General debt raising information 107-04010000

Table 1: This table describes how staff who need to action any debt activity, require the CRR Security Role to be added to their user profile. Request for CRR security access, must be completed by the Team Leader following the steps below.

Customers no longer receive a Payment Summary at the end of each financial year. Payment summary information is reported automatically to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

See Electronic transfer of Payment Summary details to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Customers can view or obtain a copy of their Centrelink Payment Summaries using self service channels:

• Request a document option online
• Express Plus applications
• self-service terminals at service centres
• via the IVR

Services Australia (the agency) and the ATO have agreed that the agency must adjust a customer tax record for debts.

This is due to the agency reporting on what the customer received in a financial year. For tax purposes, it is as if the amount of this debt was never received by the customer. The amount of the debt is deducted from the customer's tax record:

• for the relevant financial year, and/or
• an amended Payment Summary will be issued to the customer for any past financial year(s) affected by the debt

This happens automatically if:

• the period is within 5 years
• a repayment plan is in place, and
• the first repayment is received

When the agency waives a debt, the amount should still appear on the payment summary, as the customer received the money. The agency is waiving their right to recover this amount.

The OPCA screen correctly populates for a Centrelink system-based calculation. The dates used are based on the entitlements that have been paid in each given financial year.

Table 2: This table shows a customer who has a debt of Basic rate, Rent Assistance and Clean Energy Supplement calculated for 10 June 2018 to 16 July 2018. The customer was paid their fortnightly entitlement on the 20 June 2018, 4 July 2018 and 18 July 2018.

A customer has a debt of Basic rate, Rent Assistance and Clean Energy Supplement calculated for 20 May 2018 to 22 September 2018.

Table 3: This table displays how OPCA populates for a Centrelink based calculation. The system will allow the debt to be actioned with OPCA coded this way; however, this will create a Tax MFU, due to the end date for the final entitlement period in the 2018 financial year being 30 June, but the customer is paid on 2 July 2018.

Do not code an adjustment to OPCA for the period 17 June 2018 to 22 September 2018, as this spans 2 financial years and the system will reject these dates. The payment paid on 2 July 2018 falls into the following financial year and will require adjustment as per Table 4.

Table 4: This table provides the solution by adding the EPED for the 30 June as a separate line, as indicated below.

MultiCal reports the breakdown in the same way as the debt calculations do in Example 1. Obtain adjustments for individual entitlement periods from the debt report.

The OPCA screen must be coded for each actual component the overpayment is for. These are found in ADEX or on the PS screen. The total of the component amounts on the Component Amount (OPCA) screen must equal the total debt amount.

Note: if using the PS screen, investigate the record thoroughly to ensure any arrears payments made or debts raised for the same period are considered.