Coding departures and returns for customers leaving Australia 061-02010000

If the customer has contacted the agency, go to Step 2.

If the customer has used the online:

• Travelling outside of Australia service, and the update fails, a work item will generate. If a service officer is allocated work item:
• ZALL_PORT_GEN with keyword MANTRA, go to Table 7
• with keyword CHIOBJ and Category RSD (usually XIAM_FCC_UPD but may be different), go to Table 7
• Update address details service to update their address to one with an overseas country code, work item ZIAM_SAARA_MFU with keyword #OAREF will generate. Go to Table 8

If the customer is contacting about:

• future travel, go to Step 3
• past travel where they did not already advise the agency, go to Step 3
• past travel, and state they did not travel on the date shown on the Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen, and the staff member is:
• in Centrelink International Services (CIS), go to Table 6
• not in CIS, for:
  urgent enquiries, call the CIS Residence/Immigration queue
  non-urgent enquiries, see Referring inconsistencies in overseas departure and arrival information to Centrelink International Services (CIS)

The customer may contact after using the online Travelling outside of Australia service. If the online service has already coded the absence, details are recorded on a DOC.

The online service may refer them to:

• contact to have their absence coded, or
• explore more portability for their situation

In either case, the Service Officer is to run the Portability Script - Departures and Returns.

Tell the customer the interview can generally be done over the phone and takes around 15 minutes. In some circumstances, more information may be needed before making a final decision.

If they notify of an absence after they have left Australia, whether they are still overseas or have since returned to Australia, still:

• assess portability, and
• where possible, use the script

Use the script:

• to accurately guide decisions about portability, and
• for hypothetical cases when a customer wants information about the effect on their payments before making a decision to travel outside Australia

While the script will provide accurate information to the customer, the information about payment for a hypothetical situation is not a decision. The customer cannot appeal until they advise of a definite absence from Australia and the agency makes a decision.

Note: do not run the Portability Script for:

• child-only absences
• Child Care Subsidy
• ABSTUDY
• Farm Household Allowance
• Double Orphan Pension, or
• non-income tested Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holders

Only issue the Pre Departure - Portability (XOB101) letter if the customer:

• is definitely leaving Australia, and
• has specifically requested a letter

If they need more information, refer them to the Services Australia website. See the Resources page for the link.

If the Portability Script is not available, see Leaving Australia and portability of payments for a list of all payment specific and concession card portability procedures.

Does the customer want to continue with the interview?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No:
• Tell them the Department of Home Affairs will generally let Services Australia know when a customer leaves or returns, and the system will assess their payments. They can find out what will happen to their payments on the Services Australia website and might choose to discuss their planned absence with Services Australia later
• Record a DOC noting the customer contacted and was given general advice about portability. Procedure ends here

Does the customer have a dependent child who is leaving Australia without them?

For example, a child who is going to Germany on a school trip may be travelling without the customer.

• Yes, do not use the Portability Script. See Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Paid Parental Leave scheme customer/child going overseas. Procedure ends here
• No, use the Portability Script - Departures and Returns. Go to Step 5

Is the customer or partner receiving YA, Austudy or ABSTUDY?

• Yes, and:
• they are receiving YA, see Youth Allowance (YA) customer going overseas
• they are receiving Austudy, see Austudy customer going overseas
• they are receiving ABSTUDY, the Portability Script cannot be used, see ABSTUDY or ABSTUDY Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) customer going overseas
• only the partner is receiving ABSTUDY, use the script but select N to the question 'is the customer's partner travelling as well'. Go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 6

Most payments require a customer to remain an Australian resident to continue to qualify for payment. If they leave Australia to live overseas, they lose qualification on departure, as they are no longer an Australian resident.

Even if they advise they are only outside Australia temporarily, staff can determine they are leaving Australia to live in another country.

Check previous absences recorded on the RSIM and Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screens.

If the customer has been outside Australia numerous times with only brief returns to Australia, they may not be residing in Australia. This may apply even if they state they are leaving Australia short term. A new decision may need to be made on whether the customer is residing in Australia, see Deciding if a customer is residing in Australia.

Is the customer leaving Australia to reside overseas?

• Yes, and the customer receives:
• Age Pension or Disability Support Pension (DSP), go to Step 7
• another payment, they will lose entitlement to payment, unless they are going to an agreement country and qualify for a transfer to payment under an agreement. Go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 8

A customer receiving Age Pension, or a DSP customer assessed as eligible for indefinite portability, are entitled to payment outside Australia, even if they leave Australia to live overseas. This is unless they:

• are receiving the payment because they are a refugee, and
• have a qualifying residence exemption (that is, they do not qualify for payment under the usual rules, such as 10 years residence in Australia, but rely on the refugee visa for qualification)

If a customer relies on this exemption, this will show on their record by:

• Y in the QRE Visa (Refugee) field on the Residence Results Display (RSRD) screen, and
• less than 10 years total Australian historical residence on the Periods of Australian Residence (RSPAR) screen

Is the customer receiving Age Pension, or DSP (with indefinite portability because they are exempt from the ongoing residence requirement), as they have a qualifying residence exemption because they are a refugee?

