Verifying evidence for Apprenticeship Wage Subsidy (AWS) claims 043-22032122
Expand allOutbound Contact Protocols
Table 1
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Introducing calls Introduce yourself as calling from Services Australia on behalf of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations – DEWR. Advise the employer the call is being recorded. Complete the privacy statement. Advise the employer the reason for calling – to discuss their Boosting Apprenticeship Commencement (or Completing Apprenticeship Commencement) claim. Service Officers must advise employers that:
For example: “Good Morning / Afternoon, my name is [name]. I am calling from Services Australia on behalf of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations - DEWR… …Before we proceed, I need to inform you that Services Australia may receive information from DEWR to verify the evidence provided with your claim. The call, and information viewed during the call, may be recorded for training and coaching purposes. You can find more information on our privacy policy on Services Australia’s website. I am calling to discuss your [BAC / CAC] claim…” Note: repeat this script message for every subsequent employer/staff member/person contact if dealing with multiple people during the same call. |
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Identifying employers - outbound contacts Employers may submit claims for more than one apprentice. When contacting an employer, advise the Claim application ID, or the Apprentice name the claim relates to. Discuss no further information about the application without confirming the call recipient is the authorised person to discuss the relevant claim. Ask the caller to confirm a minimum of an additional 2 of the following:
If the employer is unable to provide sufficient information to confirm they have authority to discuss the claim:
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Voicemail or answering machine If an answering machine or voicemail is reached, leave a short message identifying the call is on behalf of the Apprenticeship Wage Subsidy line about a Boosting Apprenticeship Commencement (or Completing Apprenticeship Commencement) claim. Ask the employer to call the Australian Wage Subsidy line back. Leave a voice message regardless of whether the employer's name is used in the answering recorded message. Where the employer contact in ADMS is not named in the recorded message, request that the contact named returns the call. |
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Calling employers who provide main business contact numbers If an employer's contact number is a generic main business phone line (for example not a direct number for the employer contact), wait to speak with the contact person for 4 minutes, before ending the call. Calls that are terminated for this reason are considered unsuccessful contact attempts. |
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Employers querying multiple claims during outbound calls The purpose of an outbound call to an employer is to inform or remind them about information required for a specific Apprenticeship Wage Subsidy claim. Apply discretion, when providing further assistance to an employer asking them about other claims. Where the employer asks about multiple claims, they should be advised that each claim will be reviewed on its own merits and that they will be contacted if more information is required. If they feel that they have made an error with multiple claims, they should be encouraged to contact the Apprenticeship Wage Subsidy line to discuss these circumstances further. Multiple claims for the same employer may be allocated together to staff for action. Each claim will need to be individually reviewed on its own merits, and actions taken must be recorded in the Service Notes. The Work Allocation list will identify employers that have submitted multiple claims. This is known as a bundle. When staff are allocated a bundle:
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Outbound Call scripts
Table 2
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Outbound Call - New Claims Hello, my name is [name] and I am calling from Services Australia on behalf of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations - DEWR. Before we proceed, I need to inform you that Services Australia may receive information from DEWR to verify the evidence provided with your claim. The call, and information viewed during the call, may be recorded for training and coaching purposes. You can find more information on our privacy policy on Services Australia’s website. I am calling in regards to your Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements (or Completing Apprenticeship Commencements) claim. May I speak with [employer contact name]? Note: repeat this script message for every subsequent employer/staff member/person contact if dealing with multiple people during the same call. The privacy statement is also required for non-English speaking customers requiring an interpreter. See Call and screen recording - information and access. I'm calling in regards to a claim for [Apprentice Name or Claim ID]. To protect the privacy of the apprentice and your business, can I confirm some details with you before we proceed? Confirm 2 additional details:
Before we are able to finalise your claim for payment, we need some additional information. [Detail what is required, for example upload the correct wage evidence, reattach wage evidence that is of a better quality, upload the signed training evidence.] You will shortly receive a notification via email that your claim has been returned to you, including this information. Please action the request as soon as possible, so that your claim can be finalised. If you have any issues, please call the Apprenticeship Wage Subsidy line on number 1800 719 706. Select option 1 for BAC/CAC claim enquiries. Thank you for your time. |
