Age Pension customer going overseas 065-03070000

Run the Portability Script - Departures and Returns. Always use the script when available. The script can also be used when the customer is just querying what the outcome would be if they went overseas.

While conducting the portability interview, determine if the customer must contact when they have returned to Australia.

The customer may contact after using the online Travelling outside of Australia service. If the online service has already coded the absence, details are recorded on a DOC. The online service may refer the customer to contact to have their absence coded, or explore further portability for their situation.

Is the script working?

• Yes, see Coding departures and returns for customers leaving Australia. Procedure ends here
• No, and the interview:
• cannot be delayed, go to Step 2
• can be delayed, book an appointment to be completed by the customer's local service centre. Make sure customer contact details are correct. Record details on a DOC. Procedure ends here

Ask the customer:

• the date of departure
• the date they expect to return to Australia, and
• the country they are travelling to

Once this information is obtained, check:

• for former resident details previously recorded on the Residence Savings (RSS) screen
• the original date of grant of the pension on the Pensions General Information (PNGI) screen. If within the last 2 years, check the date of last arrival into Australia for residence on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen
• if customer has transferred to or from an international agreement in the last 2 years on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen
• absences on the Immigration Advised Movements (RSIM) screen. If the customer has had lengthy and/or frequent absences, the CRES screen may have to be amended

Does the customer meet all of the following:

• previously resided in Australia
• left Australia at some point to reside in another country
• returned to reside in Australia, and
• were granted or transferred to their current pension within 2 years of the return to Australia

Note: this rule does not apply to some DSP customers who transferred to Age Pension if DSP was indefinitely portable. It also does not apply if the customer is travelling for treatment under the Medical Treatment Overseas Program (MTOP).

For more information, see Former resident provisions.

After checking all the above, is the customer a former resident?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 3

If a customer qualifies for Age Pension because they have a refugee or former refugee qualifying residence exemption, their payment will stop on departure if they are leaving to live in another country, unless:

• they are travelling to an agreement country and
• they qualify for a transfer to payment under the agreement, or
• they now have 10 year Australian residence and no longer need the exemption

Go to the RSS screen, is the Family Member/Refugee Qualification indicator ‘FME?

• Yes the customer was granted Age Pension with a qualifying residence exemption go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 6

Go to the CRES screen

• Check the date the customer started living in Australia. If the customer
• has been living in Australia for 10 years they have met the qualifying residence period for Age Pension and are no longer paid under QRE conditions. go to Step 6
• is still serving the 10 year qualifying residence period, go to Step 5

The customer:

• is subject to former resident rules, or
• qualifies for Age Pension due to a qualifying residence exemption and is leaving Australia to live in another country

Payment is not portable, unless they are travelling to an agreement country and qualify for a transfer to payment under an agreement. For a list of agreement countries, see Contents in International Social Security Agreements.

Is the customer going to an agreement country?

• Yes, and the Service Officer is
• in Centrelink International Services (CIS), go to Step 7 in Table 2
• not in CIS, transfer the call to CIS. Procedure ends here
• No, the customer is not entitled to payment overseas, go to Step 4 in Table 3

Review the customer’s circumstances for the following criteria:

• going overseas for more than 26 weeks
• paid under an international agreement (check if the Agreement Country field on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen contains a value)
• saved under the pre 20 September 2000 portability rules (check the Pensions Savings Provisions and Entitlement (PSVI) screen)
• saved under the pre 1 July 2014 AWLR rules (check the RSS screen)

Do any of the above apply to the customer?

• Yes, and the Service Officer
• is in CIS, go to Step 1 in Table 2
• is not in CIS, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 1 in Table 3

• Tell the customer CIS will do the portability interview
• Transfer the call to CIS immediately
• If the customer does not have time to be transferred immediately to CIS:
• give the customer the CIS contact details for customers
• tell them to call at a time and date suitable to them, before their departure
• Record actions on a completed DOC
• Procedure ends here

• Yes, consider specific rules for all agreement-affected portability:
• for the portability rules, see Portability of payments paid under International Agreements
• advise the customer of the rules affecting their payment
• go to Step 6
• No, and the customer is going to
• New Zealand, they will be paid according to the New Zealand Agreement, go to Step 2
• another country, go to Step 3

A special ‘in NZ’ proportional rate applies to both autonomous and agreement customers, see New Zealand Agreement and foreign pension information

Make sure current and historical residence is coded on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen. The Working Age Residence (WAR) and correct rate will be automatically calculated.

If travelling to New Zealand the Long Term Country Code: field on the Residence Savings (RSS) screen will determine which rate (direct deduction or proportional) should apply.

