SMS messages for debt recovery 107-23071302

During Centrelink debt recovery processes, there are 3 types of SMS messages sent to customers.

• Confirmation messages – confirming to a customer that an action has been completed
• Service offer messages – help customers be aware of services that are available to help them manage repayments
• Nudge messages – remind customers what actions they should be taking and why

As most of these messages encourage customers to take action to repay the money they owe, customers with certain vulnerabilities will not receive the messages. See the Resources page for eligibility criteria.

Services Australia uses several systems to issue SMS messages including desktop messaging, DMIS and SAP. Some messages are affected by multiple systems. Depending on the SMS and archiving rules, you can view SMS messages on:

• Outbound Correspondence
• Correspondence History
• History Summary (HS) screen

For further information on viewing correspondence, see Viewing or reissuing a letter or electronic message.

Debt Recovery nudge messages are typically restricted to one per day. When a customer is eligible for more than one of the following DMIS SMS messages on the same day, the following hierarchy is applied to determine which message is sent:

1. Immediate SMS Debt Refresh – Pause applied
2. Declined payment SMS
3. Overdue payment SMS
4. Recovery Restarted SMS
5. Debt Overdue SMS
6. Recovery will Restart SMS
7. Withholdings will Restart SMS
8. Withholdings will Restart SMS (Auto Setup)
9. Debt due Soon SMS

Based on the above hierarchy, a Recovery Restarted SMS message would send instead of Debt Overdue, if both were eligible on the same day.

There must be one full day between any two DMIS SMS messages. The eligibility rules for each SMS message may also include other restrictions around timing, such as whether a similar message was sent in the last 7 days.

See the Resources page for more eligibility rules.