Group payment schedules and payments to organisations 104-24092648

A customer's existing group payment arrangement may be changed or ceased by a Group Payment Administrator or financial institution representative. The customer can also change their payment destination unless the Group Payment arrangement is made under an involuntary arrangement, for example via a court order and where the customer is under involuntary nominee arrangements. See Changing payment destination for more details.

Note: many customers who have their payments updated to be paid to an organisation by Group Payment, are in residential aged or disability care. Therefore, it may not be possible or suitable to contact these customers directly. Use Nominee or Power of Attorney arrangements to confirm details for these customers where possible.

Enquiry from a customer

If the customer:

• enquires about arranging to have their payments delivered to an organisation by group payment, go to Step 2
• is lodging or has lodged, a completed Send my payment to an institution - Group Payment (SS270) form or an Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf (SS313) form, go to Step 3

Enquiry from a group payment organisation

If an organisation:

• is the customer’s payment nominee and requests that the payment be made on group schedule, go to Step 2
• advises updates to the organisation details are required, see Step 1 in Table 2
• advises that they have not received their group payment schedule via Organisation Online Mail (OOM) in Centrelink Business Online Services (CBOS) or Letters in Business Hub, see Step 2 in Table 2
• contacts about the details contained on a group schedule or would like to register to receive their group payment schedule online, see Step 4 in Table 2

Send or issue an SS270 or SS313 form to be completed and returned.

• Certain organisations, such as public trustees and some aged care homes, are nominee organisations that are payment nominee for customer and receive their payments through the Group Payment Scheme. In these cases, an SS313 should be issued. Tell the organisation to provide the Group Payment Code in Part D Question 11 of the form
• Where the organisation is only a Group Payment organisation, and not also a nominee, only an SS270 should be issued

If it is not known whether the organisation is a nominee or group payment organisation, go to system environment B and conduct a search on the Organisation Name (ON) screen.

• Enter their ABN in the Organisation ID: field
• Key ATO in the Organisation Code: field
• Key ABN in the ID Type: field

Nominee organisations who are also registered for Group Payments will have at least two organisation records:

• one with a stakeholder code of NOM
• one with a stakeholder code of TPP

Group payment organisations will have a record with stakeholder code of TPP.

The Resources page contains a link to the forms.

If processing an SS313 form, see Adding or rejecting a nominee request.

If processing an SS270 form, go to Step 4.

Check the information on the customer’s record matches the information in Part A – Customer details, to ensure it is the correct person.

If the details do not match, search the system for the correct customer’s record. See Searching for a customer on the system.

If the customer’s address details are different, see Updating address details. Check all recent DOCs on the Document List (DL) screen relating to accommodation updates – particularly for residential aged care.

If the customer’s contact details, such as phone numbers and email have changed, update these.

Has the customer ticked they are signing this form for themself?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, third party signing on behalf of customer, go to Step 5

Is the third party authorisation in Part B complete and declaration signed?

• Yes, and
• the form has been signed by the customer’s payment and/or correspondence nominee, go to Step 6
• a copy of the Power of Attorney document, guardianship or financial management order has been provided, and the third party has completed Questions 6 – 8, go to Step 6
• a responsible person such as treating medical officer or social worker, has completed Questions 6 – 8, go to Step 6
• no Power of Attorney document, guardianship or financial management order has been provided, and third party has completed Questions 6 – 8. Check Document Tools on the customer’s record to see if the document has been provided previously. If appropriate documentation cannot be located, reject the SS270. See No response below for details
• No, reject the SS270. Make a genuine attempt to contact the third party or customer to advise the form cannot be processed and they are required to sign and/or answer the appropriate questions and/or provide appropriate supporting documentation. If contact cannot be made with the customer or third party place a DOC on the customer’s record advising when contact attempt was made and why SS270 was rejected. Close the SS270 digital work item on the AL screen. Procedure ends here

If the customer has a nominee in place, select the arrangement from the NOLS screen and then select the NORS screen.

If the Reason for Arrangement is:

• Voluntary (this will show as VOLUNTARY or POWER OF ATTORNEY), go to Step 8
• Involuntary (this will show as COURT APPOINTED or POWER OF ATTORNEY_INV), go to Step 7

Check who has signed the SS270. If:

• nominee has signed the form, go to Step 8
• customer or someone other than the nominee has signed the form, make 2 genuine attempts to contact the nominee to discuss the form that has been received. If:
• the nominee provides approval for the update to payment destination, add a DOC on the customer’s record advising the nominee gave verbal consent, go to Step 8
• the nominee does not approve update, reject the SS270 and place a DOC on the customer’s record advising of the reason for rejection. Close the SS270 digital work item on the AL screen. Procedure ends here
• 2 genuine attempts to contact nominee have been unsuccessful, reject the SS270. Place a DOC on the customer’s record advising when contact attempts were made and why the SS270 has been rejected. Close the SS270 digital work item on the AL screen. Procedure ends here
• unsure of the correct course of action, send a referral to the Level 2 Policy Helpdesk

In Part C – Institution declaration, the organisation representative (also known as the group payment administrator) will provide their details:

• the organisation name
• CRN (if known)
• contact information, and
• the 3 character group payment code

If they do not provide the group payment code, contact must be made with the organisation to confirm the correct code. The organisation representative must also sign the form.

Has the organisation representative provided their details, group payment code and signed the SS270?