• If CRES and Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screen details align, the Long Term Country Code: on the Residence Savings (RSS) screen will auto populate by the system to force the correct New Zealand rate calculation method to apply
• If CRES and RSCD do not align, the system will leave the Long Term Country Code: field unchanged, generating a PGR review, which will update it at maturation

Note: where a customer’s departure to New Zealand is temporary in nature but exceeds 12 months in duration regard the customer as being present long-term in New Zealand but the CRES and RSCD will not align. To ensure the correct rate is paid, the Long Term Country Code field will need to be updated manually.

Is the customer departing temporarily for New Zealand and the intended length of absence exceeds 12 months?

• Yes:
• update the Long Term Country Code field on RSS to ‘NZ’
• go to Step 3 Table 3
• No, go to Step 3 Table 3

Check the Pensions Savings Provisions and Entitlement (PSVI) screen.

If the 20 Sept 2000 Portability Savings Ind field contains a 'Y', the customer is saved under the pre 20 September 2000 portability rules.

Does the 20 Sept 2000 Portability Savings Ind field contain a ‘Y’?

• Yes, pension may not be proportional. Go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 6

the pre 20 September 2000 portability rules

Review the customer’s circumstances for the following criteria:

• granted before 2 July 1986
• resident in Australia on 8 May 1985 and going to a non-agreement country
• going to an agreement country and has not been an Australian resident since 31 December 1995

Do any of the above apply to the customer?

• Yes, the customer is saved from proportional portability and will be paid their regular basic rate of payment overseas. Go to Step 6
• No, the customer is not saved from proportional portability, however other historical rules apply go to Step 5

Under the 20 September 2000 savings provisions the rate of pension will be proportional after the customer has been absent from Australia for 12 months.

The rate of pension payable is based on the customer's own working life residence (WLR) unless they have more than the maximum WLR. Note: if the current or former partner (including deceased partner) is/was also in receipt of Age Pension or DSP at the same time the customer was receiving Age Pension or DSP, and is also saved under the 1 July 2014 AWLR provisions, the customer's rate will be based on the partner's WLR if this is higher than their own.

If the customer's rate of pension is or will be affected by their or their partner's WLR or WAR, residence details must be recorded.

Check the Australian Working Life Residence (AWLR) screen for the AWLR that is being used for the customer’s overseas rate calculation. Make sure that this figure is correct based on whether the customer is being paid based on their own or their partner’s AWLR.

If there is no AWLR on the record, code the customer's, and if applicable, current partner's residence on each of their Country of Residence (CRES) screens. The WLR will be automatically calculated and default to the AWLR screen. If paying the customer based on a former or deceased partner's WLR, calculate the WLR manually and code on the Additional Residence Details (ARD) screen.

For more detail on how to work out the working life/age residence and proportional rates, see:

• Working Life Residence (WLR)
• Australian pensions paid outside Australia, the proportional rate

Go to Step 6

Note: this includes customers who are outside Australia long term and only returning briefly.

Discuss the option for the customer to have their payments made into an overseas bank account. Ensure the customer is aware that if payment is made overseas, their regular payment will be made every 4 weeks. See Delivery of payments to Centrelink customers outside Australia.

Does the customer want payments made into an overseas account?

• Yes, make sure:
• the customer is sent the relevant letter and form, see Delivery of payments to Centrelink customers outside Australia
• the customer's record is transferred to Environment I. See Customer is going overseas long term – entitlement check and record transfer
• Go to Step 2 in Table 3
• No, go to Step 2 in Table 3

Is the customer entitled to payment after departure under an international agreement?

Note: the customer does not have to lodge a claim to transfer to an agreement payment from an autonomous pension of the same type; however, they do have to satisfy the lodgement provisions of the relevant agreement.

For help, see Transfers to international social security agreements.

• Yes, determine the customer's WLR (Working Age Residence (WAR) if New Zealand). Advise the customer payment will continue but will be paid at the rate calculated under the agreement immediately on departure. See Step 2 in Table 3
• No, record a DOC detailing the reason why the customer is not entitled to payment under an agreement. Advise the customer of the reason they cannot transfer to an agreement payment and they will be paid overseas. See Step 5 in Table 3

The rate of pension will be proportional after the customer has been absent from Australia for 26 weeks. The rate of pension payable will be based on the customer's own Working Life Residence (WLR). The maximum rate of pension will be payable if the customer has more than the maximum WLR.

The system will calculate the WLR automatically on the Australian Working Life Residence (AWLR) screen.

For more detail on how to work out the WLR and proportional rates, see Working Life Residence (WLR).

If the customer is leaving Australia to live in another country, record the change on the Country of Residence (CRES) screen.

Additional add-on payments may be payable, but each of these has their own eligibility and payability requirements that must be assessed before payment.

