Processing transfers to Age Pension 065-03030010

The option to Transfer to Age Pension is available from 13 weeks before an eligible customer reaches Age Pension age. Customers who are eligible to transfer to Age Pension are requested to submit an online transfer task to advise if they want to transfer to Age Pension. The Transfer to Age Pension (SA383) form is also issued to customers who are not registered for Centrelink online letters.

If the customer does not submit the transfer online, via Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) or return the completed SA383, their payment may be suspended or cancelled from the date they turn Age Pension age. If they have a partner who receives an income support payment, their partner's payment may also be suspended.

To be eligible to transfer, customers must be in receipt of their eligible payment at the time they become qualified and payable for Age Pension.

Identified Indigenous customers may be eligible for an automatic transfer. However, if they submit a transfer online, ACC or lodge an SA383, it must be processed. Remind customers of their notification requirements, including advice that any money invested in superannuation is assessable as financial investment from Age Pension age. See Assessing superannuation.

For more details about this process, see Transfer to Age Pension.

Centrelink International Services (CIS) staff are responsible for processing all transfer to age requests for customers paid an Australian payment, if they are a CIS pension customer.

Customers paid under an international agreement can be identified by a country code recorded in the Agreement Country field on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen.

Note: an agreement customer may be located inside or outside Australia.

Straight through processing is where a claim for a social security payment or service is assessed using criteria to identify if it is suitable for an automated grant outcome.

Some online transfers do not need Service Officer intervention and will automatically complete once submitted by the customer. Straight through processing may occur where the transfer is straightforward. For example:

• there are no updates needed
• no documentation to be provided, and
• no adverse impacts on the entitlements of the customer (or their partner)

Where transfers to Age Pension cannot auto complete, the status of the activity will change to In Process and be assigned to a Service Officer for manual processing.

If a claim meets the criteria for automated assessment, DOCs or Display Notes on the customer's record will show that ROXY has created these.

Where straight through processing has occurred and the transfer to Age Pension was incorrectly granted, give feedback via ROXY.

Service Officers must check if the customer's decision to transfer to Age Pension or remain on their current payment will disadvantage them. See the Process page > Table 4 for Payment transfer considerations when a customer reaches Age Pension age.

If a Service Officer determines the customer would be significantly disadvantaged, contact the customer to discuss if they should stay on their current payment.

Customers currently receiving most social security payments including Age Pension can be transferred to Age Pension (Blind) when:

• they meet all the qualification criteria for Age Pension, and
• the social security definition of permanent blindness

See Assessing Age Pension (Blind) claims.

If an online, Assisted Customer Claim (ACC), Transfer to Age Pension (SA383) form or full Age Pension claim is lodged, the transfer provisions can be applied if:

• the customer was receiving an income support payment at the time they became qualified and payable for Age Pension, and
• their qualification for the 2 payments is overlapping or continuous

If transfer provisions apply, the start day may be backdated up to the later of:

• 13 weeks before the date of the decision to transfer (that is, the date an online, ACC, SA383 form or full Age Pension claim is lodged), and
• the date the person qualified for Age Pension

When an income support customer reaches Age Pension age, they are no longer entitled to receive the benefits of the Working Credit initiatives.

If they receive a pension, they may be entitled to the Work Bonus. Customers paid under the transitional rules are not entitled to the Work Bonus, but the Work Bonus will still be used in the comparison calculations and partners may still benefit by the reduction in total income.

The Service Officer must also check that the customer satisfies the 10 years qualifying Australian residence or an exemption or alternate qualification to that requirement. See Residence assessment for customers claiming Age Pension. If any further forms or modules are required, send them to the customer. Customers do not need to meet the residence claim lodgement requirements as they apply only to Age Pension claims, not transfers. That means they do not need to be the following to transfer to Age Pension:

• an Australian resident (that is, a legal permanent resident who is residing in Australia), and
• in Australia at the time the transfer is lodged

If a customer will satisfy the Age Pension 10 years qualifying residence period within either 13 weeks of turning Age Pension age or submitting the claim, do not reject their application to transfer.

Service Officers must check the customer's identity status in the Identity Confirmation Dashboard in Process Direct:

• customers that:
• do not have a Confirmed Identity status - Service Officers must conduct the Identity Confirmation process
• cannot confirm their identity must be supported to establish their identity using Alternative Identity provisions
• new claims including transfer to Age Pension cannot be processed when the customer has not confirmed or established their identity in the dashboard

Service Officers must not use legacy Proof of Identity (POI) screens.

If a customer has passed away before their transfer to Age request has been processed, see Processing a claim after the death of a customer for additional actions to consider.

System generated grant and rejection letters for deceased customers contain salutations and text that are inappropriate to send to a deceased estate.

Service Officers must:

• inhibit system generated letters
• send a manual grant or rejection letter, addressed to either the:
• 'Executor of the Estate' (if applicable), or
• 'Estate of the Late <customer's name>'

The Resources page contains an example of appropriate letters to send.

Ensure customers who will soon lose qualification of their existing payment (for example JobSeeker Payment (JSP)) are processed as a priority and at the earliest touch point to avoid placing the customer in financial hardship.

If staff are unable or not skilled to process Transfer to Age Pension and urgent processing is needed create a Fast Note.

For:

• Assisted Customer Claim (ACC), select Auto Text > Older Australians > Claims > Age Transfer Online Urgent processing request
• Transfer to Age Pension (SA383) form, select Auto Text > Older Australians > Claims > Age Transfer SA383 Urgent processing request

Leave the Fast Note DOC open. This makes sure the transfer is correctly prioritised for allocation.

Note: this escalation process does not apply to customers who are CIS pension customers.