• Yes,
• If there is no nominee arrangement in place, go to Step 9
• If there is a nominee arrangement in place, cancel the payment nominee arrangement. See Table 3 in Cancelling a nominee arrangement. Once the nominee arrangement has been cancelled, go to Step 9
• No,
• If the SS270 has not been signed by the organisation representative, make 2 genuine attempts to contact the representative and tell them to send in a new SS270 with their signature. DOC the conversation or contact attempts on the customer’s record and why the form could not be processed. Close the SS270 digital work item on the AL screen. Procedure ends here
• If the group payment code is not provided and contact with the organisation is not successful, use the Group Payment Organisations link on the Resources page, and search for the organisation name or CRN (if provided) to get the code. If the correct code is not located, send a request for assistance to the Nominee Program Team

If the customer has weekly payment arrangements in place they must be ceased before changing the payment destination to group payment code. If payment frequency is not updated to fortnightly, the customers payments will fail to deliver to the organisation by group payment.

See Assessing, coding and reviewing weekly payments.

Once any required updates have been completed, go to Step 10.

The Change Payment Destination workflow should not be used, as it asks for information that cannot be provided or confirmed from the SS270 form.

Update the customer’s payment destination manually in Customer First.

• Key ‘PA’ in Nxt: field. The Payment Destination Summary (PAS) screen will show if the customer has received, at any time, different payments (for example JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Disability Support Pension (DSP), etc.) from Centrelink. If customer has only ever received one payment the appropriate payment destination screen will show. ‘S’elect the pension payment from the PAS screen and the appropriate payment destination screen will show on the Payment Destination Details (PAD) screen
• The following fields must be blank (remove any pre-existing entries):
• Direct Credit...........FI Code:
• Account Number:
• Account Title:
• Direct Credit Exemption Reason:
• Complete the Schedule........Group Home Code: field with the Group Payments code (a 3 character code)
• Ensure that the partner’s payment destination is not updated, unless the partner has also requested to have their payment destination changed via a separate SS270 form
• Complete the Source: and DOR: fields, and press [Enter]

A warning message will show ‘W021-I – Check that payment delivery day code is D on the RAD screen’. Updating the customer’s payment destination to a group home code will usually change the customer’s EPED to B and delivery day code (DDC) to D. The Entitlement Delivery (RAD) screen must be checked to make sure these have changed. If not changed, update the EPED to B. For more details see Changing Entitlement Period End Dates (EPED).

Check the Payment Summary (PS) screen to ensure the group payment code is showing in the Sent to column. If it is not showing, check the RAD screen has updated to EPED B and DDC D. Manually update if not. There may be a delay in the updates appearing on the customer’s record. Clear the customer’s record and flick (FL) back into the record by keying FL in the Next: field. Go to the PS screen and if the group payment code is still not showing, a system issue may have occurred. Raise a mySupport request. See Resources page for a link.

Code a Display on Access (DOA) DOC to ensure all Service Officers are aware of the Group Payment arrangement in place. Include a warning not to move the record (and linked records if applicable) from this environment due to the Group Payment Schedule arrangement.

Recommended DOC text:

Extra Details: Group Payment Arrangement

SS270 form received requesting to update customer’s payment destination to deliver to (organisation name) by group payment schedule.

Actions taken:

• SS270 has been checked and is correctly completed, signed by organisation and customer OR authorised third party <insert the authorised third party name if applicable>
• Checked customer’s address from the information on SS270. Address update required/completed <yes or no>
• Confirmed customer is not on weekly payments
• Checked RAD screen and ensured:
• entitlement period end date code is B
• delivery date code is D
• Updates have been made to payment destination on PAS
• Checked CUS pension now delivering by Group Payment Code: <insert group payment code> on PS screen

Complete the SS270 digital work item from the Activity List (AL) screen.

Procedure ends here.

Only Service Officers with the appropriate ISP access have the ability to update a change to a Group Payment Organisation’s record or details, including:

• Change of name or ownership for an organisation
• Change of group payment bank account details or other bank account details where a nominee is linked to more than one customer
• Change to an organisation’s contact details

If a Group Payment organisation contacts the agency to update their details, record a Fast Note referral from the organisations record. Use Fast Note – select Auto text, use Third Party Organisation > Update > Nominee/Group Payment – Update Details. Fill in the template with sufficient detail to enable the update to be completed, including if the SS270 needs to be processed. See Nominee organisations for more details.

Check that the organisation is approved for this service:

• The Resources page contains a link to a listing of organisations approved for this service. Use the organisation’s 3 character Group Payment code to locate the organisation name and Customer Reference Number (CRN) on the listing
• If the organisation is not listed, go to Step 3
• If the organisation requires a copy of the Group payment schedule, the schedules can be reprinted from the History Summary (HS) screen up to 62 days after the date of payment
• Enter the organisation’s CRN (with stakeholder code and service reason TPP – Third Party Payment)

In the organisation’s record:

• ensure that the record has a stakeholder code and service reason ‘TPP’
• reissue the letter from the HS screen
• record details on a DOC
• if the organisation has enquires about their group payment schedule, go to Step 4

Procedure ends here.

If an organisation has not received their group schedule, the Service Officer who received the call or email is to report the issue to mySupport. The Resources page contains a link to mySupport. The request must contain:

• the brief description ‘Group payment schedule not received’
• the organisation’s name, address, and group schedule code (this is a 3 character code)

In urgent cases/emergencies, an organisation can contact National Business Gateway (NBG) by phone. Service Officers are permitted to give the contact phone number for NBG to organisations.

The issue will be investigated, and the organisation will be contacted.

If the organisation is interested in receiving their payment schedule online or has another question, go to Step 4.

Otherwise, procedure ends here.

Where an organisation:

• has questions about information contained in their Group Payment schedule, the Service Officer should attempt to answer the query
• has an issue with their online account or viewing their schedule, tell the organisation to contact the National Business Gateway by phone for further investigation and action
• currently receives their Group Payment schedules via mail and would like to register to access the schedules online, tell them to contact the National Business Gateway by phone to request this action
• wants to receive customers payment by Group Payment, see Organisation wants to become a Group Payment organisation