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Mutual obligation requirements during an Income Maintenance Period (IMP) 001-09020070

This document outlines how a customer's mutual obligation requirements are applied during an Income Maintenance Period (IMP). The IMP encourages self-provision and eliminates differences in the treatment of leave and redundancy payments.

Applying a customer's mutual obligation requirements during an IMP

Step	Action
1	Check for a mutual obligation requirements exemption If the customer has an exemption from their mutual obligation requirements of more than 14 days, the requirements cannot be applied until the end of the exemption. See Mutual obligation requirements exemptions. When exemption has ceased, if the customer is a Centrelink managed job seeker, see Negotiating Centrelink Managed Job Plans. Procedure ends here If customer does not have an exemption of more than 14 days, go to Step 2
2	Determine length of IMP If the IMP is 2 weeks or less and customer is a Centrelink managed job seeker, negotiate a Job Plan. See Applying mutual obligation requirements If the IMP is more than 2 weeks and the job seeker would be on a nil rate of pay due to an IMP, the job seeker is excluded from Service Profiling Service Updates and is not required to agree to a Job Plan at the new claim interview. Note: the system will automatically create an Urgent Issue to negotiate a Job Plan at the end of the waiting period. Service Officers should only negotiate a Job Plan for Centrelink managed job seekers If an IMP job seeker is managed by an Employment Services Provider, the provider will determine the job seeker's mutual obligation requirements and negotiate a Job Plan
3	Explain mutual obligation requirements Applying mutual obligation requirements Mutual obligation requirements for principal carer of a dependent child
4	No mutual obligation requirements during IMP If a job seeker is on nil rate due to an IMP, they do not have to provide evidence of their efforts to satisfy the mutual obligation requirements for that period If a job seeker is receiving JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance, or is the principal carer of a dependent child and has mutual obligation requirements at a reduced rate due to an IMP, they will be required to provide details of their efforts to satisfy their requirements to their Employment Services Provider or Services Australia