Reporting overview 110-18120553

A separate procedure covers updates to annual income estimates for family assistance.

To report employment income before departure or while overseas, see Recording and correcting employment income. To report income earned overseas, see Foreign income and assets.

Customers are required to report any changes to their circumstances that may affect their payment, including receiving employment income. This is so their correct entitlement and qualification can be determined.

Customers who receive, or who have partners receiving employment income are required to report regularly (usually fortnightly) to Services Australia. The frequency of customer reporting is automatically determined by service profiling. Customers have an obligation to report on their due date. Some customers with employment income may not have to regularly report. For example, if:

• they are employed by an Australian Disability Enterprise (ADE) and their employer reports on their behalf using Electronic Employer Reporting (EER)
• they are receiving Disability Support Pension (Blind) or Age Pension (Blind),or
• their employment income is regular (a regular monthly salary) and an Pension Monthly Exception Rule is met

Customers receiving a payment with mutual obligation requirements are also required to report regularly even if they, and their partner if they have one, are not currently receiving employment income. This is because:

• their mutual obligation requirements mean they have a higher chance of commencing employment, and
• it allows Services Australia to confirm that Centrelink managed job seekers are meeting their requirements and allows for a correction to their requirements in a timely manner if they are not

The Resources page contains:

• a reporting profile
• reporting and payments for members of a couple
• a link to the Information you need to know about reporting
• the Earnings Worksheet (SU505(I)) booklet
• links to Digital Support Resources

Customers generally need to report income:

• fortnightly (statement reporter), or
• when their circumstances change (notification reporters)

Statement reporters

• Receiving an income support payment
• Has mutual obligation requirements or is (or has a partner) receiving employment income
• Must advise of any paid employment income, hours worked (if required) and any other changes on the reporting day, usually the Entitlement Period End Date (EPED) before being paid. The customer may advise in advance that they will be starting work. On their reporting day they must give the gross amount of employment income paid and hours worked
• Are required to report any other changes which might affect their payment on the EPED of the period the change occurred

Customers with mutual obligation requirements

Customers receiving payment with mutual obligation requirements are required to report every 2 weeks:

• employment income and the hours they have worked
• any other changes of circumstances that may have occurred during the period
• if they are a Centrelink managed job seeker, confirm they have complied with their mutual obligation requirements

Customers with employment income

The following customers receiving a payment without mutual obligation requirements are required to report every 2 weeks if they or their partner is receiving employment income:

• Students receiving Austudy
• Carers
• Disability Support Pension
• Age Pension
• Parenting Payment
• YA (student)
• ABSTUDY
• Australian Apprentices receiving Youth Allowance, Austudy or ABSTUDY

Notification reporters

Customers with regular or no employment income

• Receiving an eligible payment
• No employment income or has stable employment income and an exception is met and Services Australia has recorded it as an ongoing amount
• If they start work, they must advise within 14 days of first being paid
• If the amount of pay they receive changes (customers with ongoing income recorded), within 14 days of the amount of employment income they will be paid changes
• Does not have mutual obligation requirements
• Must report any other changes within 14 days

Notification reporters can advise of changes using self service options.

Reporting for customers on weekly payments

Customers receiving weekly payments can be placed onto any of the available reporting regimes, including:

• 2 weekly stimulus reporting
• variable reporting, and
• notification reporting

See Reporting requirements for customers receiving a payment with mutual obligation requirements.

Reporting profiles

The Resources page contains information about a customer's reporting profile by payment type.

See:

• Reporting requirements for customers receiving a payment with mutual obligation requirements for information on reporting frequencies for job seekers
• Reporting requirements for students and Australian apprentices for information on reporting frequencies for students and Australian apprentices

Customers and partners usually have the same reporting frequency and lodgement date

Customers and partners usually have the same reporting frequency and lodgement date where the customer has an employment income reporting profile.

For example:

• If the customer has an employment income profile of 2 weekly and their partner who has no mutual obligation requirements has no employment income and is profiled as an employment income notification reporter, both the customer and partner will be required to report 2 weekly. The exceptions to this are customers in receipt of Disability Support Pension (Blind) and Age Pension (Blind) who will be profiled as notification reporters (unless they are claiming Rent Assistance)
• Where neither customer nor partner has employment income, and one has mutual obligation requirements and the other without mutual obligation requirements, the job seeker with mutual obligation requirements will be a two weekly reporter and the partner without mutual obligation requirements will be a notification reporter

Note: customers who are profiled as a variable reporter will not always have the same reporting frequency as their partner.

