Residence assessment for customers claiming Parenting Payment (PP) 106-06020110

To qualify for PP the customer must meet all of the following:

• be an Australian resident
• generally, must be in Australia at the time the claim is lodged
• remain an Australian resident throughout the period of payment, and
• satisfy or be exempt from serving the 2 year (104 week) qualifying residence period, and
• satisfy or be exempt from serving the 4 year (208 week) Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period (NARWP)

Note: there are exceptions to these requirements.

If the customer is an Australian resident then the PP child must:

• also be an Australian resident, or
• be living with the person

A PP child is not subject to a qualifying residence period or NARWP, only the customer must satisfy (or be exempt from) these requirements.

The new claim workflow will present the Immigration Enquiry (RSIMME) screen.

Ensure the customer's country of birth and any travel documents are recorded. The system will automatically link to the Department of Home Affairs information and update the customer's residence and movement information. For more information, see Activating the Department of Home Affairs datalink and contingency procedures if datalink is unavailable.

Check the Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen to ensure the customer was in Australia at the time the claim was lodged.

Check the Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen for citizenship and/or visa details for the customer.

If the customer is:

• in Australia as:
• an Australian resident, see Step 1 in Table 2
• a non-resident, go to Step 5
• not in Australia, go to Step 3

The customer can only lodge a legal claim for PP while outside Australia if they:

• are outside Australia temporarily and had been in receipt of another income support payment outside Australia which has now ceased and the claim for PP is made within 13 weeks of the income support payment ceasing, or
• meet an exception to the lodgement inside Australia rule, or
• are claiming Parenting Payment Single (PPS) and are eligible using an International Agreement

Claims outside Australia following cancellation of a previous income support payment can only be granted if the customer is still within the portability period for PP (generally 6 weeks). If a person is granted a payment while outside Australia, the portability rules apply as though the person had left Australia on that payment. A person granted PP outside Australia can generally only be paid to the end of the portability period from date of original departure.

Can the customer lodge outside Australia because their previous income support payment cancelled while outside Australia, or they meet an exception to the lodgement inside Australia rule?

• Yes, and they are:
• an Australian resident, see Step 1 in Table 2
• not an Australian resident, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 4

Some agreements also allow claims to be lodged under that agreement in a third country. That third country needs to be an agreement country that accepts claims for Australian pension under another agreement.

For information, see International Social Security Agreements.

Is the customer claiming PPS and in an agreement country that covers PPS?

• Yes, see Step 3 in Table 3
• No, advise the customer to lodge a claim if they return to Australia in the future
• Record the address on Address Details (AD) screen
• Continue to assess the claim. The claim will reject for a residence related reason
• Procedure ends here

Only New Zealand citizens can be the holder of an SCV. The RSLEG screen in Customer First/Record or the RSLEG task in Process Direct will indicate whether someone is a protected (GRF or TRA) or non-protected (NOT) SCV holder.

For more information on Special Category visas, see Australian Residence Rules for New Zealand citizens.

Is the customer a non-protected SCV holder?

• Yes, and the customer states they are residing in Australia, go to Step 6
• No, they are GRF or TRA SCV holder, go to Step 1 in Table 2
• No, they are neither, go to Step 7

Continue to assess the claim. The claim will reject for a residence related reason.

Non-protected SCV holders must obtain permanent residence status before they have entitlement to most payments and concessions.

If a non-protected SCV holder is granted:

• Australian citizenship, they will have an exemption from the NARWP from the date the Australian citizenship is granted
• a permanent residence visa, any periods of presence as an Australian resident can be counted towards the NARWP. Periods of presence as an Australian resident prior to 26 February 2001 are counted towards the 2 year qualifying residence period and the 4 year NARWP. An exemption from the NARWP cannot apply to these customers until they obtain a permanent residence visa

Exception: the NARWP for a Low Income Health Care Card (LIC) and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) can be served by non-protected SCV holders. To qualify for an ex-Carer Allowance Health Care Card (ECH) and serve the NARWP, an SCV must be protected.

