Delivery of payments to Centrelink customers outside Australia 103-04020000

International Services (CIS) only pay customers receiving a social security pension (other than Parenting Payment Single) who:

• leave Australia and remain payable for more than 26 weeks, or
• are paid under an International Agreement

If a customer intends to be outside Australia for less than 12 months, payment will generally continue to their regular Australian bank account every 2 weeks.

Only staff in International Services (CIS) are to code overseas payment arrangements.

From November 2026, international payment details will be transmitted via a new pay file format known as ISO 20022. Created by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), this will enable payment data to be sent between banks globally in a common structured format.

ISO standards require that mandatory data be provided in a specific format. Data such as:

• banking data (e.g. SWIFT, IBAN)
• the beneficiary’s address
• for some countries, additional identifying data (e.g. date of birth, tax number)

Where complete data is not provided, or not provided in the structured format, or does not match the data held by the bank, there may be delays with the bank validating and/or processing the customer’s payment.

If an International Services (CIS) pension customer intends to be outside Australia long term (permanently or for more than 12 months), there are 3 possible payment options available depending on the country in which the customer is living:

• Direct deposit into a bank account in Australia
• Direct deposit into an overseas bank account
• In very limited circumstances, by cheque to an overseas address

Payments can be made to a bank account held in the name of the customer or their payment nominee.

Direct deposit and cheque payments may not be available in some countries due to payment limitations or sanctions.

Group payments to institutions or organisations outside Australia are not possible.

A customer who is not an International Services (CIS) pension customer will continue to be paid into their Australian bank account every 2 weeks while their payment remains portable, no matter how long they are outside Australia.

Due to system limitations, ongoing family assistance payments (for example, Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and Parental Leave Pay (PPL)), cannot be paid to bank accounts outside Australia. These payments can only be deposited into an Australian bank account every 2 weeks, even if the customer has moved to another country.

For example, a person cannot receive their FTB into a bank account in the Netherlands. These customers will need to arrange access to their money from their normal Australian bank account while outside Australia.

CIS staff can issue a one-off payment outside Australia.

Regular pension payments are made to accounts outside Australia are issued every 4 weeks.

Ad-hoc payments (arrears from new pension grants or restorations, back-dating or reissuing of rejected payments) are generally issued to customers on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Public holidays will affect payment issue dates for both regular and ad-hoc payments.

See the Overseas Payment Schedule in Resources.

International Services (CIS) pension customers living in any country can choose to continue to receive payment into an Australian bank account. Transferring customer records to Environment I will result in payments every 4 weeks. If a customer specifically requests payment to an Australian bank account every 2 weeks, the record must remain in the home environment.

Customers receiving payment into their Australian bank account may access the payment:

• using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), or
• arrange for their bank to transfer money to their overseas bank account

Centrelink uses 3 overseas direct deposit payment methods:

• Automated Clearing House (ACH) – payment is made directly from Citibank to the customer’s bank. Payment are generally made in local currency, or in Euro in some cases
• Legacy ACH – funds are transferred from an account held by Services Australia in the country of payment to the customer’s bank account. Payment must be made in local currency
• Worldlink Wire (WWR) – payment is made via an intermediary or correspondent bank and processed manually by the beneficiary’s bank. Payments can be made in either the local or in another available currency

The OSDD payment method is determined by the country, currency, and payment method available in the country where the bank account is held. Staff and customers cannot choose the overseas electronic payment method.

There are countries where there are payment limitations or sanctions.

In limited cases, cheque payment may be made to customers if they have an exceptional reason to be paid by cheque instead of direct deposit.

Approval must be sought and given by Residence and International program before a customer can be paid by cheque.

Cheques:

• cannot be issued to an Australian address
• cannot be paid to payment nominees. Payment nominees must provide Australian or overseas bank account details
• must be available in the destination country, where there are not payment limitations or sanctions. Many countries have stopped accepting cheques
• currency is generally in US Dollars

Customers paid by direct deposit into a bank account outside Australia will generally be paid in local currency. If the local currency cannot be used, payment is either in Euro or US Dollars.

The payment is converted by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) using the exchange rate applicable on the day of payment issue.

If payments are not made in the local currency, it is important to make sure that the customer or payment nominee’s bank account will accept payment in the currency paid, as not all accounts accept foreign currency.

The Resources page has links to the attachment:

• Currency used for each country and
• Exchange rates used for OSDD

Note: an intermediary bank involved in the transfer of the non-local currency payment to a beneficiary bank will deduct a fee from the customer's payment.

International Services (CIS) staff can use a Notice to prepare a Refund Account (SF030) form to issue a one-off payment or arrears to a Centrelink beneficiary outside Australia. Payment can only be to an overseas bank account or an Australian bank account.

Payment cannot be issued via cheque.

An SF030 can be issued to:

• a former family assistance payment customer who is entitled to arrears (for example, from reconciliation) but has left Australia and closed their Australian bank account
• overseas estates, and for certain other payments, if no alternative is available

Due to international sanctions, customers cannot be paid by cheque or direct deposit in the following countries.

• Cuba
• Iran
• North Korea
• Russia
• Sudan
• Syria

Customers can have their payments issued to an Australian bank account, a bank account held in their name in a non-sanctioned country or through a payment nominee.

The following countries do not accept payment by cheque. Customers can only be paid by direct deposit in:

• Austria
• Bahrain
• Belgium
• Brunei Darussalam
• Cyprus
• Denmark
• Fiji
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong
• India
• Indonesia
• Italy
• Ireland
• Japan
• Kenya
• Kuwait
• Malta
• Mexico
• Morocco
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Norway
• Oman
• Philippines
• Portugal
• Singapore
• South Africa
• Spain
• Saudi Arabia
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Thailand
• Tunisia
• Turkey
• United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The customer can provide overseas bank account details by:

• completing and returning the international Bank Account Details (AUS178) form relevant for their country, or
• providing a bank statement or document that confirms their overseas bank details, including:
  • bank account details
  • currency of the account, and
  • name(s) of the account holder(s), and
  • contact details matching those held by the bank, or
• contacting International Services (CIS) and providing their overseas bank account details over the phone:
  • The customer will need to provide a bank statement or completed AUS178 form as soon as possible to verify the details provided verbally

If the customer wants payment to their Australian bank account, the details can be taken over the phone.

If the customer wants to appoint a payment nominee, the customer and nominee must also complete and return the relevant Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf form.