There will be different reporting frequencies for couples if:

• One has mutual obligation requirements (profiled as a variable reporter), and
• The partner is profiled as a notification reporter

If the partner of the customer in the example above is profiled as an employment income reporter, both customers will be employment income reporters.

Reporting and payments for members of a couple

Partnered customers, reporting via self service (online, Express Plus application or phone), verbally in person or in writing (SU19) may also generate their partner's payment.

If the partner is:

• A two weekly reporter, their payment will be generated when the customer reports via self-service (online, Express Plus mobile app or phone), in person or in writing (SU19), unless the partner has mutual obligation requirements and is required to submit their own Reporting Statement. Alternatively, the partner can contact and submit their Reporting Statement on their reporting day to generate their own payment. The Service Officer should inform the customer that their payment is subject to their partner's employment income and advise that there may be a possible overpayment once their partner's employment income is reported
• A notification reporter, their payment will be paid automatically regardless of whether the customer has submitted their Reporting Statement or not

If the partner is required to report and the customer is in receipt of Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA), the DRA recipient will be advised their partner is required to report separately.

Customers reporting via online account, the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app, or phone self service will be advised of this requirement.

The Resources page contains a table that explains reporting and payment for members of a couple and an attachment showing the Expanded partner reporting matrix.

Early Reporting

Customers with access to self service can enter employment information at any time during their reporting period and save it. Early submission of Reporting Statements is only accepted under specific circumstances.

See:

• Early or late lodgement of job seeker reports for information on the acceptance and management of early reports for job seekers
• Reporting requirements for students and Australian apprentices for information on reporting frequencies for Students and Australian Apprentices

Late reporting

Failure to report on the due date may result in delays in a customer's payment and/or cancellation of payment..

See:

• Early or late lodgement of job seeker reports for information on the acceptance and management of late reports for job seekers
• Reporting requirements for students and Australian apprentices for information on reporting frequencies for Students and Australian Apprentices

Reporting arrangements over national public holidays

Special arrangements are put in place for national public holiday periods (such as Easter, Christmas, Anzac Day and Australia Day). This minimises inconvenience to those customers who would be prevented from reporting:

• employment income
• mutual obligation requirements, and
• any change of circumstances on their normal reporting date

For more information, see Payment and reporting arrangements over national public holiday periods.

For information when a customer is travelling overseas see:

• JobSeeker Payment (JSP) customer going overseas and Youth Allowance (YA) customer going overseas for further information on what to do when a job seeker is going overseas
• Age Pension customer going overseas for information on what to do when an Age Pension customer is going overseas
• Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) overseas absences for information on what to do when a Carer is going overseas
• Disability Support Pension (DSP) customer going overseas for information on what to do when a DSP customer is going overseas
• ABSTUDY student or Australian Apprentice going overseas for information on what to do when a DSP customer is going overseas
• Reporting requirements for students and Australian Apprentices for information on what to do when a Student or Australian Apprentices is going overseas

Genuine attempts must be made to transition customers to report via self service options before assisted reporting is completed, unless an exception applies.

Reporting via Self Service

Statement reporters should be directed to report using self service facilities. These channels are the quickest and easiest way for customers to report. If a customer is unsuccessful, refuses or is unable to use self service they can verbally provide their report to a Service Officer either in a service centre or Smart Centre.

Customers may report through self service using:

• their Centrelink online account or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app
• phone self service

These services have safeguards in terms of access and use. Customers with more complex cases will be re-routed. Those cases requiring discretionary determinations are sent to a Smart Centre, service centre or Participation Solutions Team (PST).

Statement reporters can also correct their (and their partner's) reported income using their Centrelink online account or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app if:

• there are changes to their income, or
• they made an error in the initial report
• for corrections to partner earnings, if they have Partner Permitted to Enquire (PPE) or Partner Permitted to Update (PPU) permissions on their partner’s record

Customers can correct the employment income and hours they reported in the last six reporting periods.

Customer will not be able to amend any Single Touch Payroll (STP) employment income they have already confirmed in the past.

Customers with mutual obligation requirements will be asked if they met their mutual obligation requirements again. From 1 July 2024, customers with mutual obligation requirements who are undertaking an approved activity to fully meet their requirements will be asked if they are still undertaking the agreed activity for the required minimum hours (where relevant) when they report.

Notification customers can advise of changes to ongoing or continuous employment income using the Update employment income service if they:

• do not have mutual obligation requirements, and
• are in receipt of an eligible payment

Self Service Access Facility

The Self Service Access Facility (SSAF) screen controls whether a customer has access to reporting via self service reporting channels, it does not affect the customer's ability to register online.

