Change of circumstances or absences for carer and/or care receiver 009-25032521

Service Officers must determine the continuing entitlement to Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA) when there is a change in circumstance for a carer and/or care receiver.

Customers are obliged to advise Services Australia, usually within 14 days, of any event or change in circumstances that could affect their payment.

The notification period for bereavement is 28 days for carers receiving Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA).

Carers are advised of what they must notify in their grant notification letter and on the back of each reassessment letter sent to them. For more information see Carer notification issues.

Respite provisions allow carers to continue to receive CP and/or CA when they take a break from caring, for up to 63 days in each calendar year.

Hospitalisation provisions allow carers to continue to receive CP and/or CA when their care receiver is hospitalised and the carer continues to provide additional daily care. If the care receiver is an adult they can access up to 63 days in each calendar year. There is no limit for child care receivers.

For more information see Temporary Cessation of Care (respite) provisions for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA)

When a carer stops caring for a care receiver, their payment should be cancelled. It may be necessary to confirm the change of care.

For more information see Change of care for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) customers.

If the carer and/or care receiver have died, the death will need to be confirmed before any action is taken. See Death of carer.

If the death has occurred prior to the claim being finalised, see Death of care receiver before claim for carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA) is finalised.

When a carer and/or care receiver advises of an overseas absence, it may be necessary to code portability details as well as coding the respite absence.

For more information see Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) absence overseas.

CP customers can work, study, train or undertake volunteer work and still qualify for payment as long as the total time the carer is not providing care, including travel time, does not exceed 25 hours per week. For more information see Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) carer undertakes paid employment, self-employment, voluntary work, education or training activities.

CP customers may be absent from care to participate in paid work or self employment and still qualify for payment as long as the total time the carer is not providing care does not exceed 100 hours in a 4-week period. For more information see Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) carer undertakes paid employment, self-employment, voluntary work, education or training activities.

A care receiver may be absent from care to undertake education, training or employment without an effect on the carer's entitlement to CP, as long as 'constant care' is still being provided by the carer. The 25 hour rule does not apply to care receivers.

For more information see Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA) care receiver commences or returns to work.

A review must be carried out if either the carer, or the care receiver notifies a change of address to ensure the carer is still eligible. For more information see Change of address for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA).

If a carer and/or a care receiver’s mail has been returned from an address held on the agency’s record, see Return to sender (RTS) mail for Centrelink.

CP and CA can be automatically or manually cancelled when a carer is no longer entitled to the payment as a result of changes in either their circumstances, or the care receiver's circumstances, or if they have failed to comply with the requirements for payment. For more information see Cancellation or suspension of Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA).

Restoration occurs when the carer's qualification for payment has been re-established after a cancellation or suspension. For more information see:

• Restoration of Carer Payment (CP), and
• Restoration of Carer Allowance (CA)