Immunisation reviews and reminders for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) 007-13010060

Immunisation requirements apply to the assessment of Family Tax Benefit:

• From 1 July 2012 to 30 June 2018, immunisation requirements are linked to eligibility for the Family Tax Benefit Part A supplement
• From 1 July 2018 onwards, immunisation requirements apply to the assessment of a customer’s rate of FTB Part A

A number of automatic immunisation reviews and reminders are in place so that customers with children that do not meet immunisation requirements are given the opportunity to take action before their payment is impacted.

A child's immunisation status is provided by the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) using a link with the child's record. The link is initiated using the child's Medicare details (card number and individual reference number) which is provided by the customer when they claim FTB. If the child is not eligible for Medicare enrolment, a name only match can be used to attempt to establish a link with the AIR.

Customers are not required to provide evidence of their child's immunisation status. The child's vaccination provider will update the AIR when the child receives a vaccination or if a medical exemption has been approved.

Customers can view the information held on the AIR for a child on their Immunisation history statement. If the AIR needs to be updated, customers must contact their vaccination provider who can update the AIR. If a child has received vaccinations overseas customers will need to take evidence to an Australian vaccination provider who can update the AIR.

The Child Immunisation Summary Guided Procedure will show whether a child's record is linked with the AIR. See Establish a Family Tax Benefit (FTB) link for a child between Centrelink and the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) for more information.

From 1 July 2018, customers who claim FTB as fortnightly instalments (including those current on zero rate, or that have chosen to receive all or part of their FTB at reconciliation), will have 63 days to take the necessary action if a child does not meet immunisation requirements. This 63 day period is referred to as the FTB immunisation grace period. If at the end of the grace period the child still does not meet immunisation requirements, then an FTB Part A rate reduction will be applied.

The customer will receive a letter at the beginning of the FTB grace period outlining what they need to do and by when. A reminder letter is sent 35 days later if the child still does not meet immunisation requirements.

If an FTB Part A rate reduction is applied to the rate of FTB Part A for a child, information will be included on the FTB rate assessment notice.

FTB immunisation grace periods do not apply when FTB is claimed for a past period, including lump sum claims. If a child does not meet the immunisation requirements at the time that their lump sum claim is assessed, the rate of FTB for that child will be reduced for the entire lump sum period.

For a past period assessed within an instalment claim, FTB will be paid at the reduced rate for any child not meeting immunisation requirements at the time of claim assessment. Additionally, a 63 day immunisation grace period will commence from the date that the instalment claim is assessed.

There are a number of reminders about FTB immunisation requirements that may be presented on the Customer Issues page.

An Immunisation Requirements task will appear in My Profile on the customer’s Express Plus Centrelink mobile app or Customer Online Account if the child is not linked with the AIR or if the child does not meet the immunisation requirements. Customers can use the task to update the child's Medicare details, or to view reminder text about the immunisation requirements.

Customers can apply for a formal review of a decision to:

• apply a reduction to the rate of FTB Part A (from 1 July 2018), or
• to exclude the FTB Part A supplement from their reconciliation (financial years prior to 2018-19) due to a failure to meet the immunisation requirements

The customer may be asked to provide additional information for consideration. Note: reviews should not be recorded due to the customer being placed into an FTB immunisation grace period as a decision about their payment has not yet been made.

For financial years 2012-13 to 2017-18, reminder letters were sent in May each year to FTB customers with children who did not meet the immunisation requirements at the time that the reminder was issued. The purpose of the letter was to remind customers of the immunisation requirements and that action is required to receive the FTB Part A supplement at reconciliation. Depending on the customer's circumstances they may need to provide the child's Medicare details (to establish a link with the AIR and obtain the child's immunisation status) or have their child immunised.

Customers will also receive information about immunisation requirements and the FTB Part A supplement in their FTB grant and reconciliation letters. When the FTB Part A supplement is excluded from reconciliation, the reconciliation letter will advise the customer why the supplement has not been paid for that child.

Customers will not be notified of immunisation requirements after the end of the allowable timeframe, when it is too late to comply and the supplement would continue to be excluded regardless of immunisation status.