• Yes. If the customer is leaving Australia to live in another country, there is no entitlement to payment overseas unless they:
• are going to an agreement country, and
• qualify for a transfer to payment under an agreement. Go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 8

Is the person receiving Carer Payment (CP) or Carer Allowance (CA) or are they a care receiver (CRA or CRP on the benefit status line)?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No, go to Step 10

Before running the Portability Script - Departures and Returns determine if the carer will continue to provide care during the absence. If they will not be providing care, respite will occur. Check the Absences Enquiry (ABCE) screen to manually calculate when respite will be fully depleted.

Where respite will be fully depleted, when the script stops to ask 'Do you know or the customer know of any event that will happen and cause them to lose entitlement to Carer Payment/Carer Allowance before dd/mm/yyyy?', insert the day following the last date of respite. This date will appear in the letter issued when the script is finalised.

Consider respite provisions independently and code manually where applicable. If the care receiver is going overseas without the carer, record the absence on the ABCE screen.

There is a current system limitation that continues to count Temporary Cessation of Care (TCC) after the expiration of portability.

Where the carer's payments will suspend after 42 days, if they were providing care on the day of departure, the TCC end date should only reflect 41 days. Unless there is evidence to the contrary, accept that the carer was providing care on the date of departure. TCC will commence from the following day.

Code respite:

• Start date: day after departure
• End date: date equal to the end of the limited portability period

In this case, the TCC period is 41 days, provided the carer has this number of respite days available.

Respite provisions do not apply when the carer:

• is travelling overseas with the care receiver, or
• receives CA and is travelling by themselves, but the care receiver is a child and the child is remaining with the carer's partner. Respite will still apply to CP. Code the absence using the 'child with partner' code CWP. This will calculate a respite absence for CP but not CA

Respite provisions apply when:

• the carer is leaving Australia and an adult care receiver is remaining in Australia. Make sure respite is applicable and not cessation of care altogether
• the care receiver is going overseas without the carer
• the carer receives CP and is leaving Australia and the care receiver is a child who is remaining in Australia. This is regardless of whether the child is in the care of the customer's partner or not
• the carer gets CA, is travelling by themselves and the care receiver is a child who is not remaining in the care of the carer's partner
• the carer is leaving Australia with the care receiver, but the care receiver will not be in the carer's care during part or all of the absence from Australia. For example, the care receiver will stay with other family members for 2 of the 6 weeks absence. If the person is a care receiver who is leaving Australia temporarily and the carer is remaining in Australia, this does not affect the care receiver's portability. In this case, talk to the care receiver about respite for the carer

See Temporary Cessation of Care (respite) provisions for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA).

Run the Portability Script - Departures and Returns.

The purpose of the Portability Script is to assess portability rules associated with the payment and record the absence. It does not assess ongoing qualification.

The script will ask for the:

• date of departure and return
• destination country

Note: if the customer is unsure of their exact return date, choose an option with an approximate return date.

Select ‘is leaving to live in another country’ when the script presents the option if the customer:

• advises they are leaving to live in another country, or
• has advised they are leaving temporarily but the Service Officer has determined they are leaving Australia to reside overseas

Is a Service Officer in Centrelink International Services (CIS) running the script?

• Yes, go to Table 2 > Step 1
• No, go to Step 11

When staff run the script, it does a check of the customer’s record and the service officer’s details. This determines who can or must make the portability decision:

• Service Officer, or
• Centrelink International Services (CIS) Service Officer

Note: for customers paid under an agreement, the script will ask staff to confirm under which agreement. Do not alter the default selection in the script unless there is confirmation the customer will not be paid under the same agreement at the time of departure.

Has the script advised CIS must do the interview?

• Yes:
• Tell the customer CIS must make this decision and transfer the call to CIS. See Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for staff
• If the customer does not have time for a transfer to CIS, give them the contact details and tell them to call at a suitable time and date before their departure. See Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for customers
• Record actions on a completed DOC
• Procedure ends here
• No, go to Table 2 > Step 1

The script will ask the Service Officer to select all payments they want assessed. The script will usually preselect all the payments the customer receives.

The system may preselect the following payments:

• Supplements (for example, Energy Supplement)
• Add-ons (for example, Rent Assistance)

Check that the customer is eligible for the preselected payment(s). Staff may need to remove some payment types from the list (for example, if not grandfathered for Energy Supplement). Use the Add or Remove Payments function of the script.

Note: Energy Supplement grandfathering provisions apply for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) customers and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) holders. An overseas absence of longer than the allowable portability period for these payments means the customer will no longer be eligible for Energy Supplement if they reclaim FTB or CSHC when they return to Australia.

