Effect on Income Management when payment is suspended, on zero rate, cancelled, or an Unemployment Non-Payment Period applied 103-01050080

When a customer whose payments are income managed, has their income support payment suspended, a serious failure period, or UNPP applied, or the customer has a current zero rate, and the customer cannot be contacted, all Income Management allocations will continue to be paid until income managed funds are exhausted or Income Management ends.

Payment of expenses cannot be backdated

Payment of expenses cannot be backdated. Expenses cannot be retrospectively set up and paid for a period in the past. After the payments are restored, if the customer wants to 'catch up' on missed expenses they will need to make a one off payment or increase the amount of their future regular expenses to pay off the 'debt' amount they were unable to pay during the period of suspension, subject to income managed funds being available.

When the customer's income support payment is cancelled, Income Management will automatically end, and the expense allocations will continue to pay for 14 days. The expenses will then automatically cancel.

If the customer has insufficient funds available in their Income Management account, upon cancellation, regular expenses may cease earlier than 14 days.

If cancellation of a customer's payment results in the customer no longer being eligible for Income Management, Service Officers should disburse the income management funds.

When cancelling an Income Management customer's payment, a clear explanation of the reason for the cancellation must be documented.

Note: a Child Protection or Vulnerable Notice will remain 'Active' on a customer's record even where Income Management ends until the notice is revoked by the relevant authority (Child Protection), or ended by a social worker (Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipients).

For cancellations that occur automatically, the Auto Disbursement rules will be used where the customer has funds in their Income Management account and they do not attend a Disbursement interview within 60 days of Income Management ending.

Customers' income managed under Child Protection Income Management will no longer have Family Tax Benefit (FTB) payments income managed when their income support payment is cancelled and they do not have a partner who receives relevant income support payment.