First day of attendance for ABSTUDY secondary boarders 010-02060050

Has an institution called?

• Yes, and they are enquiring about:
• issues with the One Time Access Code (OTAC), go to Step 3
• assistance using the eService, go to Step 4
• not receiving an OTAC, go to Step 5
• providing first day of attendance details verbally, go to Step 6
• amending their PoA response for one or more students. They need to complete the First or last day of attendance for ABSTUDY Away from Home students (SY106) form. Procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY boarding instalment payments, go to Step 7
• a Group Deduction Notice (GDN), see Centrelink Deduction Reports and Organisational Online Mail (OOM) for Deduction and Confirmation Programs
• No, go to Step 2

For help with:

• actioning a first day of attendance response and the student's ABSTUDY status is CURrent, for responses by:
• the eService, see Table 2 > Step 1
• SY106, phone, email, fax, ABSTUDY Boarder Action Request or letter, see Table 2 > Step 2
• actioning a first day of attendance and the student's ABSTUDY status is:
• SUS or CAN, see Restoration of ABSTUDY payments
• ASS, see Table 2 > Step 6
• an ABSTUDY Boarder Action Request Fast Note asking for help with a boarding student enquiry, go to Step 7
• PoA outbound reminder calls, see Table 4 > Step 1

The TPISO screen can be used to confirm:

• the status of a PoA request for a particular school/boarding institution, term and year
• a student was included on the PoA request sent to a particular school/boarding institution
• a school/boarding institution has submitted the PoA details to Services Australia through the eService

To access the school/boarding institutions PoA request, complete the following fields on the TPISO screen:

• If in a record, select Clear Customer
• In Environment B, key 'TPISO' in the Nxt field
• Select One Time Access Code from the Application Type dropdown box
• Select ABY Payment on Advice from the Business Function field
• The Information Type will pre-populate with KEY load for POA OTAC
• Use the Date from and Date to field to narrow the search and identify a particular term. This field is not mandatory
• Narrow the search by selecting processed, unprocessed or store forward in the Status field. This field is not mandatory
• Select the:
• Extra Search Components dropdown box, and
• appropriate state/territory for the school/boarding institution under the State field
• To find a school or boarding institution:
• Key the organisation Customer Reference Number (CRN) into the Internal Search CRN field, or
• Key the school/boarding institution name into the Entity Name/Customer Surname field
• Select Search
• Look under the Description tab to find the school/boarding institution, ensure the correct term results are viewed

Note: if the school/boarding institution is not showing, find a previous PoA DOC on the institution's record and take note of the Business collection CRN. Use this CRN in the Internal Search CRN field on TPISO.

If the Status is:

• Processed, Services Australia has received PoA details from the school/boarding institution. Tell the institution they have submitted their PoA correctly and it will be processed by a Service Officer. Procedure ends here
• Store Forward, Services Australia is awaiting PoA details from the school/boarding institution. The organisation has started updating records, saved the data but has not submitted the details. Tell the institution they have started their PoA but have not submitted the item. They can use their One Time Access Code (OTAC) to log on to the eService and continue the update. If the school/boarding institution requires a new OTAC, go to Step 5
• Unprocessed, Services Australia is waiting for first day attendance dates for ABSTUDY Away from Home students from the school/boarding institution. Tell the school/boarding institution to use their OTAC to log onto the eService to complete the commencement dates for ABSTUDY students. Go to Step 4

The school/boarding institution uses the One Time Access Code (OTAC) to log into the eService. If the school/boarding institution needs a new OTAC, go to Step 5.

In the eService, the school/boarding institution will be presented with a workflow to complete the following details:

• contact details
• student commencement status - 'has the student commenced study?'
• student commencement date - if the student:
• has commenced, the date of commencement must be provided. Note: a future date must not be keyed. If a future date is keyed, an error will occur
• has not commenced, a date must not be keyed

In the eService the school/boarding institution can also:

• add additional students to the PoA list, and
• provide comments (if required) for any student

When PoA details are submitted to Services Australia, the school/boarding institution will be presented with the 'Institution Receipt Screen'. This screen allows them to print their PoA responses (commencement date and comments) for their records.