Once staff choose the options, the script will prompt them to ask questions based on the customer’s:

• record
• departure dates, and
• country of destination

Depending on the payment types received, the customer may need to provide more information.

It is not mandatory for the customer to provide an address outside Australia, but a current contact address is necessary.

If they are:

• travelling to attend an Australian Defence Force Reserves training camp, and are getting one of the below payments, go to Table 3 > Step 2:
• JobSeeker Payment (JSP)
• Parenting Payment (PP)
• travelling outside Australia to study as a full-time student or work/train as an Australian Apprentice and are getting one of the below payments, go to Step 7:
• Carer Payment (CP)
• Disability Support Pension (DSP), or
• Parenting Payment (PP)
• getting:
• DSP and travelling for reasons other than study, go to Step 2
• Special Benefit (SpB), go to Step 6
• JobSeeker Payment (JSP), go to Table 3 > Step 1
• PP or a Family Assistance Act payment, go to Table 3 > Step 3
• Parental Leave Pay (PPL), go to Table 3 > Step 4
• CP or Carer Allowance (CA), go to Table 3 > Step 6
• any other payment type, go to Table 4 > Step 3

If they are leaving Australia for more than their available portability period, DSP may be payable if they are:

• terminally ill
• assessed as meeting the 'no future work capacity' (NWC) portability provisions, or
• going to an agreement country that covers DSP

The script will automatically assess the customer as eligible for indefinite portability if the Medical Conditions Details (MC) screen shows the customer as:

• manifestly qualified (excluding conversion code CNV and discontinued manifest codes MNF and APP), or
• assessed under the 'no future work capacity' (NWC) portability provisions on the Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screen

Note: if the customer is manifestly qualified for DSP but leaves Australia before they advise of their departure, they may not be eligible for indefinite portability under NWC provisions. See Assessment for Disability Support Pension customers going overseas under the no future work capacity portability provisions.

Otherwise, the script will prompt staff to ask the customer if they want the agency to assess them under the no future work capacity portability provisions.

Staff must tell the customer:

• the assessment requires a full review of their DSP qualification under current impairment tables (this means it is possible that as a result of the review, the customer will no longer qualify for DSP and their payment will cancel)
• if they do not want to undergo a DSP Medical Review for assessment under the no future work capacity portability provisions, they will be assessed under regular portability rules

Note: a customer who is manifestly eligible for DSP does not need to undergo a full medical assessment.

The customer may need to provide medical information if:

• they are going to an agreement country that covers DSP, and
• their payment will cease either on departure or during their absence. For example, they are a former resident or a refugee departing Australia to live overseas

If the customer:

• will definitely return to Australia within their available portability period (usually 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period) and DSP will be payable for the whole absence, go to Table 4 > Step 3
• has indicated the reason for travel may be for an approved reason, assessment can be made under those provisions even if there are enough days of general portability remaining for the planned travel. See Table 3 > Step 1
• has already been assessed as terminally ill, or satisfying the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions, no medical assessment is needed, go to Table 4 > Step 3
• is manifestly eligible for DSP but there has not been an assessment for indefinite portability (NWC is not coded on the RSCD screen), go to Step 4
• indicates they are terminally ill, or want to be assessed under the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions, go to Step 3
• is leaving Australia for more than their available portability period (usually 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period) for an approved reason, go to Table 3 > Step 1
• is going to an agreement country that covers DSP for more than their maximum portability period, the script may indicate a medical assessment is needed to continue payment under the agreement. Go to Step 5

If none of the above apply, go to Table 4 > Step 3.

A customer may be eligible to payment indefinitely if they are:

• terminally ill, or
• assessed as meeting the 'no future work capacity' portability provisions

Note: this does not apply to customers who are:

• former residents, or
• qualified for DSP solely because they are a refugee and are leaving permanently

Tell the customer that before Services Australia can make a final decision, they need to have a Medical Review and Job Capacity Assessment (JCA). Customers can choose to undergo this assessment. See Assessment for Disability Support Pension customers going overseas under the no future work capacity provisions.

Continuing with the Portability Script - Departures and Returns will give an interim decision pending receipt of the Medical Report form and JCA report dependent on their circumstances:

If the departure is:

• one where the customer is determined to have stopped residing in Australia the decision will indicate that payment will stop on departure
• temporary, the decision will indicate that payment will continue up to the maximum entitlement of 28 days in a 12 month rolling period

Go to Table 4 > Step 3.

The customer does not need to have a Medical Review and JCA if they meet the ‘no future work capacity’ portability provisions because they:

• are manifestly eligible for DSP, and
• have contacted before departure

Continue with the Portability Script which will correctly advise that the customer is eligible for indefinite portability.

Note: if the customer is manifestly qualified for DSP but leaves Australia before they advise of their departure, they may not be eligible for indefinite portability under NWC provisions. See Assessment for Disability Support Pension customers going overseas under the no future work capacity portability provisions.

Go to Table 4 > Step 3.

