Residence assessment for customers claiming Age Pension 065-03040010

To satisfy the residence requirements for Age Pension, the customer must:

• be an Australian resident
• be in Australia at the time the claim is lodged, and
• have 10 years qualifying Australian residence

Note: there are exceptions to these requirements.

The new claim workflow will present the Immigration Enquiry (RSIMME) screen. Ensure the customer's country of birth and any travel documents are recorded. The system will automatically link to the Department of Home Affairs database through Immigration Datalink and update the customer's residence and movement information. If more information is required, see Activating the Department of Home Affairs datalink and contingency procedures if datalink is unavailable.

Check the:

• Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen to verify the customer was in Australia at the time the claim was lodged
• Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen for citizenship and/or visa details and New Zealand residence status (if applicable)
• RSIM screen and 'Countries lived' information provided in the claim. Identify if the customer has recently returned to Australia after a period of time they may have been living overseas. If so, a residence decision is required. See Assessing if a customer is an Australian resident
• Country of Residence (CRES) screen to ensure the period/s they have been residing in Australia is/are recorded
• Periods of Australian Residence (RSPAR) screen to confirm the customer has 10 years qualifying Australian residence. Note: this screen may incorrectly display an additional year of Australian historical residence when a person has acquired Australian citizenship. Cross-check the calculation on this screen with the date of grant of Australian citizenship to make sure it is correct. If an extra year is calculating and this impacts payment qualification, escalate to the CIS Helpdesk for correction.

If the customer is:

• in Australia as:
• an Australian resident, go to Step 8
• a non-resident (for example, a non-protected Special Category visa (SCV) holder or temporary visa holder), go to Step 5
• not in Australia, go to Step 3

The customer can only lodge a legal claim for Age Pension while they are outside Australia if they:

• are eligible using an international agreement, or
• meet an exception to the lodgement inside Australia rule

Does the customer meet an exception to the lodgement inside Australia rule?

• Yes, and they
• are an Australian resident go to Step 8
• are not an Australian resident (for example, a non-protected SCV or temporary visa holder) go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 4

See International Social Security Agreements.

Is the customer in an agreement country?

• Yes, see Step 10 in Table 2
• No:
• tell the customer they can lodge a claim if they return to Australia in the future, noting that they may be affected by Former resident provisions
• continue to assess the claim. The claim will reject for a residence related reason
• procedure ends here

Only New Zealand citizens can be the holder of an SCV. The RSLEG screen will indicate whether someone is a protected (GRF or TRA) or non-protected (NOT) SCV holder.

For more information on SCVs, see Australian Residence Rules for New Zealand citizens.

Is the customer a non-protected SCV holder?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 7

A non-protected SCV holder may qualify for Age Pension using the social security agreement with New Zealand:

• key the correct citizenship and visa subclass on the Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen
• key the customer's country of residence on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen
• re-categorise the claim as a Centrelink International Services (CIS) new claim work item ZALL_AGE_CISNCL. If the claim activity is in Customer First or Customer Record, add the keyword 'NZ'
• do not refer the claim to CIS using Process Direct referral
• ensure the claim is not on hold so that it can be allocated
• complete any open supporting work items

In addition, a non-protected SCV holder can qualify for parental leave payments, family assistance and concession cards.

Procedure ends here.

Key the customer's:

• correct citizenship and visa subclass on the Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen
• country of residence on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen

Is the customer a resident of an agreement country?

• Yes, see Table 2, Step 10
• No, see Table 2, Step 11

Does the customer have 10 years qualifying Australian residence?

• Yes, the customer is residentially qualified for Age Pension:
• continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone Centrelink International Services (CIS). Procedure ends here
• No, see Table 2, Step 1

A person who is a refugee or former refugee has an automatic Qualifying Residence-Exemption (QRE) from the 10 year qualifying residence requirement.

To determine if the customer is a refugee or former refugee:

• go to the Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screen
• if the customer's current or previous visa subclass was a refugee visa, it should have been automatically recorded via the Immigration Datalink
• the QRE Visa (Refugee) field on the Residence Results Display (RSRD) screen will display with a 'Y'

Refugee visas can be determined using:

• Chapter 9 of the Social Security Guide, or
• Refugee, Humanitarian and Permanent Protection Visa sub-classes

If the customer advises they are or were a refugee and this is not evident on the RSLEG or RSRD screens or from their passport, contact Centrelink International Services (CIS) or refer to CIS via the Immigration Match Questionnaire (IMQ).

Is the customer a refugee or former refugee and is currently residing in Australia? See Table 4 in Assessing if a customer is an Australian resident.

• Yes, the customer does not need to have 10 years qualifying Australian residence
• ensure the visa details are recorded correctly on the RSLEG screen
• continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone CIS
• procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 2

Was the customer receiving Widow B Pension (WidB), Widow Allowance (WA), Mature Age Allowance (MAA) or Partner Allowance (PA) immediately before turning Age Pension age?

• Yes, the customer does not need to have 10 years qualifying Australian residence:
• the system will auto-code an exemption in most cases. Ensure the exemption code 'WID', 'NMA', 'WA' or 'PA', depending on which payment previously received, is recorded in the Residence Test Exemption Code field on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen
• apply the exemption manually if the system has not auto-coded it. Continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone CIS. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 3

Was the customer receiving WidB, WA or PA on 19 March 1997 and had already turned Age Pension age at that date?

