Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) carer undertakes paid employment, self employment, voluntary work, education or training activities 009-06030030
This document outlines how to determine ongoing eligibility for CP and CA when a carer participates in paid employment, self-employment, voluntary work, education or training.
On this page:
Check if activities exceed 25 hour rule
Cancelling CP or remaining qualified for temporary cessation of care (respite) days
Initial assessment and coding
Table 1
Step |
Action |
1 |
Carer starts an activity + Read more ... Carer advises they have started or changed details for paid employment, self-employment, voluntary work, education or training (work/study). Note: CP (XWP) customers are not subject to constant care and the 25 hour rule. Activity hours do not display to staff using the Earnings Workflow for CP (XWP) customers. Cancellation reason 25H is not available for CP (XWP) customers. See Transfer from Wife Pension (WP) to Carer Payment (CP). Procedure ends here. Self-employment If the carer starts or returns to self employment, decide what business structure they operate under and issue the customer with the appropriate module:
Request the appropriate module through request for information (RFI). See Requesting information (CLK). Select Information to be supplied within 14 Days + Delivery. Record the details on a DOC. Paid employment Notification reporters can use the Update employment status service in their Centrelink online account or Express Plus mobile app to advise of employment income paid in the last 14 days. This service will automatically place them on 2 weekly reporting. Foreign employment income Carers who notify they receive a foreign employment income through the Manage Income and Assets online services will be asked to contact Services Australia to provide more details. Update employment status online service Carers who use the Update employment status online service to notify they started work or their carer activities changed more than 14 days ago, will be asked to contact Services Australia. Request all employment income details from the date they started until the last Entitlement Period End Date (EPED) and code earnings on the record. See Requesting information (CLK). Is the carer notifying about a change of hours/income after a cancellation activity has been coded with a future date of effect?
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2 |
Effect of change in hours/income + Read more ... Review the effect the change in hours/income has on the cancellation:
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3 |
Types of activities + Read more ... If the carer is notifying of:
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4 |
Code employment income or self-employment details + Read more ...
To code:
Paid employment When helping a customer report, make a genuine attempt to transition them to reporting through self service options, unless an exception applies. Use the Earnings and reporting tool to code employment income if the carer is not asking to cancel their CP. See:
Notification reporters Place the carer notification reporters onto 2 weekly reporting if they advise they or their partner have started or changed their paid employment. This includes when employment income will be paid at a regular amount. This does not occur where the carer is:
Use the Earnings and reporting tool to record activity hours since starting and any employment income amounts already paid before their first reporting date. Record employment income as IOP or LOP as applicable. Help carers with self service options and advise their next reporting date. Carer notification reporters who exceed 25 hours per week will be unable to complete their report online using Update Employment income. A work item/activity will create for Service Officers to complete when the customer contacts. Using the Earnings and Reporting workflow If the carer has started paid work but has not yet been paid, select Carer Activity (CPAD) Only as the Type of Employment Details Update. If IOP or LOP are keyed as the Type of Employment Details Update, select:
See Carer Payment (CP) processing in the Earnings and reporting tool. Other actions If coding manually, correct/update/code:
If the carer and/or their partner receive Family Tax Benefit (FTB) or Child Care Subsidy (CCS), check if they need to update their income estimate. Explain to the carer the choices available to help reduce the chance of an overpayment. Have employment details been keyed on the EAPP screen or has the Business Type FST, NST, FPT or NPT been keyed on the Business Details (BUS) screen?
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5 |
Employer details + Read more ... Check new employer details have been automatically coded on the CPAS screen or the Real Estate/Business Identifying (REBI) screen. Select the activity type on the CPAS screen to go to the CPAD screen. Does the carer also have any voluntary work, education or training activity to be recorded or updated?
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6 |
Voluntary work, education and training + Read more ... CP customers claiming Pension Education Supplement (PES) CP customers who claim PES may notify Services Australia of a change in their circumstances that could affect their ongoing CP entitlement. Service Officers allocated PES claims for processing must:
Commenced Study -- CPAS to be updated Fast Note To action the Fast Note work item, review the record. Make genuine attempts to contact by phone. If contact is:
For all CP trained Processing and Telephony staff If successful customer contact is made or customer responds by phone to the Q164 letter:
If the customer also receives CA and they are no longer exempt from the CA income test, issue the Carer Allowance adjusted taxable income details (SA489) form for the customer to complete. Customer contacts by phone to update their activity details Go to the CPAS screen. If the carer is no longer participating in the activity, before selecting the new entry, zero out hours previously recorded on the CPAS screen. Select the activity for recording the hours the carer undertook in the entitlement period. Is the voluntary work, education or training activity shown on the CPAS screen?
