Check independence through work history online 101-08220010

Customers registered online under 22 years of age can use their Centrelink online account to access this service.

Customers who do not have access to their Centrelink account can access this tool via the Services Australia website. See Resources page.

Customers can assess their independence using the independence through work history service. It does this by asking the customer a series of questions which may determine independence for the below criteria:

• worked full time for an average of 30 hours per week for at least 18 months, or
• worked part time for at least 15 hours per week for 2 years, or
• earned 75% of National Training Wage within a 14 month period, or
• participated in the workforce for at least 3 of the last 4 years (for ABSTUDY only)

Where the customer provided details using their Centrelink online account, the receipt page will tell the customer of the potential outcome and provide a receipt number.

A Change of Circumstances (CoC) transaction is created in Process Direct on the customers record along with a Note/DOC indicating the interaction ID and outcome.

The transaction will display:

• the potential independence outcome and requested documents on the Notes screen
• questions and answers from the Check independence through work history service in the slider, and
• any evidence supplied by the customer in the Documents screen

If the online service indicated that the customer may meet independence criteria based on their answers, a task will be created on the customers Centrelink online account home page where they will be prompted to upload evidence within 14 days.

Service Officers assessing a customer’s independence will be allocated the CoC transaction to be completed in Process Direct once the customer uploads their evidence. If customers do not supply evidence by the due date, the transaction will automatically cancel on the receipt date + 15 days.

Customers using the tool via Services Australia website, who are not logged in to their Centrelink online account, will be provided with the potential outcome from their assessment on the receipt page. If the online tool indicates that the customer may meet independence criteria, the customer will be advised to apply and supply evidence within 14 days.

The COVID-19 concession period could apply between 25 March to 24 September 2020 (inclusive) to customers claiming independence under workforce criteria between 1 January 2021 and 24 September 2022.

To complete the independence assessment, a Service Officer will need to verify the customer's evidence of employment.

Customers have 14 days to supply their payslips to Services Australia.

The customer can:

• post the evidence
• upload it online, or
• take it to their local service centre