Advance payments for Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS) loans 065-22051321

If the customer is calling about:

• eligibility, go to Step 2
• requesting an advance payment, go to Step 3
• withdrawing an advance payment, go to Step 5

Note: this information is available using digital channels. Customers are strongly encouraged to use digital options as the preferred method. If a customer has barriers preventing the use of digital options, offer to help with the advance payment application.

Customers must meet the eligibility criteria to apply for a HEAS advance payment.

Staff can check an existing customer's advance information in:

• Process Direct - Home Equity Access Scheme Advance (HEASADV) screen
• Customer Record/Customer First - Home Equity Access Scheme Summary (PLSS) screen:
• key A in the box to the left-hand side of the Loan Number field
• the HEAS Advance (HEAA) screen now shows

This will show the:

• number of advances taken within the last 12-month period
• maximum amount of Advance Lump Sum a customer is eligible for
• next date the customer is eligible to request an Advance Lump Sum

Is the customer requesting an advance payment?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, procedure ends here

Can the customer apply using the Request advance payment online service?

• Yes: record the contact in a DOC and tell the customer they can:
• proceed with their HEAS advance request online
• track their submitted request through the Home Equity Access Scheme summary page in their Centrelink online account. Procedure ends here.
  Note: if the customer needs help with their HEAS advance request, provide support through Customer Online View
• No, go to Step 4

If a customer cannot use digital channels, they can apply using the SA497.

Staff can help customers get an advance payment estimate. Use Customer Online View to access the loan calculator through the Home Equity Access Scheme Summary page.

Staff can issue an SA497:

• by downloading it from the Services Australia website, or
• in Process Direct. Select:
• Request Documents
• PLS - Home Equity Access Scheme
• SA497 - Variation Form

Details about lodging the HEAS advance request are included in the SA497.

Customer lodges an SA497 at a service centre

Refer the SA497 to the Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS) National team for processing.

Staff must:

• make sure all mandatory questions have been answered
• check all supporting documents are provided
• scan as Open to the customer's record

See Scanning Centrelink documents using an MFD.

Customers can withdraw their request for an advance payment at any time before the request is processed and finalised.

Verbal requests for withdrawal are not accepted if:

• the customer is a member of a couple and their partner has already provided consent to the HEAS advance request, or
• a correspondence nominee submitted the HEAS advance request, if the customer and partner (if applicable) have both already provided consent

If consent has been provided, the withdrawal of the HEAS advance request must be:

• in writing, and
• signed by the customer and partner (if applicable)

Staff can request withdrawal action by the Home Equity Access Scheme National team. Use Fast Note, select Auto text, use Complex Assessment > Request for CAO action > CAO Home Equity Access Scheme.

If the customer has secured their principal home for their HEAS loan, HEAS advance payments are an assessable asset.

For the purposes of the income and asset tests for income support payments, the HEAS advance payment is:

• exempt from the assets test assessment for the first 90 days
• subject to deeming provisions under the income test, and
• assessed as an asset after 90 days

If the customer (or their partner) gets a rate of pension, their rate may be affected

Go to the Home Equity Access Scheme Advance (HEASADV) screen in Process Direct.

Has the customer been granted a HEAS advance payment?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, procedure ends here

To confirm the secured property the customer has their HEAS loan against, go to these screens:

• Home Equity Access Scheme Details (HEAS)
• Real Estate/Business Summary (REBS)

Has the customer secured the HEAS loan against their principal home?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No:
• The HEAS advance payment is not an assessable asset
• Procedure ends here

The system automatically records the HEAS advance payment on the Direct Investments (SVDI) screen as a financial investment, after the HEAS advance payment is granted. This cannot be manually coded onto the SVDI screen by staff.