The following payments and services can be received by a non-protected SCV holder and may be offered to the customer where appropriate:

• Parental leave payments, family assistance and concession cards (excluding ex-Carer Allowance Health Care Card)
• Entitlement to some assistance looking for work, see Employment services for visa holders
• One off payment of either JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or Youth Allowance (YA) for a non-protected SCV holder under the New Zealand 10 year residence exemption
• Age Pension, Disability Support Pension (DSP) in limited circumstances and Carer Payment (CP) for the partner of a DSP recipient using the International Agreement with New Zealand

Procedure ends here.

• Code the correct citizenship and the correct visa subclass on the Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen
• Code the customer's country of residence on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen
• Continue to assess the claim. The claim will reject for a residence related reason

The customer may be entitled to some of the following. Offer to the customer if appropriate:

• Special Benefit (SpB), even though they may not be an Australian resident SpB may be payable to a person with certain temporary visas that qualify customers for some payments
• Parental leave payments and family assistance or the Low Income Health Care Card (LIC) if the customer has a certain temporary visas that qualify customers for some payments
• Child Care Subsidy (CCS) if the customer has any dependent children
• Assistance to look for work. To check a customer's entitlement, see Employment services for visa holders
• Payments using an international agreement. Generally this only applies to Age Pension, Disability Support Pension (DSP) in limited circumstances and Carer Payment (CP). Note: a customer claiming Parenting Payment Single (PPS) may qualify under some international agreements and some of these require the customer to be a de jure widow. For more information contact Centrelink International Services (CIS)

PP is subject to a 2 year (104 week) qualifying residence period. If the customer's first permanent residence visa is granted on or after 1 January 2019, the customer is required to serve both a 2 year qualifying residence period and a 4 year (208 week) NARWP. Both waiting periods are served at the same time.

The exemptions from the qualifying residence period are not necessarily the same as the exemptions from the NARWP. This means that a customer may be exempt from one waiting period but still required to serve the other.

There are some exemptions that apply to both, so regardless of when the customer got their permanent visa they may be exempt from any waiting periods.

If residence information is correctly recorded, the system should determine waiting periods and exemptions, except where manual assessments are required. Therefore it is important to check residence details are recorded correctly:

• Ensure the period they have been residing in Australia is recorded on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen
• Ensure the correct citizenship and visa information is recorded on Legal Residence (RSLEG) screen
• Ensure the Immigration Datalink is activated via the Immigration Enquiry (RSIMME) screen

To determine if the customer has already served the waiting period requirements or is exempt from both the qualifying residence period and the NARWP, go to Step 2.

Citizenship details can be found on the RSLEG screen

Is the customer an Australian citizen?

• Yes, they are exempt from serving a NARWP but may still be required to serve a qualifying residence period. Go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 3

The NARWP for PP was introduced on 1 January 2019.

Visa details can be found on the RSLEG screen.

Is the first permanent visa granted before 1 January 2019?

• Yes, they are exempt from serving a NARWP, but may still be required to serve a qualifying residence period. Go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 4

Check the RSLEG screens for visa details.

Is the customer the current or former holder of a 115, 117, 835 or 837 visa?

• Yes, they are exempt from serving a NARWP, but may still be required to serve a qualifying residence period. Go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 6

Check Periods of AU Presence while AU Resident (RSPAP) screen for total weeks of Australian Presence while AU Resident. The projected waiting period end dates, if applicable, will be displayed here. If waiting periods are not applicable, the field will be blank. This is where to check if a customer has served the 104 week waiting period.

Note: this will only display periods where Australia is recorded on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen and the customer is either in Australia as a permanent visa holder or as an Australian citizen.

Has the customer satisfied the 2 year (104 week) qualifying residence period?

• Yes, they meet the residence requirements for Parenting Payment, as they are not required to serve a NARWP
• Continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone Centrelink International Services
• Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 7

Check Periods of AU Presence while AU Resident (RSPAP) screen for total weeks of Australian Presence while AU Resident. The projected waiting period end dates if applicable, will be displayed here. If waiting periods are not applicable, the field will be blank. This is where to check if a customer has served the 208 week waiting period.

Note: this will only display periods where Australia is recorded on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen and the customer is either in Australia as a permanent visa holder or as an Australian citizen.

Has the customer satisfied the 4 year (208 week) NARWP?