To be eligible for payment outside Australia under an agreement, the customer must complete the Certificate of location in a country with which Australia has a social security agreement (AUS172) (if not going to New Zealand). See Resources page for a link.

Give this form to the customer and tell them to have it completed as soon as possible on their arrival in the agreement country.

They must be severely disabled to transfer to DSP under an agreement when autonomous entitlement ceases after leaving Australia. On completion of this decision, rerun the Portability Script - Departures and Returns.

Until there is a decision, continue with the Portability Script to give the customer an interim decision - the payment will stop when autonomous entitlement ceases after leaving Australia. Go to Table 4 > Step 3.

Check the Visa (Sub) Class Code field on the Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen.

Is the customer the holder of visa subclass 060, 070, 449 or 786?

• Yes, payment is not portable from the date of departure, as the holder of one of these types of visas lose their Australian residence on departure from Australia. Go to Table 4 > Step 3
• No, go to Table 3 > Step 1

A student or Australian Apprentice receiving CP, DSP, or PP can study or work overseas for the length of time they need to complete units that are part of their Australian course.

If departure is for any other reason, payment of CP or PP can generally continue for a temporary absence of up to 6 weeks (4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period for DSP).

If the customer remains otherwise qualified and payable, the rate of payment for temporary departures may include add-ons.

If they are leaving Australia to study or work as part of their Australian course, they must give Services Australia proof of the reason for their absence.

For more details, see Student studying outside Australia.

Service Officers in Centrelink International Services (CIS) approve the overseas study for students and Australian Apprentices receiving CP, DSP, or PP.

Obtain any proof of the overseas study or work and scan onto the record. Transfer the call to Centrelink International Services.

Transfer the call to the Centrelink International Services.

Centrelink International Services Staff - once proof of the reason for their absence has been provided, go to Table 4 > Step 3.

If the customer gets a payment that may be considered for restricted portability, ask them why they are travelling outside Australia.

If it is clear they are not travelling for an approved reason, payment is not portable. The exception is Disability Support Pension (DSP), which may be payable for all or part of their absence using their allowable 4 weeks in a rolling 12 month period.

If they may be travelling for an approved reason, Centrelink International Services(CIS) will assess if they satisfy the required conditions.

Do they want payment to continue because they are travelling for an approved reason?

• Yes, refer to CIS. Go to Table 4 > Step 1
• No, continue with the Portability Script - Departures and Returns and tell them the date their payment will cease. Go to Table 4 > Step 2

JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (YA), Parenting Payment (PP) or Austudy customers may continue to receive payment for the length of the absence if:

• they are temporarily overseas, and
• their absence is for an Australian Defence Force Reserves training camp

Staff in CIS make the decision to continue payment for the training camp. For more details, see Overseas absences for Australian Defence Force Reserves.

Note: CIS do not need to make a decision for a PP customer unless:

• they are going overseas for longer than 6 weeks, or
• their payment will otherwise suspend for a portability reason

Is the absence to attend a Defence Force Reserves training camp overseas?

• Yes, go to Table 4 > Step 1
• No, go to Table 4 > Step 3

PP and/or Family Assistance Act payment.

PP customers who have compulsory mutual obligation requirements have an automatic exemption from these requirements if they are payable whilst absent overseas. If they have an interview scheduled during their absence, reschedule it for a date after their return to Australia.

Tell the customer about the procedure for Reconciliation of Family Tax Benefit (FTB), and check if they or their partner still need to lodge a tax return.

They may have to continue to update their income estimate. Even though they are leaving to live overseas, their estimate must include all income they will earn during the entire income year, including foreign income.

If the customer returns to Australia after an absence resulting in their PP, Family Tax Benefit (FTB) or Child Care Subsidy (CCS) stopping for portability reasons, then PP, FTB or CCS is not payable if they leave Australia again within 6 weeks of their latest return to Australia.

The script will normally pick this up as long as the previous absence is recorded. If PP or FTB is cancelling for this reason and the Service Officer believes they should be payable, the problem could be incorrect recording of residence, arrivals or departures. Code the Country of Residence (CRES), Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) and/or Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screens.

Absences on the RSIM screen provided by the Department of Home Affairs cannot be changed. If they dispute an absence from Australia, then CIS must follow up. For help, see Referring inconsistencies in overseas departure and arrival information to Centrelink International Services (CIS).

Go to Step 4.

To find out their current visa subclass, check the Visa (Sub) Class Code field on the Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen.