New rate including Pension Supplement

Add-ons and income supplements are not payable if the customer is:

• leaving Australia to live in another country, or
• saved under the pre 20 September 2000 portability rules

Add-ons and supplements will only continue to be paid if the customer continues to retain qualification. For example, a person must continue to pay rent to receive Rent Assistance (RA). For detailed information, see Portability of add-ons.

Once a temporary absence exceeds 6 weeks, only the Pension Supplement Basic Amount is payable, if the customer retains qualification for their primary income support payment.

Transitional rate

The transitional pension rate inside Australia will continue for 6 weeks from departure if the customer is leaving temporarily. After 6 weeks, or if the customer has left Australia to live in another country, the rate will decrease to the transitional pension rate outside Australia and any other add-ons or income supplements will cease. The transitional pension rate outside Australia will also be paid to customers saved under the pre 20 September 2000 portability rules.

Coding the departure correctly will cause these payments to cease if portability rules stop payment. If entitlement ceases because of loss of qualification (for example, ceases to pay rent), code the loss of qualification to stop payment.

Add-on payments may be portable for a customer paid under an international agreement depending on the terms of the relevant agreement.

Changes to income or assets are common, as a customer may have withdrawn money from accounts or investments to finance their trip. Note: while asking if a customer has had any income or asset changes is acceptable, do not ask how they have financed their trip, as this is a breach of privacy.

If the customer is going overseas long term and owns their own home, it is very important to follow up the asset value of the home and any income (for example, rental income) which may be received.

The home property in Australia or money from the sale of the home is considered an asset immediately if the customer:

• has permanently left the property and has not sold the home
• has sold the home but has no intention to purchase another, or
• owns a home overseas which has become their principal home

If the circumstances above are not applicable, the property or proceeds from the sale may be exempt assets for at least 12 months. See Temporary vacation of principal home.

Note: if the property is sold, the asset value may be exempt for up to 2 years but income is deemed from the date it is received (generally the date of settlement).

If the asset value of the home will affect payment, particularly if it will stop payment, ensure the customer is aware when this will occur. See:

• Temporary vacation of principal home
• Permanent vacation of principal home

Check if the customer is renting the property and if so, obtain details of the rental amount, mortgage owed, etc. Select the relevant Consequential Action in the Portability Script to code a Vacation of Home Property (VHP) review and issue a Questionnaire regarding property overseas or inside Australia (XOB140). This will obtain all relevant information and the authority to inspect for a valuation if required. See Coding departures and returns for customers leaving Australia.

Update income and asset details where applicable.

Tell the customer of any effects on their rate of payment or any possible future impact.

Record details on a DOC.

Explain the decision to the customer:

• if applicable, ensure the customer is aware their income support payment may stop or reduce on departure or after 26 weeks absence from Australia (12 months absence if the customer is saved under the pre 20 September 2000 portability rules)
• any Pension Supplement received will reduce to the basic amount after 6 weeks. For more information, see Pension Supplement overseas absences
• a transitional customer's rate will reduce to the transitional pension rate outside Australia after 6 weeks. Note: if a person remains outside Australia after their payment has ceased to be portable, their payment can be restored if they return to Australia within 13 weeks of their payment ceasing. However, if the person is receiving a transitional rate of pension they will lose entitlement to this rate and will be paid under current rules
• if the customer is being paid Rent Assistance (RA) check if they will stop paying rent on their departure
• ensure all customers understand before their departure if they have to contact when they have returned to Australia
• advise them of the requirements for continuation of payment on their return to Australia
• ask the customer if they would like to nominate an agent to act on their behalf while they are overseas and, if so, record the details on a DOC

Check if the customer has employment income or is a stimulus customer

Ask if the customer has employment income or is a 2WE/variable lodgement reporter. If they are, see the processing instructions in Recording and correcting employment income details.

Finalise interview

Record details of the decision on a DOC including the dates of departure, contact details, WLR details and the decision made regarding payment:

• give the customer the contact details for CIS so they can contact Services Australia while overseas, see Centrelink International Services (CIS) – contact details for customers
• if the customer requests a letter about the portability decision, record a review to issue the letter using the Portability Script - Departures and Returns when it becomes available, as it cannot generate manually. If it is an agreement portability case, the CIS Service Officer should issue an XOB999 letter with appropriate paragraphs

Update the:

• CRES screen if the customer is leaving Australia to live in another country
• address on the Address Details (AD) screen if the customer has provided new address details. Note: it is not mandatory for the customer to provide an address outside Australia
• overseas telephone number (if available)
• new Centrelink service centre on the Office Code (OC) screen, especially if CIS continues payment

Update the Customer Advised Travel Details (RSCD) screen.

Go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen:

• do not suppress the auto advice
• check the results and make sure all the correct action has occurred
• finalise the activity