If the school/boarding institution encounters an issue with the eService that cannot be resolved, tell the provider to contact the Confirmation Services (CCS) Helpdesk. Support is available from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm AEST, Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.

Procedure ends here.

If a new OTAC has already been issued today, confirm the reason the previous OTAC has not been received by the school/boarding institution.

In Customer First:

• If in a record, select Clear Customer
• In Environment B, key 'TPISO' in the Nxt field
• Select One Time Access Code from the Application Key dropdown box
• Select ABY Payment on Advice from the Business Function: field

The Information Type will pre-populate with KEY load for POA OTAC.

• Use the Date from and Date to field to narrow the search and identify a particular term. This field is not mandatory
• To find a school or boarding institution, select the Extra Search Components and:
• Key the organisation CRN into the Internal Search CRN field, or
• Key the school/boarding institution name into the Entity Name/Customer Surname field
• Select the school/boarding institution state or territory under State field
• Select Search

The school/boarding institution should show in the Description tab. Note: ensure results are viewed for the correct year and term.

• Select KEY load for POA OTAC:
• Confirm the correct email address with the school/boarding institution
• Select the correct response to Reissue to original email address
• If reissuing a new email address, key the new email address in the revised email address
• Select Reissue ABY POA OTAC request
• Select OK
• A new OTAC will be emailed to the institution
• A DOC will be placed on the organisation's record
• If the school/boarding institution has advised of a new email address, update the Organisation record

Was the OTAC reissue successful?

• Yes, procedure ends here
• No, escalate the issue to Level 2 Helpdesk through Service Support Officer. Procedure ends here

Tell the ABSTUDY Smart Centre Processing site of the return of the PoA request using the ABSTUDY Boarder Action Request Fast Note on the school/boarding institution's organisation record.

Use Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Boarder Action Request, then Confirm.

Include the following for each student:

• Name
• DOB
• CRN (If known)
• First day of attendance
• Additional comments

Procedure ends here.

Ask the school/boarding institution for details of their query about individual student entitlements.

Investigate the record to assist with the enquiry. If unable to assist or corrective coding is required, send the ABSTUDY Boarder Action Request Fast Note on the school/boarding institution's organisation record.

Use Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Boarder Action Request.

Include the following:

• School/boarding institution's query
• Action taken
• Findings
• Action required
• Additional comments

Check the individual student records to ensure the student's record has been correctly keyed for the Away from Home rate. For help with coding, select Schooling A from the dropdown box and see Step 1 in Processing an ABSTUDY claim.

If coding is:

• incorrect, re-key the record to ensure correct entitlements
• correct, provide details of the various maximum rates of ABSTUDY entitlements to the school/boarding institution for their information

Procedure ends here.

Has the school/boarding institution responded to the PoA request by the third Friday of the school term?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, to restore students suspended as a result of the automated process, for:
• ABSTUDY, see Restoration of ABSTUDY payments
• EPA, see Restoration of Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and ABSTUDY PES

If a school/boarding institution responds to Services Australia by any of the above ways for ABSTUDY students, the PoA request must be deleted for the appropriate term.

To delete a PoA request, in Customer First:

• Select Clear Customer
• In Environment B, key 'TPISO' in the Nxt: field
• Select One Time Access Code (OTAC) from the Application Type dropdown box
• Select ABY Payment on Advice from the Business Function
• The Information Type will pre-populate with KEY load for POA OTAC
• Use the Date from and Date to field to narrow the search and find a particular term. This field is not mandatory
• To find a school or boarding institution, select the Extra Search Components and:
• key the organisation CRN into the Internal Search CRN field, or
• key the school/boarding institution name into the Entity Name/Customer Surname field
• select the school/boarding institution state or territory under State field
• Select Search
• The boarding institution should show in the Description tab
• Select the appropriate school/boarding institution and relevant term by selecting the KEY load for POA OTAC process. Note: ensure results are viewed for the correct year and term
• The OTAC Viewer (KEYLOAD) will then provide an additional option to Delete this OTAC
• Key a deletion reason in the appropriate field (this is a free text field)
• Once this field is completed, select the screen outside of the deletion box to activate the Delete OTAC request button
• The system will automatically record a DOC on the organisation's record to confirm the PoA request has been deleted
• The school/boarding institution will no longer show on the TPISO screen

Go to Step 3.