If they are:

• the holder of visa subclass 060, 070, 449 or 786, payment will cease immediately on departure from Australia. Go to Table 4 > Step 2
• the holder of visa subclass 309, 785, 790 or 820, payment of FTB or any other family assistance payment or Parental Leave Pay can only be made outside Australia if the absence is for an approved reason. If they:
• may be travelling for an approved reason, go to Table 4 > Step 1
• are clearly not travelling for an approved reason, go to Table 4 > Step 2
• otherwise residentially qualified (including Australian citizens and permanent visa holders), go to Step 5

From original date of departure:

• Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A, FTB Part B and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) are payable for up to 6 weeks
• Parental Leave Pay is portable for 56 weeks, although entitlement periods may be much shorter than this
• Single Income Family Supplement (SIFS) is portable for 6 weeks. If a SIFS grandfathered customer is overseas for more than 6 weeks, they will lose their SIFS grandfathering status

Go to Table 4 > Step 3

After running the Portability Script - Departures and Returns:

• launch the Temporary Cessation of Care workflow in Customer First
• record any absences
• tell the customer payability while outside Australia is subject to the respite days remaining in the calendar year

If respite will fully deplete before the end of the allowable portability period, tell the customer:

• Carer Allowance (CA) and Carer Payment (CP) will cancel from the day after they use the remaining respite days, and
• they must reclaim on their return to Australia
• if they are receiving the transitional rate of pension they will lose entitlement to this rate. When they reclaim payment, assessment will be under the new rules

Go to Table 4 > Step 3.

The customer may be on a payment where there is a restriction on portability to absences:

• for an approved reason, or
• where customer is going overseas for Australian Defence Force Reserves training camp

If so, tell the customer they:

• may meet the requirement for payment overseas
• must speak to a Service Officer in CIS for a decision on their ongoing portability

The Portability Script - Departures and Returns will refer the case to CIS.

If the customer is in a service centre:

• if they have documents proving their approved reason, scan the documents onto the record
• contact CIS and advise the Service Officer of their details. They can then talk directly to the CIS Service Officer. For CIS contact details, see Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for staff

If the customer calls Services Australia:

• transfer the call to CIS and explain their circumstances. CIS will take over and complete the portability interview with them. For CIS contact details, see Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for staff.
• complete a DOC detailing the action taken (call has been referred to CIS and details of travel, especially the reason)
• and it is not possible to refer them to CIS immediately:
• create a Fast Note. Select Auto text, use Centrelink International Services > Portability > CIS Restricted Portability Referral
• record the travel details including dates, reason for travel and current telephone contact details
• tell them an officer from CIS will contact them as soon as possible
• and they have provided proof of the reason for absence, complete any other work items
• because they have evidence for their travel, tell them that if they are:
• registered for online services they can use Upload documents to provide the evidence
• not registered, they can either take the evidence to a service centre for scanning to their record or post it. For address details, see Centrelink International Services (CIS) - contact details for customers

Service Officers in CIS make the decision to continue payment for an approved reason. For more information, see Restricted portability assessment procedure for Centrelink International Services Staff

Procedure ends here.

If the customer is receiving payments with restricted portability where the absence is not for an approved reason:

• record the relevant reason when asked by the script:
• If the reason given for travel is one of the reasons listed in the script but the customer does not meet the criteria (for example, they are travelling for medical treatment that is available in Australia), record the appropriate reason (for example, ‘MED’) and answers to the questions in the script. This will correctly code the system, and payment will be subject to general portability rules on departure
• For all other unapproved reasons, or situations where verification clearly shows that an approved reason would not apply, choose the option 'other'. This will record OTH on the system and payment will be subject to general portability rules on departure
• some customers may have to contact when they have returned to Australia

Go to Step 5.

Does the customer have dependent children?

• Yes, and:
• all the dependent children are travelling outside Australia with them, go to Step 4
• at least one dependent child is remaining in Australia, check that the children are still their dependent children. Would another person be better off claiming payment for the children? For example, if a customer is remaining outside Australia for more than 6 weeks but the partner and children are remaining in Australia, FTB will reduce to base rate and their partner may be better off receiving the payment at the maximum rate. Go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 4

Is the customer paid Age Pension or Disability Support Pension (DSP) and leaving Australia for more than 26 weeks?

• Yes:
• The Portability Script - Departures and Returns will assess their ongoing entitlement based on the information held on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen
• The script will continue to the CRES screen to allow the Service Officer to check the details are correct. If blank or the Service Officer needs to make an update, they must record the update now or the decision made by the script will be wrong
• If the CRES screen is blank, ask the customer when they first arrived in Australia for residence. Record any other countries they have lived in
• For help, see Assessing if a customer is an Australian resident, Coding the CRES, ARD and RSS screens and Working Life Residence (WLR)
• Go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 5

The Portability Script does not assess if a customer will remain qualified during their absence. When a customer calls to advise they are travelling overseas it is essential to look at their situation. Determine if they will lose entitlement:

• before they leave Australia, or
• while they are overseas

If they will lose entitlement, when the script asks if any circumstance will result in loss of entitlement:

• answer 'Yes', and
• record the date and a brief reason

The script will use this information in the XOB101 letter. This letter may be issued to give the customer the correct date of cancellation. During the portability interview, staff must verbally advise the customer of the reason for the cancellation.