• Yes, they meet the residence requirements for Parenting Payment, as the 2year (104week) QRP has also been served either during this NARWP period or prior:
• Continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone Centrelink International Services
• Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 7

An automatic exemption from both waiting periods applies to a customer who is a refugee or former refugee.

To determine if the customer is a refugee or former refugee, go the RSLEG screen.

If the customer's visa subclass (now or previously) was a refugee visa, it should have been automatically recorded on this screen from the Immigration Datalink. Refugee visas can be determined using:

• Chapter 9 of the Guide to Social Security Law, or
• Refugee, Humanitarian and Permanent Protection Visa sub-classes

If the customer advises they are or were a refugee and this is not confirmed on the RSLEG screen or from their passport, contact Centrelink International Services (CIS), or refer to CIS via the Immigration Match Questionnaire (IMQ).

Is the customer a refugee or former refugee?

• Yes, they are exempt from both the 4 year NARWP and 2 year qualifying residence period and meet the residence requirements for PP:
• Check the visa details are recorded correctly on the RSLEG screen
• Continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone Centrelink International Services
• See Step 3 in Table 4
• No, go to Step 8

Is the customer the holder of a visa subclass 852?

This information can generally be found in the customer's passport or on the RSLEG screen once the Immigration Datalink has been successful.

• Yes, they are exempt from both the 4 year NARWP and 2 year qualifying residence period and meet the residence requirements for PP
• Check the visa details are recorded correctly on the RSLEG screen
• Continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia), phone Centrelink International Services
• See Step 3 in Table 4
• No, go to Step 9

If the customer was a family member of a refugee or former refugee at the time that the refugee or former refugee arrived in Australia and is still a family member at the time of claim, they are exempt from both waiting periods. If the family member is now an Australian citizen, they are no longer considered to be a refugee (they are a former refugee).

For the purpose of the NARWP and Qualifying Residence exemptions, family members include the following:

• A partner of the person
• A dependent child of the person
• Another person who, in the opinion of the Secretary, should be treated for the purposes of this definition as a partner or dependent child of the person

Is the customer currently the family member of a refugee or former refugee?

• Yes, they are exempt from both waiting periods
• Once the claim is fully assessed refer case to CIS for exemption coding
• Once the response has been returned from CIS, continue to assess the claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone Centrelink International Services
• See Step 3 in Table 4
• No, go to Step 10

Note: the customer must have been the family member of that person at the time the refugee first arrived in Australia. However, if the family member had become an Australian citizen, they are considered to have been a former refugee and the customer can be covered by this exemption provision.

Was the customer the family member of a refugee or former refugee at the time the refugee/former refugee died?

• Yes, they are exempt from both waiting periods
• Once the claim is fully assessed, refer case to CIS for exemption coding
• Once the response has been returned from CIS, continue to assess the claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone Centrelink International Services
• See Step 3 in Table 4
• No,
• If applying for Parenting Payment Single (PPS), go to Step 11
• If applying for Parenting Payment Partnered (PPP), see Step 1 in Table 3

To be eligible for a ‘lone parent’ exemption from qualifying residence period and the NARWP, a parent must meet all of the following:

• Is single, and
• A principal carer for a child in their care, and
• Has become a lone parent after the start of their current period of Australian residence. For example, separated after their permanent visa grant date and during the current period of living in Australia

Were all eligibility criteria met?

• Yes, they are exempt from both waiting periods
• Key 'Y' in the Qualified-Australian Resd: field on the Parenting Payment Single (PSP) screen. Note: this field can only be coded when the customer is recorded as a single principal carer
• Record the Event Date as the date the exemption occurred during the current period as an Australian resident. The event date of the Qualifying Residence Exemption (QRE) must be during the current period of Australian residence on the CRES screen. otherwise an edit '105PN - PPS Qualifying Ind DOE not Australian residence period' will occur
• Record the reason for the exemption in a DOC
• Continue to assess the claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone Centrelink International Services
• See Step 3 in Table 4
• No,
• If Y exists for a previous claim and the customer is now claiming PPS and does not qualify for the exemption, do not delete the previous coding. Record a new entry of 'N' with a new Event Date as the date the previous claim was cancelled or rejected. If the new entry is not recorded, the system will produce an edit, or the payment may grant on the basis of the old coding resulting in an incorrect grant
• See Step 1 in Table 3

The NARWP for PP was introduced on 1 January 2019. Claimants who were granted their first permanent residence visa before this date are saved from having to meet the 4 year NARWP, as are holders of certain visa sub-classes

Australian citizens are also exempt from the NARWP.

