Absences for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) 009-06000000

For carers granted under section 954A of the Social Security Act (because they do not live with the care receiver, but they provide at least 20 hours personal daily care and attention per week) a respite absence will occur on any day the carer does not provide any care.

If the care receiver continues to receive care and attention on a daily basis from one carer or the other, under shared care provisions, then temporary cessation of care has not occurred. Therefore, when the care receiver is in the care of one of the carers as part of a regular shared care arrangement, temporary cessation of care days should not be recorded against the carer who is not providing the care.

An absence should only be recorded if the care receiver has not received any care and attention from either of the two carers for a period of 24 hours from midnight to midnight. If one carer temporarily provides extra care on a short term basis when the other carer would normally have provided this care, this is not temporary cessation of care. For more information, see Coding absences for Carer Allowance (CA) where care of the care receiver is shared.

With 'respite', the carer or care receiver may be absent for any purpose. The respite absence does not have to be formal or informal respite care to be counted against the allowable days. It could be things such as the carer taking a holiday without the care receiver or the care receiver going to spend a couple of days with another relative.

If a carer and/or care receiver travels overseas respite rules and portability rules need to be considered together.

If a care receiver is in respite (not hospital) at the time a carer lodges a Carer Payment/Carer Allowance claim, see Complications to Grants of Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA).

If a care receiver is imprisoned, see Temporary Cessation of Care (respite) provisions for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA).

Carers in receipt of Carer Payment (CP) can also participate in paid employment, self-employment, voluntary work, education or training provided they do not cease to care for the care receiver for more than 25 hours per week (including travel time), as this will interfere with providing full time care or constant supervision to the care receiver. If the carer ceases caring for more than 25 hours in a week, CP should be cancelled unless certain exceptions apply. Note: the 25 hour policy rule is weekly based, not an average of hours over a fortnight.

There is no 25 hour limit for CA but there may be a need to check if the daily care requirements are being met if the carer is absent for extended periods each day.

There is no limit on hospitalisation days for a child care receiver, however the 63 day respite limit still applies, and all absences must be coded. If the carer is paid under the short term care or episodic care provisions, the respite limit will be a pro-rata amount, based on the period for which CP (child) is being granted.

Temporary Cessation of Care (respite and hospitalisation) rules do not apply to Carer Payment (XWP) - Carer Payment (CP) that is paid under grandfathering provisions for ceased Wife Pension carers. However, Temporary Cessation of Care (TCC) (respite and hospitalisation) rules still apply to CA as normal.

This means CP (XWP) carers who are not providing additional care and attention each day can continue to be paid CA by using their TCC (respite and hospitalisation) days. However if the carer's only or last payment level CA is suspended or cancelled for any reason (including respite or hospitalisation) or reduced to a zero rate due to Education, Training or Treatment (ETT), or CP (XWP) will automatically be cancelled. A carer will lose qualification for CP (XWP) permanently if they have a break in payment level CA entitlement after 19 March 2020.

Respite codes that relate to CP should not be recorded for any TCC days for a carer receiving CP (XWP). The 25 hour rule does not apply to CP (XWP).

For more information, see Transfer from Wife Pension (WP) to Carer Payment (CP).