If the customer is changing payment types before going overseas (for example now on PPS but will be on JSP before departure), use the Add or Remove payments button to select a different payment type.

The script will make a decision based on the choice of payment and give them correct information based on this payment type.

Give the customer the correct advice about whether they will lose entitlement before they leave Australia or while they are overseas.

Important changes to consider include:

• Reporting and Employment Income:
• A customer on 2-weekly reporting will be re-profiled as a notification reporter once they reach the departure date
• The system will issue any entitlement calculated for the prior period
• If the customer has employment income to declare before their departure, they must report their income on the business day before departure to avoid an overpayment
• The customer will not need to report to stimulate payment while overseas unless they have overseas earnings. See Recording and correcting employment income details for more details
• PP customers may lose eligibility due to the age of their youngest child. If their youngest child is turning 6 (PPP) or 14 (PPS), their PP will stop regardless of the portability period unless they are eligible to transfer to another payment which is portable for that absence
• If a care receiver is temporarily leaving Australia, respite may apply to the carer's payment
• If a medical certificate ends
• Make sure all customers understand if they have to contact when they have returned to Australia

See Table 2 on the Resources page for other changes to consider when a customer is leaving Australia.

The Portability Script - Departures and Returns will ask questions about possible other consequential actions and display these reviews on the Consequential Actions page.

Not all identified reviews need to be actioned.

Only select the following consequential reviews when identified on the Consequential Actions page:

Some reviews may auto select; deselect any unnecessary reviews before continuing.

• Departure reviews:
• Respite Care or Carer/Caree Portability Review
• Return of outstanding SU19 forms
• Review Apprentice/Trainee Status
• Review Participation Agreement
• Review Student Status
• Section 24 Review
• Vacation of Home Property Review
• Return reviews:
• Agreement Payment check
• Code return to Aus
• Participation Requirements Review
• Section 24 Review
• SHC (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Reissue
• Transfer from I Environment
• Vacation of Home Property Review

Note: selecting any other consequential review type will generate an unnecessary work item in Workload Manager (WLM), which may be allocated to the staff member’s inbox as an unfinalised activity.

The script will generate a Registered (REG) Reassessment (REA) activity for each review type selected on the customer's Activity List (AL) screen.

Where staff have the appropriate skills, they must complete the review with the customer after finalising the Portability Script - Departures and Returns update. See the Resources page for information relating to consequential reviews.

Is the customer going outside Australia and their payment is payable for more than 12 months and on departure their record will be transferred to Environment I?

• Yes, the Portability Script - Departures and Returns will code their departure, but the departure will not be assessed until the Department of Home Affairs confirms they have left Australia. See Customer is going overseas long term - entitlement check and record transfer. Go to Table 5.
  Note: if the customer has already left Australia and the departure is on the Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen, but they disagree with the departure date, go to Table 6.
• No:
• The Portability Script - Departures and Returns will code their departure, however the departure will not be assessed until immigration confirms they have left Australia
• In some circumstances, their departure coding may not be immediate. In these cases the script will create a review on the Future Activity List (FAL) screen. When the review comes due and staff receive it through WLM, re-run the Portability Script. It will ask if the Service Officer wants it to code the absence defaulting to one of 4 options, based on the previously collected information. If their details have not changed, select Next and it will pick up the data DOC and automatically record the travel details provided on the Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screen
• If they leave Australia more than 3 days either side of the date they initially told Services Australia (and recorded by the script), the country of destination will record as XX (Unspecified), even if they have given details of their destination country
• If they are receiving a restricted payment (Disability Support Pension (DSP), JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (YA), Austudy, ABSTUDY or Special Benefit (SpB)) and they change their departure date by more than 3 days, the approved reason for the absence will not apply. The system will place OTH in the Code field, which will cause payment to suspend on departure (or after 4 weeks in 12 months for DSP). The reason for this is that the customer's approval may no longer be relevant, therefore they must advise of changes to their departure dates so the reason for approval remains valid. It is important to advise them to tell the agency if they change their date of departure
• If the customer has already left Australia and the departure is on the RSIM screen, but they disagree with the departure date, go to Table 6

Go to Table 5.

Consequential reviews identified during completion of the Portability Script will display on the customers Activity List (AL) screen as a Registered (REG) Reassessment (REA) activity.

Only the following consequential reviews need action:

• Agreement Payment check
• Code return to Aus
• Participation Requirements Review
• Respite Care or Carer/Caree Portability Review
• Return of outstanding SU19 forms
• Review Apprentice/Trainee Status
• Review Participation Agreement
• Review Student Status
• Section 24 Review
• SHC (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Reissue
• Transfer from I Environment
• Vacation of Home Property Review

Are any of the above REG consequential portability reviews on the customer’s AL screen?

• Yes, go to Step 2
• No, complete/cancel any other REG consequential portability review activity not listed above. Procedure ends here

If staff have the appropriate skills, they must complete applicable consequential reviews with the customer after finalising the Portability Script.

