Returning to Australia 061-03000000

The Department of Home Affairs generally advises when a customer or child leaves or returns to Australia. The Centrelink system uses the information to assesses the portability of payments and concession cards. The assessment will happen regardless of whether the customer has told Services Australia their travel details. Note: do not cancel Department of Home Affairs datalink activities.

Where the customer gives evidence they travelled on different dates, the agency should consider using those different dates, if both the following apply:

• the new dates are logical
• the results will be a better outcome for the customer

This most often happens if a customer passes through Australian customs on one day but the flight leaves the next day.

In many cases, customers do not have to tell the agency if they are leaving Australia temporarily for less than 6 weeks, or when they have returned from a temporary absence.

When customers do need to tell us about a departure before leaving Australia or when they have returned to Australia they can use the Travelling outside of Australia service. This service is in their Centrelink online account. If the travel or portability assessment is complex the online service will ask them to contact the agency.

Services Australia website lists when customers must tell the agency they are leaving or returning to Australia. The Resources page has a link.

If the customer or child has an active immigration datalink, their return date will generally be automatically updated when they return to Australia.

For those customers and children who do not have an active immigration datalink, the date they returned to Australia will need to be manually recorded.

If the customer did not advise of their departure and the absence has not been recorded by the datalink, the Portability Script - Departures and Returns must be run and the departure coded, before the return to Australia can be assessed and recorded.

If the Portability Script - Departures and Returns is available, the return part of the script should be used to ensure any action other than recording the return is recorded. This is to assist the Service Officer to correctly assess the customer's ongoing entitlement and record the return details on the customer's record.

The portability script cannot be used for:

• child only absences
• CCS, FHA, DOP or ABSTUDY, and
• customers paid under any International Agreement except NZ

If the script is not successful, the procedures relevant to the payment type should be followed to manually action the return to Australia.

Every customer's address (including postal address) and telephone details (including mobile phone numbers) must be checked at every contact, and updated if required. Note: if the customer has authenticated themselves via IVR, address details do not need to be confirmed.

If a customer has a change in circumstances on their return (for example, begin to pay rent, resume part time work), they must still contact Services Australia within 14 days as usual.

If the customer advises a change to the date of return to Australia, the change will need to be manually recorded.

These cases are assessed by staff in CIS.

If a customer who holds a portability 'savings' (grandfathered) status returns to Australia they will be at risk of losing that status. Ensure customers are given information so they understand the potential consequences of a return to Australia. If they lose the savings then any further absence from Australia must be assessed using the rules current at that date of departure.

Portability 'savings' (grandfathering) rules apply to the following customers:

• assessed under the 20 September 2000 portability rules
• assessed under the 1 July 2004 portability rules
• assessed under the 1 July 2014 rules

If a customer remains outside Australia after their payment has stopped for a portability related reason, continuation of payment on their return to Australia may be possible. Generally, payment can be automatically or manually restored if they return to Australia within 13 weeks of their payment stopping.

For temporary absences, concession cards are generally portable for up to 6 weeks from departure, subject to continued eligibility. Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) however, have a 19 week portability period. If a current concession card holder returns to Australia before the end of their allowable portability period and entitlement has continued throughout the period of absence, a new card does not need to be issued as a result of the return.

If a customer is not a resident of Australia they are not entitled to any add-ons including concession cards if they return to Australia temporarily, unless they are paid under the Agreement with New Zealand.

If the person repeatedly goes outside Australia for long periods with short returns to renew their portability, it may indicate that the person is actually residing outside Australia. In many cases, the person must remain a resident of Australia to remain qualified. For these payments, the Service Officer must be satisfied that the person remains an Australian resident each time they leave Australia.

• If the Service Officer is not satisfied that the person is continuing to reside in Australia, a payment which requires the person to remain a resident of Australia should be cancelled immediately on departure. Where an absence, or multiple absences with short returns to Australia between the absences, exceeds approximately 3 years in length, continuing Australian residence is questionable
• If a person whose payment has been suspended or cancelled returns to Australia after multiple absences, the Service Officer should ensure that they are still a resident of Australia before their payment is restored or re-granted

Most customers do not have to remain in Australia for any minimum period of time before payment is portable again and, where the customer is paid a proportional rate, their rate will increase from the date of their return to Australia. However, some payments are affected by return rules and other payments may be affected by former resident rules.

Customers who cease to be Australian residents and lose entitlement to Centrelink administered payments will need to return to reside in Australia before they can lodge a proper claim for payment. They will need to be assessed as an Australian resident to qualify for payment.

Returning to Australia may affect subsequent portability if the person is receiving one of these payments:

• Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
• Dad and Partner Pay (DAP)
• Double Orphan Pension (DOP)
• Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
• Newborn Supplement (NBS)
• Parental Leave Pay (PPL)
• Parenting Payment (PP)
• Pension Education Supplement (PES)
• Single Income Family Supplement (SIFS)
• Stillborn Baby Payment (SBP)

If these payment(s) have ceased to be payable and/or the customers were overseas for more than 6 weeks and they return to Australia, they must generally remain in Australia for at least 6 weeks before these payments are portable again. The exact rules vary according to which payment(s) the customer receives.

It is very important that a customer who is planning on returning to Australia and then going outside Australia again contacts Services Australia before their return to Australia. The Service Officer can then advise them what effect any return to Australia may have on their future payments if they travel outside Australia again.

If a CIS customer returns to Australia, the return action must be done by CIS, even if the customer has returned to live. If the customer contacts a service centre in person, the information should be taken by the Service Officer and forwarded to CIS.

The 6 week return rule for customers on payments allowing extended portability for approved study means that where a customer has been granted an approved overseas study absence, a brief return to Australia (up to 6 weeks) does not interrupt the portability period for the course of study overseas. No new decision would be required.

Returning to Australia may affect subsequent portability if the customer has returned to live in Australia and then claimed or transferred to one of these payments:

• Age Pension
• Disability Support Pension (DSP)

If these customers leave Australia within 2 years of their return for residence their payments are unlikely to be portable at all.

It is very important that a customer who is planning to leave Australia within 2 years of a return for residence (and subsequent grant / transfer to one of these payments) contacts Services Australia before leaving. The Service Officer can then advise them what effect the departure may have on their future payments if they travel outside Australia.