Carer Allowance (CA) child care receiver undertakes education, training or treatment 009-06040030

CA (child) carers whose children are absent from home for education, training or treatment (ETT) and who have utilised their 63 respite days per calendar year do not lose qualification for CA payment, but are only payable for the period that the child is in their care.

To be considered absent from the carer, the child care receiver must be away for a full 24 hour period, that is, 12:00 am to 12:00 am (midnight to midnight). For example, attending boarding school and staying overnight, for a full 24 hour period, is an absence for ETT, whereas attending school during normal hours and returning home that afternoon is not considered an absence for ETT.

Note: ETT does not apply to Carer Payment (CP).

If the child is expected to return to the care situation and an end date for the ETT has been coded, the carer will remain qualified for CA on 'nil rate', and retain eligibility for the CA Health Care Card (HCC) during the ETT period for up to 13 weeks (after the balance of 63 respite days has been used). An end date should be coded to allow the system to continue the CA HCC. A new 13 week period commences each time the child leaves care, provided an expected date of return has been coded on the carer's record.

If the child is in the parent's care for some part of each fortnight, eligibility for payment is maintained on a pro rata basis after the 63 days respite quota has been used. For example, if on the advice of the carer, the child is at school Monday to Friday but returns home on weekends. Service Officers should code Tuesday to Thursday as the regular 24 hour (midnight to midnight) absence days out of care.

For absences due to ETT, once the 63 days of respite have been utilised, an automatic advice regarding 'entering a nil rate period' will be issued to payment level Carer Allowance (CA) carers who are not on a pro rata rate of CA.

CA paid under CA auto provisions and CA Health Care Card (HCC) only carers will not receive this letter.

The carer will be issued a reminder letter at 10 weeks if the expected date of return is after 13 weeks of a nil rate period commencing, (if 1 January does not occur before the expiry of the 13 week period). The reminder letter will notify the carer that the child's CA HCC will cancel at the expiry of the 13 week period and that they have until that date to notify any return to care which will occur within the 13 week period.

If the carer has not notified a return to care date within the allowable 13 week period, the CA HCC will cancel with a reason of 'ETT' and an advice issued automatically to both payment level carers on the nil rate and HCC only carers.

After cancellation the carer may reclaim, however they cannot requalify while the child care receiver is absent from the care situation. The child care receiver must again be receiving additional care and attention on a daily basis in the home of the child care receiver and carer to requalify for CA (child).

CA absence rules for ETT continue to apply to CA as normal. This means that CA may change to a nil rate due to ETT when a carer has used their 63 TCC days. This may affect a carer's qualification for CP (XWP) - Carer Payment (CP) that is paid under grandfathering provisions for ceased Wife Pension carers. If a CP (XWP) carer’s only or last payment level CA is suspended or cancelled, or changed to a CA Health Care Card only or nil rate due to ETT, the system will automatically cancel CP (XWP). A carer will lose qualification for CP (XWP) permanently if they have a break in payment level CA entitlement after 19 March 2020.

For more information, see Transfer from Wife Pension (WP) to Carer Payment (CP).

For an adult Carer Allowance (CA) care receiver, ETT does not apply. There is no pro-rata allowance for adult CA care receivers after the 63 respite days quota has been used. The carer loses qualification to their payment when their allocated 63 respite days per calendar year are exhausted.