Record a DOC on the school/boarding institution organisation record advising of the return of the Payment on Advice request.

Include the following for each student:

• Name
• DOB
• CRN (If known)
• First day of attendance
• Additional comments

Go to Step 4.

When processing Payment on Advice (PoA), review the following screens on the student record/s to support record correctness:

• Education Details (EDC)
• Accommodation Details (ACS)
• School Fees and Boarding Details (EYSB)
• Payment Instruction (PIPI)
• Household Income (NHI)
• Tax File Number (TFN)

If the school/boarding institution advises the student has:

• commenced study and:
• supplied a first day of attendance through the eService, a DOC is automatically completed on the organisation and student records. The first ABSTUDY boarding instalment will automatically pay to the school/boarding institution in the fourth week of the school term. Procedure ends here
• supplied a first day of attendance by SY106, phone, email, fax, ABSTUDY Boarder Action Request or letter, record the details in a DOC on the student's record. Procedure ends here
• supplied a first day of attendance and comments are provided, review the STArted DOC on the student record, see Table 3 > Step 1
• is an 'added student', go to Step 5
• not commenced study:
• review the STArted DOC on the student record
• payments cannot be released until the student's first day of attendance is provided, see Table 3 > Step 7

If the school/boarding institution 'added' students, complete a manual DOC on each of the students' records showing:

• they have been manually 'added' to the Payment on Advice (PoA) request
• the school/boarding institution they are attending
• their first day of attendance at the school/boarding institution

If the student is current on:

• ABSTUDY PES, escalate record to Senior Support Officer (SSO) through Local Peer Support (LPS). Procedure ends here
• ABSTUDY, to ensure the student's record is correct, check the following screens and update if required:
• Education Details (EDC)
• Accommodation Details (ACS)
• School Fees and Boarding Details (EYSB)
• Payment Instruction (PIPI)

If the student will commence:

• by the third Friday and is ABY/CUR, no further action is required. Procedure ends here
• by the third Friday and is ABY/ASS, go to Step 6
• after the third Friday, payments cannot be released until the student's first day of attendance is provided. See Table 3 > Step 4

If the student is not current on ABSTUDY, see Table 1 > Item 1 on the Resources page in Claiming ABSTUDY to determine if a student's payment can be restored or a new claim is required. If the payment:

• can be restored, restore the payment
• cannot be restored, contact the applicant to lodge a claim for ABSTUDY
• has not lodged a claim, tell the school the student/parent/guardian will need to lodge a claim for ABSTUDY

If action cannot be completed in full for all students listed by the school/boarding institution, annotate the Payment on Advice DOC on the organisation's record with their progress.

Procedure ends here.

A secondary boarding student's ABSTUDY status will be ABY/ASS if the claim was assessed after the Term's SAS extraction date. Once the student's first day of attendance has been provided, update the ABSTUDY start date to pay the correct entitlement.

If the student started:

• on or before the third Friday of the term, update the:
• Student Start Date field on Education Course History (EDCH) screen to the first day of the term entitlement period. Note: Term 1 will need to be keyed as the course start date
• Manual Start Date field on Education Payments Start Date (EPDC) screen to the first day of the term entitlement period
• after the third Friday of the term, see Table 3 > Step 4

Confirm all boarding screens have correct current year details:

• School Fees and Boarding Details (EYSB)
• Payment instruction (PIPI)
• Accommodation (ACS)
• Household Income and Assets (NHI)
• ABSTUDY Payee Debtor Details (EYPY)

Has the student discontinued studies?

