Coding a regular absence for Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA) when the care receiver is absent 009-06040020

A regular absence is where a care receiver has an absence on a regular basis. An example of a regular absence could be where a care receiver is absent from the home for two days every week for a certain period of time. (In contrast, a one-off absence could be where the care receiver is entering respite care for a continuous period of three weeks.) This does not affect the carer's entitlement to CP and/or CA as long as the total absence stays within the allowable 63 days temporary cessation of care (respite).

The system deems these absences to be at the end of the fortnight in which the absences occur. For example, if there were four regular absences per fortnight, the system deems them to have occurred on the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th days of the absence fortnight and not the days when the absence actually occurred.

Regular absence rules do not apply to CP (XWP) - Carer Payment (CP) that is paid under grandfathering provisions for ceased Wife Pension carers. However, regular absence rules still apply to CA as normal.

If a CP (XWP) carer’s only or last payment level CA is suspended or cancelled for any reason, or reduced to a CA HCC only, CP (XWP) will be automatically be cancelled. A carer loses their qualification for CP (XWP) permanently if payment level CA is not reinstated without a gap in entitlement.

Constant care, education, training or employment and the 25 hour rule do not apply to CP (XWP). Absence codes that only relate to CP should not be recorded for any TCC days for a carer receiving CP (XWP).

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

For respite and hospitalisation purposes, a 'day' must include an overnight stay - that is, a whole 24 hour period from 12:00 am to 12:00 am (midnight to midnight). Part days do not count in the calculation of absences for CP and CA.

The Resources page contains an example of how to calculate these absences.

This principle also applies when calculating absences where a CA child care receiver is away from the care situation for education, training and treatment.

This does not change the special rules around coding of respite in conjunction with the 25 hour rule - the 25 hour provision cannot be extended by using a carer’s TCC (respite) entitlement.

If the carer is absent due to being overseas, the rules for temporary cessation of care and portability may differ between Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) depending on the situation. Consider respite and portability rules together.

If the care receiver is imprisoned, this is also considered an absence and the carer's qualification for payment may continue. CP and/or CA will auto cancel when the 63 day respite limit is reached.

If there is more than one carer, and one receives CP and the other CA, the absence must be recorded against both carers when the care receiver is absent from both carers.