Approved comments for employers text
Table 3
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Comments for Employer text Text entered in the Comments for Employer box in ADMS displays in the email sent to the employer, exactly as it is entered. Using the following scripts for all requests for information. The scripts do not address every scenario. In limited circumstances adjust, amend or annotate the scripts to ensure the request makes sense to the employer. Delete all unnecessary text and ( ) [ ] symbols. The Comments for Employer text box is limited to 3,000 characters. |
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Wage evidence - date error Copy and paste the below text into the ADMS Comments for Employer field, changing the information contained in the brackets. Only include relevant information for the claim type. Action required: update the following information and resubmit as soon as possible. Wage evidence date ranges entered by you must match the information on wage evidence document/s attached. The date range (date from and/or date to) you have entered does not match the information contained in the uploaded document: (Enter a document reference HERE) indicates the date range entered should be (enter correct date from and date to HERE). If you need assistance to finalise your claim, please call 1800 719 706. Select option 1 for BAC/CAC for claim enquiries. |
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Wage evidence - amount error Copy and paste the below text into the ADMS Comments for Employer field, changing the information contained in the brackets. Only include relevant information for the claim type. Action required: update the following information and resubmit as soon as possible. Wage evidence amount/s entered by you in the claim must match the information on the wage evidence document/s attached. The amount you have entered does not match the information contained in the uploaded document: (Enter a document reference HERE) indicates the amount entered should be (enter $ amount HERE). If you need assistance to finalise your claim, please call 1800 719 706. Select option 1 for BAC/CAC for claim enquiries. |
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Wage evidence - employer or ABN or apprentice error Copy and paste the below text into the ADMS Comments for Employer field, changing the information contained in the brackets. Only include relevant information for the claim type. Action required: attach wage evidence relevant to the employer and/or apprentice named in the claim and resubmit your claim as soon as possible. Wage evidence document/s you provide must relate to the employer and apprentice named in the claim. The information in this claim does not match the information contained in the uploaded document: (Enter a document reference HERE) contains information that does not relate to the (enter the apprentice OR employer OR ABN) named in the claim. Where you have evidence of the relationship between the listed ABN/Employer named in the claim and the ABN/Employer contained in the uploaded document this should be supplied with your claim. If you need assistance to finalise your claim please call 1800 719 706. Select option 1 for BAC/CAC for claim enquiries. For changes of circumstance relating to the structure of your business or your apprentice/trainee's employment arrangement, contact your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider to notify the change or enquire on the progress of formalising the change. |
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Wage evidence - multiple errors Copy and paste the below text into the ADMS Comments for Employer field, changing the information in the brackets. Only include relevant information for the claim type. To support your claim, you must:
The wage evidence for the following dates do not match: (enter date from or attachment name) (enter reason: employer/ apprentice/date/value) (enter date from or attachment name) (enter reason: employer/ apprentice/date/value) (enter date from or attachment name) (enter reason: employer/ apprentice/date/value) Could you please review and update and/or remove xx document. Once updated please resubmit your claim as soon as possible. If you would like assistance to finalise your claim please call 1800 719 706. Select option 1 for BAC/CAC for claim enquiries. If there has been a change of circumstance relating to the structure of your business or your apprentice/trainee's employment arrangement, please contact your Apprentice Connect Australia Provider. |
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Training evidence Copy and paste the below text into the ADMS Comments for Employer field, changing the information in the brackets. Only include relevant information for the claim type. Action required: attach acceptable evidence that training has commenced, as listed below and resubmit your claim as soon as possible. Training is considered to have commenced when the apprentice, employer, and Registered Training Organisation (RTO) have signed a Training Plan for the apprenticeship. Acceptable evidence documents:
(Enter any information relevant to the uploaded attachment. For example, 'the evidence provided is not signed by the apprentice') If you need assistance to finalise your claim, please call 1800 719 706. Select option 1 for BAC/CAC for claim enquiries. |
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Training evidence and wage evidence Include a combination of the above scripts for training and wage evidence:
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Information security
Table 4
