Transfer to Youth Allowance (YA) (job seeker) from another payment 001-04010060

All payment transfers for YA (job seeker) are actioned using the Assisted Customer Claims (ACC) workflow. This determines the appropriate employment assistance for the job seeker and will connect them with a Workforce Australia provider where required. The level of job readiness will determine whether an appointment with a specialist officer is required.

The customer will need to contact Services Australia and complete an online claim.

Note: a correspondence nominee (NOC/NOB) can submit a YA online claim via Self service for nominees.

If the customer cannot lodge an online claim, the Service Officer will need to:

• run the Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) workflow
• obtain identity confirmation documents as required

Customers with no major changes who are transferring from another payment will have fewer questions in their online claim.

As part of this process, the customer will need to:

• attend a new claim appointment if required
• provide identity documents as required
• provide evidence of completion of Year 12 (or Equivalent qualification) or a Certificate III or higher. This may include a Year 12 certificate, a Certificate III, a letter from the school or institution, other appropriate evidence or where other evidence is not available, a statutory declaration detailing the name of the course, date completed, institution name and contact details

Customers with working credits or a Student Income Bank (SIB) in the last 12 months, may be eligible to transfer or restore their balance.

Customers currently in receipt of the following payments may be eligible to use the JSP Streamlined claim:

• Austudy (AUS)
• Youth Allowance (YA) (student only)
• Parenting Payment Single (PPS) (before their youngest child turns 8)
• Parenting Payment Partnered (PPP) (before their youngest child turns 6)

Customers receiving a bereavement payment for a deceased child or care receiver will not have payments cancelled until the 14 week bereavement period has ceased.

A streamlined claim is offered to some customers when they are losing qualification for their previous payment.

Eligible customers will be offered a 'task' on the home page of their online account, allowing them to advise that they wish to claim YA. The task is variable according to the payment type. It is available from up to 28 days before qualification for their current payment ends, until the date they lose qualification.

All streamlined claims can be processed while the customer is still in receipt of their current payment and before the customer's booked Student to Job seeker or Participation Appointment. The customer's benefit status will display as YA/PND RapidConnect.

Customers on the following payments may be eligible to access this service:

• Austudy (student) - 'Confirm course end date' task
• Youth Allowance (YA) (student) - 'Confirm course end date' task
• Parenting Payment (PP) - 'Your payment is ending' task

Eligibility criteria to access this service include:

• current or Current Zero Rate (CZR) on one of the above payments
• meets YA age eligibility requirements on the date they will lose qualification for the current payment
• does not have a YA claim commenced/submitted, and
• can access their Centrelink online account

Customers transferring from a student payment must:

• be within 28 days before their recorded Student End Date (SED)
• not have an outstanding study details Manual Follow Up (MFU) activity on their record

Customers transferring from Parenting Payment (PP) must:

• be within 28 days before their youngest Parenting Payment (PP) child's birthdate, where the child is turning:
• 6 years for Parenting Payment Partnered (PPP), or
• 8 years for Parenting Payment Single (PPS)
• not be in a bereavement period for a child

The customer will book a participation appointment, through the streamlined claim task, as required. The appointment types are:

• Student to Job seeker Transfer (SJT) for customers transferring from a student payment
• Participation Transfer Appointment - PTT for customers transferring from PP

Note: the appointment must be booked using the online task. It cannot be booked by Service Officers. Appointment times will only be available to be booked after their current payment ends. The Participation Interview workflow cannot be conducted while the customer is receiving Parenting Payment (PP).

Parenting Payment 'Your payment is ending' task requires:

• PPP customers claiming YA to:
• book a Participation Interview phone appointment from their child's birth date +1, and
• submit the simplified YA claim
• PPS customers claiming YA to:
• book a Participation Interview phone appointment from their child's birth date +1, and
• submit the simplified YA claim

PP customers who do not meet YA age eligibility requirements on their youngest child's birthdate are still presented with the task, however they will be directed to the Payment and Service Finder to assist them in identifying the most appropriate payment for their circumstances.

