returned.

If the customer does not have the time to complete either the Rent Certificate or the Rent Declaration form (for example, they may be ringing from the airport):

• They should be advised to expect the form to be sent from Services Australia. It will go to the address they have chosen for correspondence while they are overseas
• The customer must make arrangements to action the form and return it to Services Australia
• If not actioned, the customer will be cancelled and will need to reapply for RA on their return to Australia

The Department of Home Affairs generally advises when a customer or child leaves or returns to Australia. The Centrelink system uses the information to assesses the portability of payments and concession cards. The assessment will happen regardless of whether the customer has told Services Australia their travel details. Note: do not cancel Department of Home Affairs datalink activities.

Where the customer gives evidence they travelled on different dates, the agency should consider using those different dates, if both the following apply:

• the new dates are logical
• the results will be a better outcome for the customer

This most often happens if a customer passes through Australian customs on one day but the flight leaves the next day.

In many cases, customers do not have to tell the agency if they are leaving Australia temporarily for less than 6 weeks, or when they have returned from a temporary absence.

When customers do need to tell us about a departure before leaving Australia or when they have returned to Australia they can use the Travelling outside of Australia service. This service is in their Centrelink online account. If the travel or portability assessment is complex the online service will ask them to contact the agency.

Services Australia website lists when customers must tell the agency they are leaving or returning to Australia. The Resources page has a link.