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7 |
Foreign employment income + Read more ... If carers notify they have been paid foreign employment income through the Manage Income and Assets online service, a message shows asking them to contact Services Australia to give more details. A paid employment activity is not automatically created on the CPAS/CPAD screens when new employer details are recorded on the Foreign Employment Income (FEIP) screen:
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8 |
Code new activity type + Read more ... Go to the CPAD screen and key the:
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9 |
Record hours and if care has been Met, Not Met or Unknown + Read more ... Update the following fields on the CPAD screen. CPAD Event Date The event date used to update the employment details on or after 7 December 2020 is no longer aligned to the date used for the CPAD change, see Determining the Date of Event for employment income. Code the date of event on the CPAD screen when hours start or change for new claims. Code the initial CPAS event date as date of claim. Code later CPAS event dates for:
Changing activity hours for paid employment:
Activity/Travel Time Per week Key the hours recorded for an activity, including travel time. For the particular activity and week, record the number of hours and minutes that the carer participates in the activity. Record as:
Care has been Met, Not Met or Unknown Record the total income paid in the period even if there are hours of care met and not met. For example, where a carer takes the care receiver to work with them or has on call hours as well as paid hours. Care is Met where:
Care is Not Met where:
Care is Unknown where it is unclear if:
Source and DOR as appropriate. Press [Enter]. |
10 |
Changes to existing activities + Read more ... |
Check if activities exceed 25 hour rule
Table 2
Step |
Action |
1 |
Check if qualification is affected + Read more ... Go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen. A carer's qualification may be affected if their total activity duration exceeds 25 hours because of the update. This is indicated by the following warnings that appear on the Assessment Warning and Error (AWE) screen:
Do either of the warnings appear?
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2 |
Bereavement or permanent admission to an institution + Read more ... Is the carer receiving CP under the bereavement or permanent admission to an institution provisions?
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3 |
Temporary cessation of care (respite) + Read more ... If the carer is expected to exceed 25 hours per week on an ongoing basis, they cannot use their temporary cessation of care entitlement to remain qualified. However, a carer temporarily exceeding 25 hours per week may use temporary cessation of care provisions for each period they exceed 25 hours per week. If the carer chooses to use their respite, access respite in 7 day blocks for each relevant week the carer exceeds 25 hours. Temporary cessation of care is recorded as the first and/or second 7 day period of the entitlement period that corresponds with the week they exceeded 25 hours. Carers can use respite days to remain qualified when temporarily exceeding 25 hours per week during a nil rate period. Carers must remain qualified to access the employment income nil rate period. Is the carer taking advantage of the temporary cessation of care (respite) provisions to work/study?
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4 |
Warning W300PN - Activity hrs/wk >25 + Read more ... Was the warning - 'W300PN - Activity hrs/wk > 25. Check if care is provided'?
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5 |
Care provided during activity + Read more ... Check the 'Care Unknown' column on the Carer Payment Activity Summary (CPAS) screen for any coded hours. Are there any activities where Services Australia does not know if the carer is providing care during the activity?
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6 |
Carer has 'Care Unknown' hours for activities coded on CPAS + Read more ...
If there is more than one activity where Care Unknown hours exist, investigate each in turn. Discuss with the carer the impact of the activity on their ability to provide care. Consider all of the following:
It may also be determined that other questions should be asked. If still unsure if sufficient care is provided, social worker involvement may be necessary. Note: if the weekly hours are greater than 25 and the determination is that the care needs have been 'Met', the reason for the determination (for example, carer works from home, bereavement period) must be recorded on a DOC on the carer's record. Based on the discussion, is the carer providing care consistent with the care receiver's needs during the activity?
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7 |
Total of 'Care Not Met' activities + Read more ... Does the total duration of the remaining Care Not Met activities exceed 25 hours? A warning will show if this is the case. Warning W303PN appears when the total Care Not Met hours for a current CP carer exceeds 25 hours per week.
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8 |
Employment and Working Credit + Read more ... Working Credit can only be used to qualify a customer for CP if:
Note: Working Credit does not have to be depleting on the day they lose qualification under the 25 hour rule. For example, if a carer is not paid their employment income until the next entitlement period, they remain qualified under Working Credit provisions until their credit is exhausted - even if their Working Credit starts to deplete in the next entitlement period. View Working Credit balance on the Working Credit Balance Summary (WCBS) screen. Are all the above criteria met?
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Cancelling CP or remaining qualified for temporary cessation of care (respite) days
Table 3
Step |
Action |
1 |
Employment is an activity + Read more ... Carer remains qualified for CP only until the Working Credit balance reaches nil as shown on the Working Credit Balance Summary (WCBS) screen. Ask the carer if they are likely to reduce or increase their hours before this date.
