Carer Payment (CP) customer going overseas 009-03100030

If a customer or care receiver leaves Australia to live in another country, cancel CP from the date of departure.

Some customers continuing to provide care may be able to transfer to CP under an international agreement.

CP is portable for the maximum portability period of up to 6 weeks as long as the departure is temporary. CP can be paid outside Australia for any reason, however, respite rules and portability rules must be considered together to decide if payment can be made overseas.

CP can continue for more than 6 weeks while the carer is studying overseas, if they are:

• Studying full-time as part of their Australian course. This can include short holidays before, during or after the course. They must stay enrolled in the Australian course
• Providing care to the care receiver
• Not spending more than 25 hours per week away from the care receiver for work, study or training. This can include paid work, self-employment or voluntary work. It can include travelling time

If the customer is not able to return to Australia after the maximum portability period, Centrelink has discretion to extend the period of portability in very limited circumstances.

Some customers continuing to provide care after the maximum portability period may be able to transfer to CP under an international agreement.

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

Note: the portability provisions differ between CP and Carer Allowance (CA).

Discuss respite with the customer at this interview. Check the remaining respite balance on the Absences Enquiry (ABCE) screen and manually calculate when respite may run out before launching the Portability Script - Departures and Returns, if the customer:

• will not be travelling outside Australia with the care receiver, or
• there will be periods when they will not provide care while outside Australia

The date of cancellation for exceeding respite must be input in the script.

After running the Portability Script - Departures and Returns, it will be necessary to use the Temporary Cessation of Care workflow to record any absence from care. It is important to advise the customer that if they use up all their respite days, their CP will be cancelled from that date and they must reclaim on their return to Australia. In these cases, payability outside Australia is limited to their remaining respite days.

If the carer and care receiver(s) travel outside Australia together, respite is not accessed unless the carer ceases to provide care outside Australia. Hospitalisation provisions also apply if an adult care receiver is admitted to hospital while outside Australia.

If the carer travels outside Australia without the care receiver the 'respite period' allows the carer to have a break from their usual caring role for up to 63 days in any calendar year without affecting payment. However, they are subject to the maximum portability period for carer payment, which is 6 weeks (or 42 days). Once the 'respite period' is used up, if the carer has not returned to the caring role and/or if they remain outside Australia (even where absence has not been for the maximum portability period) cancel CP due to exceeding respite.

Use the Portability Script - Departures and Returns to assess the customer's entitlement to payment while overseas. Use the script also 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.

Send a letter to the customer confirming the advice given and providing contact details for Services Australia while overseas.

The portability period starts on the day the customer leaves Australia. For portability purposes, a person is not inside Australia for any part of the day they departed Australia, regardless of the time of departure. If the customer is travelling outside Australia on a cruise, the date of departure is the date the ship leaves the last Australian port.

The day a person returns to Australia is not included as they are inside Australia on that day (regardless of the time of return) and no longer affected by portability. If they leave and return on the same day, for example airline crew, this is not considered a departure from Australia for portability purposes.

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

A Carer Payment (XWP) customer loses their qualification for CP under grandfathering provisions if they have a break in payment level Carer Payment (XWP) can only be restored if their CA is reinstated without a gap in entitlement. For more information, see Transfer from Wife Pension (WP) to Carer Payment (CP).

If a customer who is continuing to provide care is going to an agreement country and the customer's payment will cancel on departure or after 6 weeks absence from Australia, it may be possible for them to transfer to payment under an international agreement that covers Carer Payment.

Due to the complexity of the rules, refer all such cases to Centrelink International Services (CIS) as soon as possible.

The relevant agreement determines the portability rules for customers already paid under an agreement.

Customers in receipt of Age pension, DSP or Carer Payment may be affected by the portability and/or rate provisions of the New Zealand Agreement if they are:

• travelling to New Zealand
• in receipt of a defined New Zealand benefit, or
• paid their Australian payment by virtue of the Agreement

For more information, see New Zealand Agreement information.