Irregular or intermittent business activity 043-03130080

These guidelines apply to all business structures, including businesses being operated through a private trust or private company. A reassessment of the income of the business entity can be undertaken at the request of a customer at any time during the year. This will require provision of full financial details including profit and loss statement, balance sheet and evidence of the circumstances that require a review. The customer's circumstances will then be reviewed based on this assessment.

If the customer is claiming or receiving JobSeeker Payment or Youth Allowance (job seeker), qualification is reliant on the customer being able to satisfy their mutual obligation requirements.

Where the business has been operating for less than 12 months, because the customer is starting a new business or has purchased a new business, an estimate will be required to strike the current rate of assessable income from the business.

Where the business has been operating for longer than a year:

• And a pattern of business activity can be established; the previous financial statements will reflect the irregular nature of the business activity and remain the appropriate basis for assessment of current income. No adjustment to the current rate of income assessed is required during periods when no business activity is undertaken
• But the current business activity has changed from the previous pattern of work, reassessment of the income being maintained will need to occur. Therefore, a revised profit and loss statement which incorporates the effect of the change to the business and reflects the current financial position of the business will need to be obtained from the customer

If the customer states that they do not intend continuing the business in the future, no income is to be maintained.

If the nature of a person's employment is seasonal work (including intermittent work) and there has been a seasonal downturn in business, the current rate of assessable income from the business is unchanged, unless there has been a change in circumstances of the business operations.