• Yes:
• key the discontinuation in the same activity, see Cessation of the ABSTUDY Away from Home rate
• DOC the record
• procedure ends here
• No:
• finalise the activity and DOC the record
• procedure ends here

The required action for the processing of the ABSTUDY boarding instalment payment depends on the first day of attendance of an individual student.

If the school/boarding institution advises that a student:

• is unknown at the school/boarding institution, go to Step 2
• will be boarding at another location for the term, go to Step 3
• has commenced studies at the school/boarding institution after the third Friday of term, go to Step 4
• commenced at the school/boarding institution in the term, but ceased before the first ABSTUDY boarding instalment payment was issued, see Cessation of the ABSTUDY Away from Home rate
• will not commence at the school/boarding institution, go to Step 7

A school/boarding institution may advise that a student listed as boarding at the institution, is unknown to them. This may occur because the student:

• has changed their mind about boarding at that location and not advised the institution
• is known by another name at the school/boarding institution
• has been keyed as residing at an incorrect school/boarding institution

Contact the applicant to clarify the study and personal circumstances of the student. If the applicant advises:

• the student will be boarding at another location (privately or institution), or the incorrect school/boarding institution has been recorded
• the details of the alternate boarding location must be keyed on the student's record
• upon confirmation from the applicant of the new board location, re-key the student's board entitlement details to reflect the new boarding circumstances. Select Schooling A from the dropdown box and see Step 1 in Processing an ABSTUDY claim
• go to Step 3
• the student is known by another name:
• amend the Customer Personal Details (CPD) screen to add a Preferred Name (PRF)
• annotate the STArted DOC on the student record and complete
• contact the school/board provider to confirm the student's first day of attendance
• go to Step 3
• the student will not be living away from home in the term, or the applicant was not contactable, go to Step 7

Has the school/boarding institution confirmed first day of attendance?

• Yes: and the student:
• has commenced at the school/boarding institution after the third Friday of the term, go to Step 4
• commenced at the school/boarding institution in the term, but ceased before the issue of the first ABSTUDY boarding instalment payment, see Cessation of the ABSTUDY Away from Home rate
• commenced before the third Friday, finalise the activity and DOC the record. Procedure ends here
• has not commenced at the school/boarding institution, go to Step 7
• No:
• finalise the activity and DOC the record
• procedure ends here

A student who commences after the third Friday of a term is only eligible for Away from Home entitlements from the date the student commences living away from home in that term, unless the student could not commence on time due to circumstances beyond their control.

If there were circumstances out of the student's control, the student will be eligible to be paid once:

• impacts are confirmed, and
• the student begins study on campus in a face-to-face environment

Evidence to confirm other impacts can include (but is not limited to) the following:

• Medical Certificate
• Statement from independent third party
• Letter/verbal confirmation from school or board provider
• Lodgement of the First or last day of attendance for ABSTUDY Away from Home students (SY106). This form is available on the Services Australia website
• Relevant State/Territory websites confirming emergency or natural disaster

Was the student unable to commence on time due to circumstances beyond their control?

• Yes: and evidence is:
• provided, the start date will be the first day of the term entitlement period. Restore ABSTUDY, see Restoration of ABSTUDY payments. Procedure ends here
• not provided, payment cannot be issued until confirmation of the circumstances is provided and the student commences face-to-face studies. Tell the customer what the evidence required for payments to be made. Go to Step 6
• No: and the student's first day of attendance:
• has been provided, go to Step 5
• has not been provided, go to Step 6

As the student has returned to study after the third Friday, they are only entitled for ABSTUDY from the day they have returned to face to face study.

Note: an exception applies when the student does not return to study by the third Friday due to undertaking work placement as part of a school-based apprenticeship or traineeship. The student is considered to have returned to study from the first day of the work placement. For these students, annotate the STArted DOC on the student's record and complete. Procedure ends here.

Select the option below based off the student's circumstances.

