New Financial Year Assessments (NFYA) for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) 007-07130000

The NFYA bulk mailout (including Electronic Messages (EM) and letters) for the new financial year occurs in May. Customers may also receive a NFYA letter if they claim FTB/CCS or become partnered after the bulk mailout and before 1 July of the new financial year. Customers may be sent more than one NFYA letter if their circumstances change before 1 July.

Mailout groups for New Financial Year Assessment (NFYA).

Approximately one week before the letter is due to be sent, an EM is sent to eligible customers advising them to update their new financial year family income estimates.

The NFYA letter invites customers to provide a family income estimate for the new financial year and advises the default estimate to be used if they do not provide their own estimate. The letter can be found through the Search Outbound Correspondence function in Customer First, or the Communication Outbox in Process Direct.

The default estimate is calculated as part of the Automatic Uplift process and is displayed on the FAO Income Uplift Details (FIUD) screen.

Replies to NFYA mailout

Customers can provide their family income estimate using their Centrelink online account, Express Plus Centrelink mobile app, or verbally by phone.

Note: if the customer phones the Centrelink Families line between 1 May and 30 June and has Voice Print authentication, the IVR will ask the customer to confirm both their current financial year family income estimate and their future financial year family income estimate (if there is an estimate on file) while the customer is waiting in the phone queue. The income estimate instructions on Customer Overview will then show the Service Officer if action is required.

Remind the customer that estimates can be updated using self-service options.

Offer registration. See Centrelink self service – access status, locking and unlocking and Accessing and using Centrelink self service.

If the customer is unable to use self-service, Service Officers can complete the estimate update.

If customer is providing an income estimate, ensure estimate is reasonable.

For FTB/CCS or FTB only customers, update the income estimate and discuss payment options using the Family Income and Choices workflow:

• Select Update income estimate > ‘next financial year’ option
• Record all income components for the new financial year even if the details are the same as the previous financial year or the amount is $0

For CCS only customers, update the income estimate in Process Direct.

• Go to the ‘FTI’ (FAO Taxable Income) screen
• Select Add row and complete the Create FAO Taxable Income screen:
• Start date field: 1 July of the new financial year
• Income source field: will default to Customer Provided (no change needed)
• Financial year field: select the new financial year. For example, select 2024 for the 2023-24 financial year.
• Income Status field: will default to Estimated Income (no change needed)
• Income Type fields: enter the amount of the income component to be updated in whole dollars:
• Taxable income
• Exempt Reportable Fringe Benefits
• Other Reportable Fringe Benefits
• Foreign income
• Deductable Child Maintenance expenditure
• Total Net Investment Losses
• Tax free pensions/benefits
• Reportable superannuation contributions
• Tax exempt foreign income
  Discuss all income components recorded on the FTI table with the customer.
• Select Save
• Receipt date field: date of event
• Channel field: select the appropriate reason for the request from the drop down list
• Select Save
  Note: if the customer is partnered, select the partner from the Relations menu to update their income details.
• Select Assess
• Select Finish
• Record details of the update in the Notes section:
• Customer has updated estimated income for CCS
• Current year income reasonable: Yes/No
• Income details provided are as follows:
• Taxable Income: Cust $ Ptr $
• Exempt Reportable Fringe Benefits: Cust $ Ptr $
• Other Reportable Fringe Benefits: Cust $ Ptr $
• Foreign income: Cust $ Ptr $
• Deductable Child Maintenance expenditure: Cust $ Ptr $
• Total Net Investment Losses: Cust $ Ptr $
• Tax free pensions/benefits: Cust $ Ptr $
• Reportable superannuation contributions: Cust $ Ptr $
• Tax exempt foreign income: Cust $ Ptr $
• Select Finalise (or Not Finalise if appropriate) to complete the activity.

For customers who wish to use the default estimate, record this decision in the Family Income and Choices workflow. If the workflow is unavailable, record the details on a DOC.

• The default estimate will be used to work out the customers:
• legislative FTB rate from 1 July, or immediately if it was due to apply after 1 July
• CCS entitlement from the start of the CCS financial year (if provided on or before that date) or the start of the next CCS fortnight (if provided after the start of the CCS financial year)

Notes:

• If the estimate is provided before the system release with CPI changes for the new CCS year, advise the customer their future entitlement is an estimate only, and may change once CPI increases are applied. Customers should check their online account after the start of the CCS year to confirm their entitlement
• The customer may be subject to the second stage Automatic Uplift if actual income details are received from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) for the previous financial year
• The new financial year estimate will affect FTB payments from 1 July of the new financial year and CCS entitlement from the start of the CCS year (the first Monday in July following the Sunday of the last CCS fortnight)
• If the customer receives CCS, review the customer (and partner) Activity Test details and update if required
• If there is a child from a previous relationship and the customer is receiving more than base rate FTB Part A, check that the customer meets the Maintenance Action Test
• If the customer or partner is in receipt of an income support payment, check if income and earnings details require updating