Assessing independence when a student has undertaken approved agricultural work 010-21030206

Note: the approved agricultural work independent rate can only be applied from 1 March 2021. Customers had until the end of 1 March 2023 to lodge a claim for this independence criterion.

Is the customer in receipt of or claiming YA, ABSTUDY or SpB and wish to be assessed as independent through approved agricultural work?

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

Is the customer undertaking full-time study, or an approved concessional study load in an approved course?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, see Step 2 in Table 2

Where a customer has applied for independence under the approved agricultural work criterion, they must provide evidence to verify the:

• gross income amount earned
• period worked
• type of work undertaken

The Resources page contains a list of approved agricultural work.

Evidence of the gross income amount earned and period worked may include 1 or more of the following:

• A letter from the employer on a company letterhead (where possible)
• Payroll report
• Payslips
• Payment summaries
• Profit and loss statement
• Tax Returns
• Receipts for work done

However, payslips, payroll reports or payment summaries alone may be deemed insufficient evidence. Although it would confirm the amount earned and period worked, they may not verify the type of work the customer has undertaken.

Evidence of the type of approved agricultural work undertaken may include one or more of the following:

• a letter from the employer on a company letterhead (where possible)
• an Employment Agreement/Contract
• a Relocation Assistance to Take up a Job agreement

To be eligible for independence based on undertaking approved agricultural work, a parental income assessment is required.

Parental income information for the 2018/2019 or 2019/2020 year(s) may already be available on the customer's record (from prior claim assessments or where the customer is currently in receipt of payment).

If parental income information is not available on the customer's record, the parental income details are to be collected via an A2115 form historical version 2212. See the Resources pages. Verification of parental income must be provided via a Notice of Assessment (NOA). If the NOA is not available, other forms of evidence can be used to support an estimate being recorded on NIH screen.

Is the appropriate evidence of employment and parental income available to assess independence?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 7

For non-processing staff:

• Evidence provided as part of a claim activity, see Scanning Centrelink documents using an MFD. Procedure ends here
• Evidence provided outside a claim activity for a YA customer
• Create a Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > YA Agriculture Independence
• Select Confirm
• Transfer to region SNN
• Procedure ends here
• Evidence provided outside a claim activity for an ABSTUDY customer
• Create a Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > ABSTUDY Agriculture Independence
• Select Confirm
• Transfer to region ABS
• Procedure ends here
• Evidence provided outside a claim activity for a SpB customer
• Create a Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Special Benefit > Update > SPL Agriculture Independence
• Select Confirm
• Transfer to region AOS
• Procedure ends here

For processing staff, continue with the Independence assessment, go to Step 8.

In Process Direct:

• Attempt to contact the customer to advise the evidence requirements
• If unsuccessful, use > Request Documents. For help, see Process Direct - Request Document table in Circumstance Change Monitor (CCM). The Online Claim is placed On Hold until the due date. Procedure ends here

In Customer First:

• Attempt to contact the customer to advise the evidence requirements
• Advise the customer they must supply within 14 days
• For an unsuccessful contact attempt, issue a letter to request the documents. See Requesting information (CLK)
• The Online Claim is placed On Hold until the due date. Procedure ends here

Does the evidence supplied confirm the customer earned at least $15,000 gross income in approved agricultural work anytime between 30 November 2020 and 31 December 2021 (inclusive)?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No, see Step 2 in Table 2

Investigate available information on the customer's record, or locate and view the parental income details lodged via an A2115 form as follows.

For new claims in Process Direct:

• In Customer First (CF):
• Locate the Progress of Claim DOC
• Take note of the claim ID
• Open Process Direct (PD):
• Select Inbox
• Claim ID: field, record the claim ID
• Select Go
• Select the appropriate claim
• Select the Documents tab and locate the A2115 form

Current customers in receipt of YA, ABSTUDY, SpB and new claims not processed in Process Direct:

• Open Customer First (CF)
• CRN/BP: field, key the customer's CRN
• Select Document Tools under Quick Links
• Form type, select A2115

Using the parental income details provided on the A2115 form:

• calculate parental income from Q21 to Q25 for the 2018/2019 tax year
• calculate parental income from Q27 to Q31 for the 2019/2020 tax year

Does the customer's record or the A2115 form contain sufficient information for either the 2018/2019 or 2019/2020 year(s)?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, see Step 2 in Table 2

If total combined parental income is less than $160,000 for either the 2018/2019 or 2019/2020 financial year, the customer is deemed to meet the parental income threshold for this independence assessment.

Is the total income less than $160,000 for either the 2018/2019 or 2019/2020 financial year?

• Yes, see Step 1 in Table 2
• No, the combined parental income is $160,000 or more for both the 2018/2019 and the 2019/2020 tax year, go to Step 11

Using the parental income details provided on the A2115 form, refer to Q36 and locate the number of eligible FUR siblings for both the 2018/2019 and 2019/2020 tax years.

If the customer has any eligible additional siblings in their FUR, $10,000 for each additional sibling is added to the parental income cut-off.

The FUR counts anyone aged under 22 who has a parent in common with the YA, ABSTUDY or SpB customer. This is regardless of whether the sibling is employed, unemployed, studying, or whether they live at home, away from home or are overseas. This is for the purpose of calculating the parental income threshold. However, the following exclusions apply to additional siblings who are:

• in State care
• receiving ABSTUDY, YA, SpB or Disability Support Pension (DSP) as independent because it is unreasonable for them to live at home
• living away from the family home and is/was a member of a couple, or
• living away from the family home and has/had a dependent child

Note: do not count the YA, ABSTUDY or SpB customer as an additional child.

Calculate the adjusted parental income threshold using this formula: $160,000 + ($10,000 x number of FUR siblings) for each tax year.