The Resources page contains information to assist in completing the consequential reviews.

There is an expectation that all staff should be able to complete the following consequential reviews:

• Code return to Aus
• Participation Requirements Review
• Return of outstanding SU19 forms
• SHC (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Reissue
• Transfer from I Environment

Does the Service Officer have the appropriate skills to complete at least one of the outstanding required REG consequential portability reviews on the customer’s AL screen?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

Action appropriate consequential portability reviews with the customer and complete the REA activity on the AL screen. The Resources page contains information to assist in completing the consequential reviews.

Complete/cancel any other REG consequential portability review activity that does not require action.

Are there any remaining REG consequential portability reviews on the customer’s AL screen?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, procedure ends here

To enable outstanding consequential reviews to be allocated in Workload Manager (WLM), add a Keyword to the REG activity on the AL screen through the Activity Details (AY) screen.

Insert the following Keyword into the appropriate REG consequential portability review:

• AGRREF for Agreement Payment check
• RTAAUS for Code return to Aus
• RTAPARTI for Participation Requirements Review
• ACTCAR for Respite Care or Carer/Caree Portability Review
• RTASU19 for Return of outstanding SU19 forms
• RTAAPT for Review Apprentice/Trainee Status
• RTAAGREE for Review Participation Agreement
• RTASTU for Review Student Status
• INTL24 (for overseas residents) or S24REV (for Australian residents) for Section 24 Review
• SHCREI for SHC (Commonwealth Seniors Health Card) Reissue
• ENVITFR for Transfer from I Environment
• XOB140 for Vacation of Home Property Review

Note: complete/cancel any REG consequential portability review activities that do not require action.

The date of departure and arrival on the Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen is the date the customer passes through Australian customs, as advised through the Immigration Datalink.

Portability rules apply according to the date recorded on the RSIM screen. This means there may be a disadvantage to the customer if they did not actually travel on the date advised through the datalink. In these cases, the customer may request an update to their travel date.

This most often occurs when the customer passes through customs on the evening of one day, but the flight departs the following day. See Resources for an example. It may also occur when a person travels on a cruise.

Note: the customer cannot request a change to the departure date before leaving Australia, even if they believe the booked flight time may meet this situation.

Is the customer advising of an alternative date because they have travelled on a cruise?

• Yes, see Coding cruise travel. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 2

CIS staff need reasonable evidence to determine the circumstances. Check Document Tools to see if the customer has provided evidence of actual departure or arrival time.

If the customer has not provided evidence, look up the customer in the Department of Home Affairs Movement Reconstruction (MR) database. Press [F5] on the Movements Details screen to enter full screen mode and see the time the customer passed through customs.

Consider other evidence including:

• flight itineraries, tickets or boarding passes showing the scheduled arrival or departure of the flight
• online flight trackers, searching the flight number and date - this may confirm the actual departure or arrival time of the flight

Is it reasonable, based on the evidence and the time the customer passed through customs, that the customer’s actual date of arrival in or departure from Australia is different to the date advised through the Immigration Datalink?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

Manually code the record correctly to:

• allow payment of arrears, if applicable, and
• prevent the Immigration Datalink from advising the date again

Go to the Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen.

If the customer arrived in Australia the day before the date on the RSIM screen:

• leave the original date of arrival into Australia
• add the new date of arrival into Australia

If the customer departed Australia after the date on the RSIM screen:

• leave the original date of departure from Australia
• add an arrival in Australia for the same date as the original date of departure
• add the new date of departure from Australia

Take the activity to the Assessment Results (AR) screen.

If the activity generates arrears, ensure they are correct before finalising.

Finalise the activity.

Create a DOC on the record clearly outlining the reason for the coding.

Procedure ends here.

The date of departure on the RSIM screen, as provided through the Immigration Datalink, is the correct date for the system to use to calculate portability of payment. There is no need for any coding.

Create a DOC on the record explaining why the alternative date cannot be used.

If an update fails when a customer advises of their travel online, and some or all details are not coded, a work item generates.

Note: this does not include Manual Follow-up (MFU) activities created when the customer is travelling on a cruise. See Coding cruise travel.

Staff must investigate the work item and action, if possible.

Where a work item does not open in Process Direct, copy the CRN to Customer First.

Has a work item generated?

• Yes, and the work item is:
• ZALL_PORT_GEN with keyword MANTRA. Go to Step 2
• ZIAM_FCC_UPD with keyword CHIOBJ and Category RSD. Note: it is possible that the work item may be categorised as something different, but it has the CHIOBJ keyword and RSD category. Treat it the same if this is the case. Go to Step 2
• No, the Travelling outside of Australia service did not create the work item. It does not have the above keywords or category. Recategorise the work item, see Step 8 in Workload Management. Procedure ends here

The Online Portability DOC generates automatically. It should include details for all persons travelling with the customer. The DOC will have the same date as the work item.

Use the details in the DOC to action the work item.