Is the customer one of the following:

• Australian citizen
• First permanent visa granted before 1 January 2019
• The current or former holder of a 115, 117, 835 or 837 visa
• Yes, the customer is required to serve a 2 year (104 week) qualifying residence period
• No, the customer is required to serve a 4 year (208 week) NARWP and the qualifying residence period
• Go to Step 2

Are they claiming Parenting Payment Single (PPS)?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, they will need to serve the identified waiting period. See Step 1 in Table 4

A customer may use an International Agreement that covers PPS if they meet other qualification and payability criteria for PPS and they:

• are claiming from an Agreement country, or
• are not an Australian resident, or
• have not served the relevant waiting period

To qualify under an Agreement that covers PPS, the customer may need to be a de jure widow. For contact details, see Centrelink International Services (CIS).

Does the customer appear to be eligible to use an agreement?

• Yes, take the claim off hold and categorise in Work Optimiser to CIS new claim work item ZALL_AGE_CISNCL (Note: Parenting Payment Single does not have its own work item due to these cases being extremely rare. Allocate to the Age Pension work item)
• No, they will need to serve the identified waiting period. See Step 1 in Table 4

Continue to finalise the claim.

The end date of the qualifying residence period is calculated and held on the Periods of Australian Presence (RSPAP) screen. This can be used to advise the customer of future entitlement.

The claim will have one of the following results:

• reject NW2 (Residence less than 104 weeks)
• reject NWA (NARWP assessment not met) if they have not served the 4 year NARWP, or
• grant with a status of assessed but not payable until the end of the qualifying residence period. This may mean that the customer will have an assessed claim for up to 13 weeks

If the claim is incorrectly granting when the customer has not served or is not exempt from the NARWP, check the Family Member/Refugee Code on the Residence Savings (RSS) screen. If FMC, FME or PRE is coded, refer case to CIS for exemption coding to be ended.

If the payment is granted with a start date more than 13 weeks in the future, but no exemption is recorded on RSS, manually reject the claim with reason 'NRQ' on the Benefit Action (BA) screen. An automatic letter will be issued. Continue to record the child's residence details or the claim will reject NDE (no dependents) rather than NW2 or NWA.

• If the customer who is not a resident of Australia (e.g. temporary student visa holder) has any dependent children, they may still be entitled to Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
• If the customer has an FTB child in their care, they may be entitled to a Low Income Health Care Card (LIC))
• Depending on the type of visa held and their circumstances, the customer may also have entitlement to some assistance looking for work. See Employment services for visa holders
• The customer may also be entitled to Special Benefit (SpB) if experiencing hardship and have suffered an unexpected and significant change in circumstances since being in Australia as the holder of an SpB qualifying visa. SpB may also be payable to a person with certain temporary visas that qualify customers for some payments even though not an Australian resident. Consider issuing a claim in these circumstances

To qualify for PP, the customer must have at least one PP child. As well as the normal qualification criteria to be a PP child, a child must satisfy residence requirements.

If the customer is an Australian resident, then the child must:

• also be an Australian resident, or
• be living with the person

Note: a PP child is not subject to a qualifying residence period or NARWP, only the customer must satisfy (or be exempt from) these requirements.

Record the residence information for each child.

Is at least one of the customer's children an Australian resident or living with an Australian resident?

• Yes, record the residence information for each child. See Recording legal residence status. Continue to process PP claim. Procedure ends here
• No, the child does not satisfy the residence requirement to be a dependent child under the Social Security Act 1991 and therefore cannot be a PP child. Go to Step 4

Record the residence information for each child.

If the child is not a dependent because they are not residing in Australia, ensure that the Country of Residence (CHRES) screen shows they are residing in a country other than Australia.

If the child is not a dependent because they do not have the correct legal status, ensure this is reflected on the Child Legal Residence Details (CHRSLEG) and Immigration Enquiry (CHIMME) screens.

Repeat coding for each child.

Continue processing the PP claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone Centrelink International Services.