• Yes, the customer does not need to have 10 years qualifying Australian residence:
• ensure the exemption code 'WID', 'WA' or 'PA', depending on which payment previously received, is recorded in the Residence Test Exemption Code field on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen
• continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone CIS. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 4

Was the customer receiving WP on 19 March 2020 and was not receiving Carer Allowance at that time?

• Yes, the customer does not need to have 10 years qualifying Australian residence:
• ensure the exemption code 'WP', is recorded in the Residence Test Exemption Code field on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen
• apply the exemption manually if the system has not auto-coded it. Continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone CIS. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 5

Widow Allowance (WA) payments ceased on 1 January 2022. WA customers who did not have 10 years qualifying Australian residence by 1 January 2022 had a residence exemption coded on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen as part of their transfer to Age Pension on that date. See Processing transfers to Age Pension.

Was the customer receiving WA on 31 December 2021 and had already turned Age Pension age at that date?

• Yes, the customer does not need to have 10 years qualifying Australian residence:
• ensure the exemption code 'WA', is recorded in the Residence Test Exemption Code field on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen with Date of Event as 01/01/2022 (do not add an earlier date. It will assess the claim incorrectly)
• apply the exemption manually if the system has not auto-coded it
• Go to the Pensions Assessment (PNA) screen and change the Assessment Date to 01/01/2022. Continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia) phone CIS. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 6

The 10 years qualifying Australian residence is not required if, when a woman became widowed:

• they were an Australian resident
• their late partner was an Australian resident, and
• they had at least 104 weeks continuous Australian residence immediately before lodging their Age Pension claim

Note: temporary absences from Australia do not generally interrupt continuous residence and can be counted as part of the 104 weeks. For further detail about determining if an absence is temporary, see Assessing if a customer is an Australian resident.

Check Australian residence periods on the Australian Historical Residence (RSAHR) screen to ensure customer has 104 weeks continuous Australian residence immediately prior to lodging the claim and that they were an Australian resident at the time of their late partner's death.

Check that the deceased partner was an Australian resident at the time of their death. If the CRN is available on Marital Status (MS) screen, navigate to the deceased partner's record and check the RSAHR screen.

Is there enough information on the record to determine the deceased partner’s Australian residence at the time of death?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 7

If unable to determine the deceased partner's Australian residence status at time of death:

• call customer to obtain details of the deceased partner's full name, date of birth, date commenced to live in Australia and date of death
• if verification of the deceased partner's Australian residence at time of death is still required, contact CIS to verify

In Process Direct

Select > Referral

• Referral type: International Services (CIS)
• Referral reason: Resident Verification Service Request
• Check Payment type is correct
• Select Next
• Referral details displays
• Update the following fields as required:
• Vulnerable or suspended customer
• Call customer required
• Translation required
• Appeal request
• Complete Additional information template - record the following:
• 'For this customer to be eligible for Age Pension widow residence exemption, confirmation required that the deceased partner held Australian legal residence status at the time of death'.
• Deceased PTR's name and any known aliases: [Insert all]
• Passport Details: [Insert all known and country of issue]
• Date commenced to live in Australia: DD/MM/YYYY
• Select Next

Place claim on hold

The agreed timeframe for a response from CIS is 10 days.

If the customer is in hardship, contact CIS to advise that an urgent response is required.

Put the claim on hold for 14 days when it becomes due it will be allocated via WLM.

When a response is received from CIS, go to Step 8.

• Yes, the customer does not need to have 10 years qualifying Australian residence:
• ensure the exemption coding of 'AUW' is recorded in the Residence Test Exemption Code field on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen
• continue to assess their claim. If the claim rejects NIA (Not in Australia), phone CIS. Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 9

Has the customer lived or worked in an agreement country?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, go to Step 11

A customer may use an international agreement to qualify for an Age Pension if they meet any of the following:

• claiming from an agreement country
• not a resident of Australia but residing in an agreement country
• do not have 10 years qualifying Australian residence and have lived or worked in an agreement country

Ensure the agreement country is recorded on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen.

• re-categorise the claim to a Centrelink International Services (CIS) new claim work item
• do not refer the claim to CIS using Process Direct referral
• ensure the claim is not on hold so that it can be allocated
• complete any supporting work items

See Claims for Australian payments under International Agreements.

Procedure ends here.

Tell the customer to re-test their eligibility if their circumstances change in the future, such as they become a widow, their visa status changes, or they attain their 10 years qualifying Australian residence.

Continue to assess the claim. Ensure the correct details are recorded on the Country of Residence (CRES) and Legal Residence Details (RSLEG) screens. The claim will reject for a residence related reason.

The customer may still be entitled to some of the following. Offer to the customer where appropriate:

• Special Benefit (SpB) may be payable to a person with certain temporary visas that qualify customers for some payments even though not an Australian resident. It may also be payable to a person who does not yet have 10 years qualifying Australian residence
• Parental leave payments, family assistance and concession cards such as Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) and Low Income Health Care Card (LIC)
• Child Care Subsidy (CCS) if they meet an exception to the normal residence requirements for CCS. For example, for certain foreign students or customers in hardship
• depending on circumstances, the customer may also have entitlement to some assistance looking for work

See Rejecting a claim for Age Pension.