Customers may transfer from DSP to YA (job seeker) if their payment of DSP has been suspended due to the customer commencing work (that is, they no longer have a continuing inability to work), or they have been assessed by an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt) as having a partial capacity to work. These customers may be deemed to be unemployed and thus considered to be an eligible job seeker if:

• the work is suitable work (taking into account their capacity to work, as determined by an ESAt)
• the hours worked is less than 70 hours per fortnight, and
• the income earned is less than the allowance income test

If a YA (Student) customer ceases full-time study, they must notify Services Australia and register as a job seeker within 14 days. Failure to notify cessation of study within 14 days will result in cancellation of YA from Study End Date plus one day. Payment of YA (job seeker) may only commence from the date a fully completed claim and all supporting documentation is supplied. A debt may be generated for students who fail to notify cessation of studies. There is no change to policy or process for customers advising an intention to study.

Note: end of study must be updated in the customer's record.

See Student to job seeker transfers.

Pre-filled Single Touch Payroll (STP) data may present to customers during their online claim. Employer details, name and ABN, will present to the customer if STP data is provided to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) within 8 weeks prior to claim.

Customers will have the option to confirm the employer within the claim. If a customer confirms the employer, once on payment, STP pre-filled income will present to the customer when they report. If the customer does not confirm the employer, once on payment, the STP employer may present to the customer again when they report.

Previous employment

If a customer left work or was terminated from a job in the last 12 months, check whether:

• they declared earnings and/or ceasing work
• an income maintenance period (IMP) should apply, for example where their previous income support payment was not IMP affected

If they did not advise earnings or ceasing work, an Employment Separation Certificate (SU1) must be requested to assess the reason for leaving work and if an IMP should apply.

STP cessation data, including termination payments, are not available for customers completing a new claim or transfer online.

If they became unemployed due to a voluntary act or misconduct, a compliance investigation may be required before granting payment.

If a claim for YA (job seeker) is lodged:

• within 14 days of their benefit or pension ceasing, the transfer date will also be the start date for YA
• more than 14 days after the cessation date, the start date is the date they lodged the claim

This period may be extended if the customer, a person they care for, or their partner is suffering from an illness or incapacity that prevents them from lodging a claim within 14 days of their transfer date. The YA start date may be the transfer date if the claim is received within 13 weeks of the transfer date or as soon as the illness or incapacity ceases.

Job seeker's subject to RapidConnect have 14 days from the date they are advised of their RapidConnect requirements at the Participation Interview to attend the appointment with their employment services provider. The day the Participation Interview is counted as Day Zero, with Day One being the following day.

In most cases, attendance at the first provider appointment is used to determine the start date of the job seeker's income support payment, subject to any waiting periods and qualification requirements being met.

There are a number of factors that may impact the RapidConnect payability start date, refer to Start Day. The RapidConnect payability start date is displayed on the RapidConnect (JMRC) screen in Process Direct.

If after 29 days, the job seeker has not attended their initial appointment, the claim will be automatically rejected.

Single customers with a dependent child in their care are entitled to the 'with child' rate of benefit for non-principal carers with shared care.

Single YA customers who have been assessed as a principal carer are entitled to the 'with child' rate of YA as well as assessment under a separate YA single principal carer allowance income test.

Customers may be entitled to the 'higher rate' of YA for single principal carers if they have one of the following exemptions from mutual obligation requirements:

• a registered and active foster carer
• providing home schooling for their children
• facilitating distance education for their children
• caring for a large family (where the customer is the principal carer of at least one child under 16 years of age and a total of 4 or more dependent children and secondary pupil children from 16 to 19 years of age)
• caring for a child when the customer is a relative (other than a parent), as directed by a Parenting Order made through the Family Court

Customers with a partial capacity to work (PCW) will be treated as Independent. They will also be entitled to the Youth Disability Supplement (YDS).