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Income stream indexation review 110-02060030



This document outlines details about the annual indexation review letters.

On this page:

Locating Income stream indexation reviews

Actioning Income stream indexation review

Locating Income stream indexation reviews

Table 1

Step

Action

1

Annual review letters + Read more ...

Annual review letters are issued automatically:

  • on the indexation date recorded on the Pension/Annuities Details Variable (SUPV) screen for non-defined benefit income streams, and
  • if the Indexation Method has a value of either 'SAL', 'CPI' or 'OTH'

The review activity (Super index form review) appears on the Future Activity List (FAL) screen and the review reason is 'SNI'.

Note: non-defined benefit income streams include lifetime, lifetime pooled, life expectancy and term income streams.

If the Indexation Method is 'FIX', Service Officers must not update the gross income amount. The system will automatically increase the gross income amount by the indexation percentage on the indexation date.

Review letters along with the schedule are issued automatically on the indexation date held in the system for defined benefit and military invalidity pension income streams.

All returned reviews are scanned onto the customer's record, for processing.

  • Payment is suspended FSS (No reply to income stream review), or FRC (Fail to reply to correspondence) for payments in the NSS system, check suspension DOC, go to Step 2
  • Review letter has been returned for an income stream other than defined benefit, go to Step 3
  • Customer contacts regarding the review letter, go to Step 4
  • Processing Team: Typically done by specialised processing teams in a service centre or Smart Centre. Unless otherwise stated, staff may complete this step if they are trained. Income stream schedule has been returned for defined benefit or military invalidity pension income stream, see Table 2, Step 3

2

Payment has been suspended + Read more ...

28 days after the initial review letter has been sent to a customer a reminder letter will be issued where there has been no update or reply.

The customer's payment will be automatically suspended after 28 days from the date of issue of the reminder letter if there has been no update or reply to the reminder.

Note: payments may be manually suspended FRC (Fail to reply to correspondence) if they have not responded to the review or the reminder letter. See Cancellation, suspension and rejection reason codes for Newstart System (NSS).

If the customer is contacting to:

  • Provide the details, restore the payment via the Benefit Action (BA) screen and update the relevant income streams within the same activity. See Table 2, Step 1
  • Provide the details for a defined benefit or military invalidity pension income stream, inform customer they have to return the income stream schedule completed by their provider in the reply paid envelope
  • Advise they previously provided the details, but it has not been actioned, restore the payment via the BA screen. Go to Step 6

Do not cancel the 'CAN'cellation review off the FAL screen. When the 'CAN'cellation review matures, the system will check if the customer's payment is current. If current, the review will automatically cancel.

3

Non-defined benefit income stream + Read more ...

Processing Team: Typically done by specialised processing teams in a service centre or Smart Centre. Unless otherwise stated, staff may complete this step if they are trained.

Has the customer given full details needed for a non-defined benefit income stream?

  • Yes, see Table 2, Step 1
  • No, contact the customer to obtain the full details.
    • If the customer is unable to provide the full details, create a review for the return of the requested details within 14 days. Record details of the customer contact on a DOC. Procedure ends here
    • If customer is able to provide details verbally, see Table 2, Step 1

4

Customer contacts regarding the review letter + Read more ...

If the customer:

  • Wishes to provide details verbally, go to Step 5. Note: details can be accepted verbally over the phone only for a non-defined benefit income stream
  • Advise that details are already provided, go to Step 6

5

Customer providing details verbally + Read more ...

Can the customer give full details verbally for the non-defined benefit income stream?

  • Yes, see Table 2, Step 1
  • No, tell the customer to return the review letter to Centrelink. Record details of the customer contact on a DOC. Procedure ends here

6

Customer advises details are already provided + Read more ...

Is it certain that all the required details have been previously supplied and the new gross income and the correct new indexation date have been updated on the SUPV screen and a DOC has been recorded?

  • Yes, select the future activity (SNI) on the FAL screen and finalise the review. Procedure ends here
  • No, see Table 2, Step 1

Actioning Income stream indexation review

Table 2

Step

Action

1

Check if review activity has been actioned + Read more ...

  • If the review activity is not already on the Activity List (AL) screen, select the correct income stream review (SNI) from the FAL screen. This will transfer it to the AL screen.
    Note: for Manual Follow-up (MFU) action and if the form has been scanned at the Records Management Unit (RMU), the review activity will be on the AL screen
  • If the form was scanned, view the scanned image
  • Run the Income Stream Review workflow to process the details
    If the workflow is unavailable, select the activity on the AL screen
    The Pension/Annuities Summary (SUPS) screen will display
  • Select the appropriate line and the Pension/Annuities Identification (SUPI) screen will display. Check correct product selected

2

Processing non-defined benefit income stream + Read more ...

Note: if the product is jointly owned, remember to halve the gross income.

To update the non-defined benefit income stream, go to the SUPV screen and update the changed details. The fields that need updating are:

  • Event date: field - use the date the customer provided the requested details
  • Gross Income: field - the new gross income amount
  • Income Frequency: field - the frequency of the payment (if changed)
  • Next Indexation Date: field - for CPI indexed income streams:
    • This is usually the anniversary of the purchase date. It is not 1 year from the Event Date (date of receipt of requested information) or the date when the income is updated
    • Input the date as included in the schedule. Note: if the income stream is from a SMSF or SAF and the indexation date reported is 1 July, it can be accepted
    • If this date is blank in the schedule, input the next anniversary of the purchase date
      The annual reviews and updates will now generate correctly
      If an error generates stating that the ‘next indexation date cannot be more than a year in the future’, leave the indexation fields blank. Add a new page with today’s date and replicate the latest data
      Code the indexation details on this most recent page
  • Source: DOR: and Action: fields
  • Press [Enter]
  • Check the SUPS screen displays the updated income stream details
  • Complete the activity on the Assessment Results (AR) screen
  • Record details on a DOC

Note: if there is more than one income stream product, repeat this step for each of them. Where there are already later event dates, review those dates to determine if any new details (for example, the gross income), should also be coded for any later Date of Event (for example, as part of the same financial year) and amend as required.

3

Income product type + Read more ...

Is the income stream product type OTD?

4

Cancelling the income stream + Read more ...

Cancel the income stream using cancellation reason 'OTH' (Other).

Re-code the income stream using the correct product type and provider name. For help with coding the income stream, see Adding or updating a defined benefit or military invalidity pension income stream.

5

Processing defined benefit or military invalidity pension income stream + Read more ...

Run the Income Stream Review workflow to process the details. If the workflow is unavailable, manually update the income stream.

To update the defined benefit or military invalidity pension income stream, go to the SUPV screen and update the changed details. The fields that need updating are:

  • Event date: - use the date of the customer provides the requested details
  • Gross Income: - the new fortnightly gross income amount. The gross income amount must include any additional income amount a customer or their partner gets for their child
  • Super Child Amount: - the amount of additional superannuation payments received for children. The system will reduce this amount from the gross income amount when determining the assessable income for the customer
  • TFC New Method: - code the tax free component as stated on the schedule
    Note: if this field has a value and the Inc Ded Amt Calc Method: field is 'I' or 'S', then the deductible amount will also need to be changed when changing the gross income amount as a result of the indexation
  • Source: DOR: and Action: fields
  • Press [Enter]
  • Check the SUPS screen displays the updated income stream details
  • Complete the activity on the AR screen
  • Record details on a DOC