• On the Education Course History (EDCH) screen, key:
• Student Start Date: student's first day of attendance
• On the Education Payments Start Date (EPDC) screen, key:
• Manual Start Date: student's first day of attendance
• On the Independent/Homeless/Away from Home (NIH) screen, key:
• Start Date: as the commencement date of eligibility of Away from Home rate
• Confirm all boarding screens have correct current year details:
• School Fees and Boarding Details (EYSB)
• Payment instruction (PIPI)
• Accommodation (ACS)
• Household Income and Assets (NHI)

Has the student discontinued studies?

• Yes:
• Key the discontinuation in the same activity, see Cessation of the ABSTUDY Away from Home rate
• DOC the record
• Procedure ends here
• No:
• Finalise the activity and DOC the record
• Procedure ends here

• On the Education Course History (EDCH) screen, key the current year course:
• Student Start Date: student's first day of attendance
• Confirm all boarding screens have correct current year details:
• School Fees and Boarding Details (EYSB)
• Payment instruction (PIPI)
• Accommodation (ACS)
• Household Income and Assets (NHI)
• On Assessment Results (AR) screen, confirm the payment of arrears is correct before proceeding with payment
• Finalise the activity and DOC the activity
• Procedure ends here

• On Education Course History (EDCH) screen, select the current course and update:
• Student End Date: last day of the previous term entitlement period
• Source: appropriate source
• DOR: appropriate date of receipt
• Action: Change
• Press [Enter]
• From the EDCH screen, reselect the current course and change:
• Participation Status Event Date: first day of the new term entitlement period
• Action: Insert
• Press [Enter]
• From the EDCH screen, reselect the newly inserted course and update:
• Student Start Date: student's first day of attendance
• Student End Date: same date as the Inst Course End Date
• Action: Change
• Press [Enter]
• Confirm all boarding screens have correct current year details:
• School Fees and Boarding Details (EYSB)
• Payment instruction (PIPI)
• Accommodation (ACS)
• Household Income and Assets (NHI)
• On Assessment Results (AR) screen, confirm the payment of arrears is correct before proceeding with payment
• Finalise the activity and DOC the activity
• Procedure ends here

If a student has not commenced at the boarding location in a term, the school/boarding institution has no entitlement to an ABSTUDY boarding instalment payment. To ensure no ABSTUDY payments are issued, take suspension action before the first instalment strip date for the relevant term.

To suspend ABSTUDY payments, key the following on the Benefit Action (BA) screen:

• SvcRsn: ABY
• Action: SUS
• Reason: ITB (Intention to Board)
• Effect Date: the first date of current term entitlement period
• Finalise action on the Assessment Result (AR) screen
• Record a DOC on the student's record. Include the action taken from advice provided by the school/boarding institution
• If the student will commence late due to circumstances beyond their control, use the ABSTUDY Late Start Exceptional Circs:
• Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Late Start Exceptional Circs, then Confirm
• Add the required information, then select Continue
• Place the Fast Note on Hold until the expected date of commencement
• Procedure ends here

If a suspension activity cannot be completed, a manual cancellation may be required. Complete the following on the Benefit Action (BA) screen:

• Svc Rsn: ABY
• Action: CAN
• Reason: ITB (Intention to Board)
• Effect Date: the first date of current term entitlement period
• Finalise action on the Assessment Results (AR) screen
• Record a DOC on the student's record. Include the action taken from advice provided by the school/boarding institution
• If the student will commence late due to circumstances beyond their control, use the ABSTUDY Late Start Exceptional Circs:
• Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Late Start Exceptional Circs, then Confirm
• Add the required information, then select Continue
• Place the Fast Note on Hold until the expected date of commencement
• Procedure ends here

To suspend EPA payments, key the following on the Benefit Action (BA) screen:

• SvcRsn: EPA
• Action: SUS
• Reason: DNC (Did not commence studying)
• Effect Date: Date paid to +1
• Finalise action on the Assessment Result (AR) screen
• Record a DOC on the student's record. Include the action taken from advice provided by the school/boarding institution
• If the student will commence late due to circumstances beyond their control, use the ABSTUDY Late Start Exceptional Circs:
• Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Late Start Exceptional Circs, then Confirm
• Add the required information, then select Continue
• Place the Fast Note on Hold until the expected date of commencement
• Procedure ends here

Entitlement to the first boarding instalment payment to a boarding institution does not exist if:

• a student has not commenced at the boarding location in a term, or
• a change in circumstance that impacts entitlement has occurred that is not able to be confirmed with the applicant

To ensure no ABSTUDY payments are issued, take suspension action before the first instalment strip date for the relevant term. Select the option below based on the student's circumstances.