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2 |
Hours are not likely to change + Read more ... Cancel CP from the date the Working Credit balance reduces to nil. If employment income has not yet been coded, the date the Working Credit balance will reduce to nil cannot be determined. The date the carer expects to be paid employment income can be coded up to 30 days in the future. If the carer is a notification reporter, employment income can be coded as MTE, IOP or LOP as appropriate. However, it is not necessary to place them on 2 weekly reporting unless the date the balance will reduce to nil cannot be determined. Has employment income already been paid or it can be coded for the future?
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3 |
Carer is likely to reduce or increase hours or employment income details not known + Read more ... Service Officers must:
This alerts the next Service Officer to look at the Working Credit balance if the carer next reports employment in a staff-facing channel. In Customer First, create a manual review on the Review Registration (RVR) screen and complete the fields as follows:
The review will mature on the Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload Management will allocate the review for manual action. If hours are likely to continue to change, the DOA DOC should continue to be annotated until their Working Credit balance reduces to nil. The manual review can be resubmitted each time the carer reports. Cancellation should be actioned when the carer contacts again, if the Working Credit balance is reduced to nil during that entitlement period. Do not cancel the payment if hours reduce to 25 or less per week before the Working Credit balance reduces to nil. Expire the DOA DOC if the carer is now working 25 hours or less per week. Has the carer contacted and the Working Credit balance is reduced to nil and the carer's paid employment, self-employment, voluntary work, education or training (including travel time) exceeds 25 hours per week?
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4 |
Working Credit balance not nil or not exceeding 25 hours + Read more ... The carer must keep reporting if their Working Credit balance is not yet nil but they are still exceeding. Annotate the DOA DOC. When the date the balance will reach nil is known, go to Step 5. If the Working Credit balance is nil but the carer is no longer exceeding 25 hours per week, annotate and expire the DOA DOC. Procedure ends here. |
5 |
Coding the cancellation + Read more ... Make updates in the carer's record. Run the Carer cancellation and suspension workflow. If the workflow is not working or not available, code the cancellation manually. For manual instructions, go to Step 6. Select Carer Payment:
The legislative reference is Section 198 of the Social Security Act 1991 (not section 198(AC)). This is because the requirement for constant care has not been met and not because 25 hours was exceeded. For links to the Act, see the References page. Note: if a customer has received Crisis Payment and a change has occurred, a manual reassessment of Crisis Payment may be required. For more details, see Reviewing and reassessing Crisis Payment (CrP). Procedure ends here. |
6 |
Code the cancellation manually + Read more ... If the workflow is unavailable, go to the Benefit Action (BA) screen and code the cancellation manually. In the following fields, key:
The date the carer exceeded 25 hours (normally the start date of the latest work/study/voluntary work activity) or the date the Working Credit balance will reduce to nil in the Effect Date field. Code the cancellation with the correct date the Working Credit balance reduces to nil or the start date the carer commences another activity. Record details on a DOC in the carer's record:
The decision to cancel CP is because the carer no longer provides constant care and attention. This is made according to Section 198 of the Social Security Act 1991 (not section 198(AC)) because the requirement for constant care has not been met. It is not because 25 hours was exceeded. For links to the Act, see the References page. Note: if a customer has received Crisis Payment and a change has occurred, a manual reassessment of Crisis Payment may be required. For more details, see Reviewing and reassessing Crisis Payment (CrP). Procedure ends here. |
7 |
Carer uses their respite to work/study for more than 25 hours + Read more ... Respite does not need to be used if the carer is currently in a bereavement period or if the care receiver has entered a nursing home on a permanent basis. The carer chooses to use their respite entitlement to work/study for more than 25 hours per week. Respite is recorded as the corresponding first and/or second 7 day period of the entitlement period that is being reported. The carer continues to qualify for CP at least until the:
Code the temporary cessation of care on the Absence Details (ABSN) screen:
See Coding absences for Carer Allowance (CA) when care of care receiver is shared. |
8 |
Carer remains qualified + Read more ... Finalise the activity unless a cancellation exists with an effect date in the future and the cancellation is no longer deemed appropriate. For example, the hours have reduced to below 25 hours. If so, code the following before finalising the activity:
Record a DOC in the carer's record outlining the information provided by the carer. Record only the necessary employer details on a DOC. Where the carer would receive nil payment due to the income test and some of that income is employment income from their (or their partner's), the carer may remain current at a nil rate for a period of up to 12 consecutive fortnights provided they continue to meet the qualification requirements for CP, including the constant care criterion. Make sure the carer and their partner are on 2 weekly reporting if neither have employment income:
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