Carer Allowance (CA) customer going overseas 009-03100020

CA is not payable to people who are not Australian residents.

If a customer or care receiver leaves Australia to live in another country, CA is cancelled from the date the customer or care receiver leaves Australia.

A customer who has stopped living in Australia will not be able to claim CA during any temporary returns to Australia.

CA is portable for the maximum portability period of 6 weeks as long as the departure is temporary. CA can be paid outside Australia for any reason, however, respite rules and portability rules need to be considered together to decide whether payment can be made overseas. If the customer is unable to return at the end of 6 weeks, Centrelink has discretion to extend the period of payability under certain circumstances.

Respite provisions can only be used concurrently with (not in addition to) the normal portability provisions.

Add-on payments can continue during a temporary departure if the customer remains qualified for the payment.

When a carer or care receiver advises an overseas absence, it may be necessary to record portability details or a temporary cessation of care (respite) absence, or both, depending on the circumstances.

Whether the portability and/or respite should be coded depends on:

• whether the carer is outside Australia with one or more care receivers
• whether the carer and care receiver both leave Australia together
• the age of the care receiver
• whether the care receiver is in receipt of a Centrelink payment or concession card

The Portability Script - Departures and Returns is to be used to assess the customer's entitlement to payment while overseas. The script can also be used to assess the customer's entitlement where they are only thinking about going overseas and want to know about their payment before making a final decision.

A letter can be sent to the customer confirming the advice given and providing contact details for Services Australia while overseas.

A person's portability period starts on the day they leave Australia. The day a person returns to Australia is not included as part of their absence - they are considered to be inside Australia on that day and therefore no longer affected by portability rules.

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 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, the payment may be automatically or manually restored if they return to Australia within 13 weeks of their payment ceasing.