Suspend ABSTUDY from the first date of the current term entitlement period:

• On the BA screen for ABSTUDY, in the following fields, key:
• Svc Rsn: ABY
• Action: SUS
• Reason: ITB (Intention to Board)
• Effect Date: the first date of the current term entitlement period
• On the BA screen for ABSTUDY PES, in the following fields, key:
• Svc Rsn: EPA
• Action: SUS
• Reason: DNC (Did not commence studying)
• Effect Date: date paid to +1
• Finalise action on the AR screen
• Record a DOC on the student's record. Include the action taken from advice provided by the school/boarding institution
• Procedure ends here

Cancel ABSTUDY by coding the following screens:

• BA screen, input:
• Svc Rsn: ABY or EPA
• Action: CAN
• Reason: NAS
• Effect Date: the first date of current term entitlement period
• Education Course Details (EDC) screen:
• for a student not recommencing in terms 2, 3 or 4, amend Student End Date field to the last date of the previous term entitlement period
• for a student not recommencing in term 1, delete the current year EDC page for the non-commenced course
• School Fees and Boarding Details (EYSB) screen:
• Event Date: key the first date of current term entitlement period
• Boarding School/Hostel Action: NPB
• Leave all other fields blank
• Finalise action on the AR screen
• Record a DOC on the student's record. Include the action taken from advice provided by the school/boarding institution
• Procedure ends here

Schools and boarding

Institutions have until the third Friday of the school term to provide PoA details. If not provided, ABSTUDY boarding instalment entitlements will be suspended, pending a first day of attendance for each student.

Staff may be instructed to commence an outbound call strategy to the school/boarding institution before the suspension date.

Is there an instruction to commence an outbound call strategy to the school/boarding institution?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, procedure ends here

To commence outbound calls, access the POA OTAC release dates on the resource tab, to confirm:

• One Time Access Code (OTAC) release date
• Suspension date

The Third Party Information Summary - Organisations (TPISO) screen in Customer First gives access to a list of the school/boarding institutions in each State/Territory that have not completed the Payment on Advice request.

Complete the following fields on the TPISO screen (leave fields not listed as blank):

• If in a record, select Clear Customer
• In Environment B, key 'TPISO' in the Nxt field
• Application Type: One Time Access Code
• Business Function: ABY Payment on Advice
• Information Type will pre-populate with KEY load for POA OTAC
• Open Extra Search Components dropdown
• State: select relevant state/territory from allocation listing
• Status: Store Forward and Unprocessed
• Select Search
• The school/boarding institution will display in the Description tab

Note: ensure the above process is completed for both Store Forward and Unprocessed status.

To view the Organisation and obtain the ORG CRN and contact details, in Customer First:

• Next: Codes, to access the Reference Data Facility (CODES)
• 'S'elect Education Institution Summary
• Continue
• Enter the following details:
• State: State where the school is located
• Name: School name
• Select Search
• 'S'elect the relevant key and the Education or boarding Institution Details will populate

Make 2 genuine attempts to contact each school:

• If contact is successful, authentication is required before any information is released. See Authenticating a Centrelink customer
• After authentication is completed, use the following script as a guide:

Hi, my name is _____ and I'm calling from Services Australia in regards to ABSTUDY. This is just a courtesy call to remind you that we have recently issued you a One Time Access Code to log into your eService to confirm your ABSTUDY student's attendance details. This is due to be completed by close of business DD/MM. If this is not completed on time, their payments will be suspended and your ABSTUDY entitlement will be delayed.

• DOC the ORG record with the Fast Note - select Auto Text > Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Enquiry > POA outbound
• If the school/boarding institution requires their OTAC to be reissued, see Table 1 > Step 5