Verbal reporting

Customers can report verbally via:

• Smart Centre - customers may phone Services Australia on the Income reporting number to use the automated phone self service line dedicated to reporting income. See the Resources page for contact details. Smart Centre staff will speak to a customer if there is an issue with their report and the call is transferred to them from the phone self service line, or if the customer is unsuccessful, unable or refuses to use the phone self service line
• Attending a service centre and verbally telling a Service Officer what their income is for the last fortnight, as well as any other changes to their circumstances or mutual obligation

Note: when a face-to-face (for example, customer speaks to a Service Officer) report is provided, the Service Officer must also ask the customer if any other changes in circumstances occurred during the fortnight, or if they have met their mutual obligation requirements.

Paper Reporting Statement (SU19) by exception only

Reporting via self service options is the preferred channel choice for Services Australia, verbal is the next preferred channel, with paper reporting by exception only.

A Reporting Statement (SU19) or 'SU19' is the Application for Payment form historically issued to customers with mutual obligation requirements.

In the first instance, a customer should be directed to report via self service. If a customer is unsuccessful, refuses or is unable to use self service, they can verbally report to a Service Officer either in a service centre or a Smart Centre.

If a customer is unable or unwilling to use self service ongoing; staff can place them on paper reporting. This form can be issued manually in exceptional circumstances and needs to be completed and lodged (either in person, via fax, or post). Where a customer reports by fax or mail, the Reporting Statement must be completed in pen and signed and dated on the due to report date. All questions must be answered and the customer must provide details of any other changes in circumstances.

The Reporting Statement also known as the Multi Attachment Template (MAT) is a summary of reporting dates issued to customers who are required to report. Reporting Statements are issued:

• at grant or payment transfer if:
• the customer’s new payment has mutual obligation requirements
• the person or their partner is receiving employment income
• whilst in receipt of payment, if
• mutual obligation requirements are applied to the payment for example the youngest child of a customer receiving Parenting Payment Single (PPS) turns 6 years, and / or
• the customer or their partner commences earning employment income and is placed on statement reporting by the system or a Service Officer

Note: the above statement reporters will also receive the Reporting Statement if they have Restricted Access or have a Correspondence Nominee.

The purpose of the Reporting Statement is to provide the customer with relevant information about their reporting requirements, including:

• list of reporting dates
• how to report
• what customers have to report

Customers subscribed to Online Letters will receive a copy of their Reporting Statement in their myGov Inbox. Customers who are subscribed to Electronic Messaging will receive an Electronic Message (EM) advising them of the next 6 fortnights and the dates they are due to report, instead of a paper Reporting Statement.

A new Reporting Statement is issued automatically 12 weeks after the last one, providing the last Reporting Statement was processed.

A live version of the Reporting Statement is available to customers in their online account. It will display their reporting periods within the next 12 weeks. This is generated at the time the summary is viewed so the customer can see more reporting periods online.

Change in payment type

A new Reporting Statement is automatically issued to the customer for a period of up to 6 fortnights if:

• a customer transfers to a new payment type, and
• the customer is still required to report for the new payment type

They also have the ability to view the reporting periods via self service options.

Customer separates from their partner or commences to live with a new partner

If a customer separates from their partner, the customer no longer has to provide their partner's employment income.

If a customer becomes partnered, they must provide details of their partner's employment income.

A new Reporting Statement is issued automatically when a link or unlink is performed on a customer's record so the customer is aware of their reporting requirements.

Reissuing a Reporting Statement

The preferred option is to issue a duplicate Reporting Statement is via the Reissue Report Workflow. This will reissue via local or central print, local or central fax or online.

If the workflow is unavailable, a duplicate Reporting Statement can be sent by reissuing the Multi Attachment Template via the Reporting Types Issued (RPTI) screen. See Reporting screens for further information.

Centrelink customers can view the most updated reporting periods via:

• Online account
• Express Plus Centrelink mobile app
• Phone self service (next reporting date only)

Reporting Statements by Payment Type

See Reporting statements for job seekers and Reporting requirements for students and Australian Apprentices.

Reporting tools and screens

If a customer does not use self service to report, Service Officers can code a customer's reporting results and employment income, see Recording and correcting employment income details

A Service Officer can locate a customer's Report Next Due date, view the history of a customer's reporting regime and update their reporting requirements via the screens contained in the Reporting assignment block if required.

Go to the Employment Income and Reporting assignment block in Customer First, or Search: Reporting, to view:

• Earnings & Reporting
• Reissue report
• Reporting summary

Service Officers should always advise the customer of new reporting requirements and notification obligations.

For more information on the reporting screens including updating the details of a customer's reporting requirement or removing a customer from reporting, see Reporting screens.