Commencing or returning to work or self-employment Parenting Payment Single (PPS) 102-07030100

Services Australia will ask customers who report they have commenced new employment, to provide the following details:

• Employers:
• name
• phone number
• Employee reference number
• Confirmation of apprenticeship/traineeship

DOC minimum standards require the collection and recording of enough information about the employer (for example, contact name and address or phone number) to allow correct assessment of income and contact with the employer if necessary.

Services Australia may need this to verify the income details provided or for conducting reviews resulting from Data matching with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Some customers (for example, those who work in sensitive areas like women's refuges) may not want all employment details (for example, business name) recorded on a DOC. This does not affect the agency's requirement to collect sufficient information for assessment or review purposes.

The customer will need to continue reporting their employment income to ensure they are paid the correct rate of PPS:

• Customers with mutual obligation requirements will generally need to report each fortnight via self-managed service channels (online account, Express Plus Centrelink mobile app or phone self service), in person or in writing (SU19) to be paid PPS
• All customers with employment income will need to report 2 weekly via self-managed service channels (online account, Express Plus Centrelink mobile app or phone self service) in person or in writing (SU19) on their Entitlement Period End Day (EPED) to be paid PPS. Note: it may be appropriate for the customer to be set as a notification reporter if they are paid the same amount by their employer every week or fortnight. If they have variable income, or are paid at a frequency other than 1 weekly or 2 weekly, they must report each fortnight
• Notification reporters are subject to the normal 14 day notification provisions

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

A customer with employment income should be directed to the Services Australia website for more information about income and reporting. Discuss the priority reporting line and the self-managed service options for reporting with the customer. The customer will be subject to 2 weekly reporting if they have employment income.

PPS customers without mutual obligation requirements who have commenced work, returned to work with variable employment income, or ceased employment can update their employment status through their:

• Centrelink online account, or
• Express Plus Centrelink mobile app, using the Update employment status service

This service will automatically place them onto, or turn off, 2 weekly reporting requirements.

Customers under Age Pension age can:

• accrue Working Credits during fortnights of little or no income, and
• then use their Working Credit balance to increase the gross amount of employment income they can be paid before PPS begins to reduce

Note: PPS customers over Age Pension age are not eligible for the Work Bonus.

Once Working Credits are depleted, customers can be paid gross employment income up to their income free area before their payments start to reduce under the income test

If PPS is reduced to nil and some of the income is from employment, PPS can remain current for up to 12 fortnights. Other benefits continue during this employment income nil rate period, for example, PPS can be restored within this period without the need for a claim, Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part B is not income tested. However, FTB Part A is income tested for this period and customers will be given 21 days from the commencement of the employment income nil rate period to provide an income estimate or their FTB payment will cancel.

PPS customers will be entitled to their PCC for 24 weeks when their employment income reduces the payment to nil (known as the Employment Income Nil Rate Period). During this 24 weeks, the customer must remain qualified for PP (with the exception of having to have a PP child).

PPS customers may be eligible for a concession card extension of up to 2 weeks after their payment cancels due to their employment income if they have been in continuous receipt of an income support payment for 52 weeks when PPS is cancelled. In order to qualify for the extended entitlement beyond the 24 week employment income nil rate period, the customer must be qualified for PP (including the requirement to have a PP child) on the day immediately prior to PP being cancelled.

Customers whose PPS will cancel will need to provide an income estimate for family assistance payments to include all expected income for the financial year.

PPS customers who have been assessed as having a partial capacity to work due to a disability will be entitled to retain their Pension Concession Card (PCC) for 12 months after ceasing payments due to employment. They will also be eligible for Pharmaceutical Allowance and Telephone Allowance.

PPS customers with mutual obligation requirements may need to renegotiate their Job Plan if they start work.

Service Officers will record employment income. See Recording and correcting employment income details.