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Handling of training and wage evidence When reviewing training or wage evidence in ADMS, the document is viewed in a browser. A temporary copy of the file is downloaded to your computer's hard drive in the Downloads folder. Regularly clear the Downloads folder to remove copies of training or wage evidence:
Do not save any training or wage subsidy evidence documents on the computer. Retain all personal information relating to Apprenticeship Wage Subsidies claims in ADMS. |
Wage evidence examples
Table 5
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Acceptable Wage Evidence and Claim Responses - Example 1 On 2 April 2022, Jeremy submitted a BAC claim for wages paid to an apprentice employed in their business during the 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2022 claiming period. Jeremy attaches a wage report as wage evidence. The wage report shows $5000 in gross wages paid from 25 December 2021 to 24 April 2022. Jeremy completes the wage evidence section of the claim form, advising:
As training evidence does not need to be attached, Jeremy completes the rest of the BAC claim form and submits the claim. The claim is not automated and is allocated to a Service Officer to verify the evidence. The Service Officer correctly marks the claim Eligible because the Date from, Date to and gross Amount contained in the wage evidence match the information in the BAC claim, in addition to matching the apprentice’s name, business name and ABN. It is not relevant that the date from and date to are outside of the claiming period. |
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Acceptable Wage Evidence and Claim Responses - Example 2 On 1 July 2022, Gabby submitted a CAC claim for wages paid to an apprentice they employed during the 1 April 2022 to 30 June 2022 claiming period. Gabby attaches multiple payslips in a single attachment, as wage evidence. The payslips show $2,500 in gross wages paid from 2 April 2022 to 28 June 2022. Gabby completes the wage evidence section of the claim form, advising:
As training evidence does not need to be attached, Gabby completes the rest of the claim form and submits the claim. The claim is not automated and is allocated to a Service Officer to verify the evidence. The Service Officer correctly marks the claim Eligible because the Date from, Date to and gross Amount contained in the wage evidence match the information in the CAC claim, in addition to matching the apprentice’s name, business name and ABN. It is not relevant that the date from and date to do not span the entire the claiming period. |
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Unacceptable Wage Evidence and/or Claim Responses - Example 1 On 1 May 2022, Doreen submitted a BAC/CAC claim for wages paid to an apprentice they employ during the 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2022 claiming period. Doreen attaches several payslips as individual attachments, for wage evidence. The payslips show $9,876 in gross wages paid from 15 December 2021 to 19 June 2022. Doreen completes the wage evidence section of the claim form, advising:
As training evidence does not need to be attached, Doreen completes the rest of the claim form and submits the claim. The claim is not automated and is allocated to a Service Officer to verify the evidence. The Service Officer correctly marks as Requires More Information because although the gross Amount of wages contained in the wage evidence matches the information in the claim form (in addition to matching the apprentice name, business name and ABN), the Date from and Date to do not match. It is not relevant that the date from and date to do not span the entire the claiming period. |
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Unacceptable Wage Evidence and/or Claim Responses - Example 2 On 17 April 2022, Fletch submitted a BAC/CAC claim for wages paid to an apprentice they employed during the 1 January 2022 to 31 March 2022 claiming period. Fletch attaches payslips as wage evidence. The payslips show $2,244 in gross wages paid from 3 January 2022 to 8 April 2022. Fletch completes the wage evidence section of the claim form, advising:
As training evidence does not need to be attached, Fletch completes the rest of the claim form and submits the claim. The claim is not automated and is allocated to a Service Officer to verify the evidence. The Service Officer correctly marks as Requires More Information because although the Date from and Date to match the information in the claim form (in addition to matching the apprentice’s name, business name and ABN), the Amount does not match. It is not relevant that the date from and date to do not span the entire the claiming period. |
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Unacceptable Wage Evidence and/or Claim Application Responses - Example 3 On 1 October 2022, Cindy submitted a claim for wages paid to an apprentice employed in their business during the 1 July 2022 to 30 September 2022 claiming period. Cindy attached a wage report as wage evidence. The wage report shows $5000 in gross wages paid from 27 June 2022 to 30 September 2022. Cindy completes the wage evidence section of the claim application form, advising:
Cindy completed the rest of the claim application and has ticked ‘no’ to previous providing evidence that training has commenced. The employer has attached a copy of the apprentice’s Tax File Number (TFN) Declaration as training evidence. The claim application is not automated and is allocated to a Service Officer to verify the evidence. The Service Officer correctly marks the claim application as Requires More Information because although the gross Amount of wages and Date From stated in the claim matches the wage evidence attachment, the Date To stated by the employer does not. Additionally, the training evidence attachment does not meet the training evidence requirements. |