Reviews of the Care Receiver Income and Assets (CRIA) test 009-08060050

Where a care receiver does not qualify for a pension/benefit a non-customer Care Receiver Income and Assets (CRIA) review may be applied to determine a carer's entitlement to CP.

The review process will only be applied to adult care receivers when the recorded income is within $5,000 of the applicable income threshold and/or assets are recorded in the medium or high assets value range on the CRIA screen.

Adult non-customer care receivers will not be reviewed if they are:

• a higher Adult Disability Assessment Tool (ADAT) score adult who is receiving a Social Security pension, or benefit, a Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Service Pension, Income Support Supplement or Veteran Payment, or
• eligible to receive Social Security pension, or a DVA income tested payment except for the sole reason that they have not been an Australian resident for the qualifying period

Where a care receiver is selected for review, the CRIA test is applied to determine a carer's entitlement to CP. These care receivers will be selected for review if the care receiver is:

• a higher ADAT score adult
• a lower ADAT score adult
• a child with a severe disability or severe medical condition, or
• 2 or more children with a disability or medical condition (who together require care at a level at least equivalent to that required by one child with a severe disability or severe medical condition)

The income and assets used to assess entitlement will be determined by the circumstances of the care receiver(s).

When the care receiver is a higher ADAT score adult, include the income and assets of:

• the care receiver
• the care receiver's partner (if they have one)
• any Family Tax Benefit (FTB) children of the care receiver or partner

When the care receiver is a lower ADAT score adult with a dependent child, include the income and assets of:

• the lower ADAT score adult
• the lower ADAT score adult's partner (if applicable)
• the dependent child
• any other FTB child or children (except the other care receiver) of the lower ADAT score adult

When the care receiver is a lower ADAT score adult with a qualifying child/children, include the income and assets of:

• the lower ADAT score adult
• the lower ADAT score adult's partner (if applicable)
• any FTB children (except the other care receiver(s)) of the lower ADAT score adult
• the child or children with a disability or medical condition

Also, if the lower ADAT score adult is not the parent or guardian of the qualifying child/children, include:

• the parent and the parent's partner (if applicable) of each qualifying child, and
• any other FTB children of each parent and their partner (where applicable)
• where the child (or children) does/do not live with their parent, only the income and assets of the child(ren) are assessable for the CRIA tests

Care receiver is a child with a severe disability or severe medical condition

When the care receiver is a child with a severe disability or severe medical condition, living with their parent, the care receiver's income includes:

• the taxable income of the parent
• the parent's partner (if applicable), and
• any other FTB children of the parent and the parent's partner (if applicable)

A non-customer care receiver satisfies the assets tests if their assessable assets are below the limit defined in the Social Security Act. Exemptions from this test may apply depending on the value of their assessable assets, their current liquid assets and/or their taxable income for the current tax year. The current pension Means Test is still applied to the carer to establish their rate of CP, unless the customer is entitled to a pension rate calculated using the transitional rules.

The payability of CP to those caring for a non-customer care receiver will still depend on the care receiver achieving a qualifying medical score and the carer personally providing constant care.

If the care receiver is selected for review, the activity will mature on 1 November each year. By this time the care receiver should have received their Notice of Assessment (NOA) for the previous financial year. The system will automatically issue the form Carer Payment - Income and assets details of the person being cared for - 16 years and over (SA304 (a)) or the Carer Payment Income and assets details - child being cared for - under 16 years (SA304(c)). If no reassessment has taken place within 28 days, a reminder will be issued.

An income and assets review is only applied to child care receivers when the recorded income is within $5,000 of the applicable income threshold and/or assets are recorded in the medium or high assets value range on the CRIA screen.

NDIS funds paid by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), whether received periodically or as a lump sum (including interest accrued), deposited into an account specifically for the purpose of managing the customer's NDIS plan, are exempt from the income and assets tests and deeming. They are not required to be reported or if reported should not be taken into account in the income and asset assessment.

CRIA reviews do not apply to CP (XWP) - CP that is paid under grandfathering provisions for ceased Wife Pension carers. This means carers receiving CP (XWP) who get CA for an adult care receiver who is not receiving an income support payment or for a child care receiver whose income is recorded within the CRIA income threshold or in the medium to high assets value range will not be selected for a CRIA review. See Transfer from Wife Pension (WP) to Carer Payment (CP).

An overpayment of CP can occur when the actual taxable income of the care receiver (and any other person included in the care receiver income test) is more than the income limit. See the Resources page in Care Receiver Income and Assets.