Is the total parental income amount less than the 'adjusted threshold' for either the 2018/2019 or 2019/2020 tax year?

• Yes, customer is deemed to meet the parental income threshold for the independence assessment. See Step 1 in Table 2
• No, see Step 2 in Table 2

Customer meets the independence criteria.

Complete the appropriate independence coding:

• New Claims in Process Direct:
• In the Super Key: field, Independent/Homeless/Away From Home Details (NIH)
• Action: field, key 'IND'
• Start Date: field, code the commencement date of the independence status
• Start/Reject Reason field, key the grant reason 'PAW': Earning at least $15,000 gross income from approve agriculture work within the period 30 November 2020 to 31 December 2021
• Parental Income Financial year: field, code the relevant financial year (2018/2019 or 2019/2020)
• Parental Income Estimate Ind: field, key 'Y' if the parental income is provided as an estimate, otherwise key 'N'
• Review Date: field, code the review date to verify parental information if an estimate has been recorded
• Current customers in receipt of YA, ABSTUDY, SpB and for new claims not processed in Process Direct. In Customer First:
• Next: field, key 'NIH' to go to Independent/Homeless/Away From Home Details (NIH)
• Action: field, key 'IND'
• Start Date: field, code the commencement date for the independent status
• Start/Reject Reason: field, key 'PAW': Earning at least $15,000 gross income from approve agriculture work within the period 30 November 2020 to 31 December 2021
• Parental Income Financial year: field, code the relevant financial year (2018/2019 or 2019/2020)
• Parental Income Estimate Ind: field, key 'Y' if the parental income is provided as an estimate, otherwise key 'N'
• Review Date: field, code the review date to verify parental information if an estimate has been recorded
• Source: field, as appropriate
• DOR: field, date must match the Start Date: field for payment to backdate correctly
• Action: field, key 'I' Insert
• Select [Enter] to update NIH details
• Complete the assessment on Assessment Results (AR) and ensure the outcome is correct

Note: the approved agriculture work independence grant decision:

• cannot be recorded on the NIH screen with a date on or after 2 March 2023
• can be recorded on the NIH screen with a date prior to 2 March 2023. For example assessing back dating decisions for appeals or where customers meet intent to claim and vulnerable customer rules

Go to Step 3.

If customer does not meet this independence criterion, consider other grounds for independence before updating NIH. See:

• Assessing independence for ABSTUDY customers , or
• Independence for Youth Allowance (YA) customers

If the customer does not meet the approved agricultural work independence criterion:

New Claims in Process Direct:

• Super Key: field, Independent/Homeless/Away From Home Details (NIH)
• Action: field, key 'IND'
• Start date: field, code the rejection date for the independence status
• Start/Reject Reason field, key the rejection reason 'RAW' - Earning at least $15,000 gross income from approved agricultural work within the period 30 November 2020 to 31 December 2021 - not supported
• Parental Income Financial year: field, code the relevant financial year (2018/2019 or 2019/2020)
• Parental Income Estimate Ind: field, key 'Y' if the parental income is provided as an estimate, otherwise key 'N'
• Review Date: field, code the review date to verify parental information if an estimate has been recorded

Check if customer can, and wants to be assessed under the Parental Income Test (PIT).

• Determine if the Completing Parent(s)/Guardian(s) details for the Base Tax Year and Current Tax Year (MOD JY) is required and assess the customer as a dependent customer

Current customers in receipt of YA, ABSTUDY, SpB and for new claims not processed in Process Direct. In Customer First:

• Next: field, key 'NIH' to go to Independent/Homeless/Away From Home Details (NIH)
• Action: field, key 'IND'
• Start Date: field, code the rejection date for the independent status
• Start/Reject Reason: field, key 'RAW' - Earning at least $15,000 gross income from approved agricultural work within the period 30 November 2020 to 31 December 2021 - not supported
• Source and DOR: field, code as appropriate
• Action: field, key 'I' Insert
• Select [Enter] to update NIH details
• Complete the assessment on Assessment Results (AR) and ensure the outcome is correct

Note: the approved agriculture work independence reject decision:

• cannot be recorded on the NIH screen with a date on or after 2 March 2023
• can be recorded on the NIH screen with a date prior to 2 March 2023. For example, assessing back dating decisions for appeals or where customers meet intent to claim and vulnerable customer rules

Go to Step 3.

Generally, independent customers who live in the parental home receive the 'at home' rate of YA, ABSTUDY or SpB. This is called the 'accommodated independent rate'. They are not subject to the Parental Income Test (PIT). Some customers who are exempt from accommodated independent status will receive the away from home rate, regardless of where they live.

If the customer lives with a parent, make sure the AC screen has the Sharer Status: field as 'LWP' (Lives with Parents) so they receive the correct rate of payment.

Does the independent customer live away from home or have an exemption from accommodated independent status?

• Yes, customer will be paid at the 'away from home' rate
• No, customer will be paid at the 'at home' rate

See Commencement, cessation and coding of the away from home rate for Youth Allowance (YA).

Go to Step 4.

Customers with a current Child Support assessment in place must be identified. See Maintenance Income Test (MIT) for ABSTUDY and Youth Allowance (YA) for details of how to do this.

Advise Child Support if the customer is:

• assessed as independent, reason PAW - Approved agricultural work
• aged 16-19, and
• in full time secondary study

Create a Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Generic > Update > Child Support - Action Req'd.

Go to Step 5.

If a determination is made in the new claim activity, a separate DOC is not required. The assessment information must be included within the grant/reject DOC/Note.

If undertaking an Independence assessment, make sure a DOC explains the significant decision.

• Create a Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Students, ABSTUDY & Apprentices > Update > IND Granted/Rejected
• Select Confirm
• Complete the DOC, giving the reasons for Grant/REJ