Income Management 103-01000000

Income Management can be a tool in helping people stabilise their lives by developing their financial management skills, so that they can care for their children with the aim to join or return to the workforce.

Income Management involves setting aside a percentage of a customer's entitlement to certain payments and 100 per cent of lump sum payments, and allocating this money to help pay for identified priority needs of the customer and their family.

The Process page is intended to act as an easy to use directory of all Income Management pages.

The links are bundled into useful categories to help navigation, like:

• The Top 5 most frequently accessed Income Management OB pages
• Useful links to general income management pages
• Listings of each Income Management Measure in a hierarchy of most accessed/used by staff
• Each measure is subdivided into categories of:
• Commencing IM
• Exemptions from IM
• Managing IM Funds
• Priority Needs and expense allocations
• Exiting Income Management

The measures of Income Management are:

• Child Protection Income Management (CPIM)
• Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipients (VWPR)
• Compulsory Income Management and enhanced Income Management for Disengaged Youth (DEY) and Long Term Welfare Payment Recipients (LTWPR)
• Voluntary Income Management (IM)

The Government's broader welfare reforms promote responsibility and strengthen families. The Government is responsible for supporting people, and in return, welfare recipients have a personal responsibility to spend their payments appropriately. Income Management is a key tool to address this strategy.

Income Management promotes responsibility by enabling disadvantaged customers to better manage their finances. It will make sure that more money is spent on essential items such as food, clothes, utilities and rent, and less money is available for alcohol, tobacco, gambling and pornographic material (excluded goods and services). It targets passive welfare and provides a platform for customers to move up and out of welfare dependency.

Income Management strengthens families because more money is spent on the needs of children. Children are protected with less money available for excluded goods and services. Income Management is a tool available to an approved referring authority and Services Australia social workers, where it is determined the customer and/or their family will benefit from Income Management.