Note: in some cases the DOC will have no travel details, and the work item has no provisional coding.

Does the customer’s record have an Online Portability DOC with travel details?

• Yes, and the work item is:
• ZIAM_PORT_GEN, go to Step 4
• ZIAM_FCC_UPD, go to Step 5
• No, and:
• there is provisional coding in the work item, go to Step 3
• there is no provisional coding in the work item, go to Step 6

If a DOC does not automatically generate, staff will need to create one for the customer and any partner or care receiver/s travelling with the customer.

Note: do not create a separate DOC for child/ren. Include their details in the customer’s DOC.

DOC must contain the following:

• Departure date: yyyymmdd
• Return date: yyyymmdd
• Country of Destination: xxxxxx
• Child/ren xxxxxx will also be travelling (if applicable)
• Partner xxxxxx will also be travelling (if applicable)
• Care Receiver/s xxxxxx will also be travelling (if applicable)

If the work item is:

• ZIAM_PORT_GEN, go to Step 4
• ZIAM_FCC_UPD, go to Step 5

The travel details may need updating for the customer and any travel companion. Travel companions can include a partner, child/ren and any care receiver/s.

If needed, update the following details:

• Departure and return dates on the Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD/CHRSCD) screen. See Coding and viewing the RSCD, TOAD, and TOAS portability screens
• If the customer and any travel companion left Australia permanently, if necessary code the Country of Residence (CRES/CHCRES) screen. See Coding the CRES, ARD and RSS screens

Go to Step 6

These work items generate when the Customer Advised Travel (CHRSCD) update for the child fails. A Started (STA) RSD activity remains on the child record.

To finalise the activity, staff must use Customer First to complete the following actions:

• Check the travel details in the Online Portability DOC on the parent’s record
• Navigate back to the child’s record and select the STA activity
• Confirm that the provisional coding on the child’s record (generally only CHRSCD but may also be Country of Residence (CHCRES)) matches the travel details in the parent’s Online Portability DOC. If not, update accordingly
• Finalise the STA activity on the child’s record

Note: do not do a DOC on the child’s record. Their details are already on the parents’ record.

Procedure ends here.

If staff cannot complete the work item in Process Direct:

• use the Work Item ID to search in Customer First through the Online Interaction Summary
• complete the work item in Workload Manager using Interaction Records

Procedure ends here.

When a customer provides a new overseas home/temporary/term/postal address through their online account, this generates the work item ZIAM_SAARA_MFU with keyword #OAREF.

The circumstances of each case will determine the actions required. Staff may need to reassess the customer’s:

• accommodation details
• payment details

Check the record to determine any necessary actions:

• If the customer is current on payment, check the Immigration Datalink is active and that recent travel movements are recorded. See Activating the Department of Home Affairs datalink and contingency procedures if datalink is unavailable. Make sure their current country of location is coded on the Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screen
• Check recent Notes/DOCs for travel details. If the customer:
• is going overseas to live, check/update the Country of Residence (CRES) screen. See Coding the CRES, ARD and RSS screens
• has travelled/changed their address to an agreement country and they are no longer entitled to their autonomous payment, check whether they may be entitled to payment under an International Social Security Agreement
• is paid under an International Social Security Agreement, consider any agreement portability impacts. See Portability of payments paid under International Agreements
• has travelled overseas temporarily, make sure the overseas address has not been recorded as a HOM address and their payment is correct
• has requested payment for an approved reason or a portability extension, see Leaving Australia and portability of payments
• let the agency know of their travel through the online Travel Outside Australia Service but the update failed, go to Table 7
• See Customer is going overseas long term – entitlement check and record transfer if:
• the customer is on payment, and
• advised they are going overseas for more than 12 months, and
• the Portability Script has not been run, and
• there is no record of actions taken for the long-term travel, and
• the Service Officer is in CIS
• Decide if the customer is still residing in Australia. Do a Vacation of home review for their previous principal home if:
• their former principal home was in Australia, and
• they were the owner of the home, and
• their current principal home is now overseas, and
• they are current on payment, and
• the current Country of Residence on the CRES screen is Australia
• If the update to the address contradicts the Notes/DOC details on the customer’s record, for example, the overseas country does not match the country of residence on the CRES screen, check for customer error in updating the address. The customer may have chosen, for example:
• Austria instead of Australia, or
• an overseas address as HOM instead of TEM for temporary overseas study
• In some cases, there will be no need for any more action. This may be when the customer:
• changes address within the same country
• is only a correspondence nominee
• has left Australia to live overseas and is no longer on payment, or
• is not on payment, but their partner is on payment and the partner has made updates to the address on both records

Note: some countries have specific address format requirements. If the customer chooses to have their payment sent to an overseas bank account, incorrectly updating a home address for certain countries may cause the payment to reject. See Updating address details.

DOC the record with the outcome of the investigation.

Return to Address, Accommodation and Contact Details (AAC) work items to complete the update and MFU.