The coding will show the day after the HEAS advance payment grant is finalised. The advance payment coding on the SVDI screen includes the following details:

• Type: HEA
• Balance: full amount of the advance payment
• Event Date: equal to today's (system) date (date the HEAS advance payment was finalised)
• Assets Test Dedn Amt $ field in Customer First and Loan/Encumbrance Amt $ field in Process Direct: full amount of the HEAS advance payment

To check if the HEAS advance payment has been recorded, go to the Savings Summary (SVS) screen.

Does the HEAS advance payment show as an investment type?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 5

If a HEAS advance payment is not automatically added to the Direct Investments (SVDI) screen, this may be because of a task locking conflict with another system activity.

To check if this has occurred, go to the Trans/Trigger List (TTL) screen in Customer First, and look for the HEASAV trigger:

• If the trigger shows, this confirms the system attempted to record the HEAS advance payment on the SVDI screen, but the update was prevented
• The system continues to attempt to update the HEAS advance payment information on the SVDI screen for 14 days. After this, a Manual Follow Up (MFU) activity automatically creates with keyword HEASAVC

To investigate and fix the conflict, if the MFU with keyword HEASAVC:

• has already been created, the Home Equity Access Scheme National team must manually update the SVDI screen. See Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS) reviews for the how to process the MFU
• has not been created, and the SVDI screen is locked by a started activity, arrange for the activity to be finalised. This will allow the automatic MFU update to proceed overnight

Has the fix resulted in the HEAS advance payment being updated on SVDI screen?

• Yes, procedure ends here
• No: escalate to the Home Equity Access Scheme National team for more investigation:
• Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Complex Assessment > Request for CAO action > CAO Home Equity Access Scheme
• Do not close the Fast Note
• The Home Equity Access Scheme National team will determine if a manual update is required, or if an incident needs to be raised through mySupport

Customers must notify of updates to the balance of their HEAS advance payment to ensure correct assessments under the income and assets tests.

Customers can update their HEAS advance balance by:

• logging into their myGov Centrelink online account:
• They can access the Banking module in the Income and assets summary
• The advance payment will show to the customer as Home Equity Access Scheme advance payment
• contacting Services Australia. If contacted:
• Get the details of the new HEAS advance balance and the date the HEAS advance balance reduced.
  Note: the balance should not be increased on the SVDI screen. If the customer has notified of an increase, escalate to the Home Equity Access Scheme National team
• Select the HEA advance payment on the SVDI screen
• Key the new HEAS advance balance from the applicable Event Date
• Key the Asset Test Dedn Amt $: in Customer First or the Loan/Encumbrance Amt $: in Process Direct to equal the new HEAS advance balance, unless the existing deduction amount is zero. If the existing deduction amount is zero, do not change it
• Record details on a DOC

When HEAS customers contact to update their savings balances, staff must check the HEAS advance payment continues to be correctly recorded.

For example, a HEAS customer may have a $5,000 HEAS advance recorded on the SVDI screen. When the customer contacts, they advise of an increase of $5,000 in their bank account where their pension is paid.

In this example, staff would zero the balance of the HEAS advance payment on the SVDI screen (including updating the loan deduction field where applicable) and update the SVS screen for the customer's pension account.

See the Resources page for more examples.

Once the HEAS advance balance has reached zero, the customer does not need to notify again.

Go to Step 7.

If the HEAS advance balance has not reduced to zero from the HEAS advance grant date + 69 days, a letter automatically issues to the customer.

This is to remind customers the asset test exemption period is about to end.

Advance payments under the HEAS are only exempt from the assets test for the first 90 days after being granted:

• The HEAS advance payment becomes assessable under the assets test on the 91st day after being granted
• The system automatically removes the asset test exemption on the 91st day after the HEAS advance payment was granted. This occurs by setting the Asset Test Dedn Amt $: in Customer First or the Loan/Encumbrance Amt $: in Process Direct to zero on the SVDI screen
• If the HEAS advance balance has reduced to zero, there is no impact to the rate of pension the customer, or their partner, gets. There may be an impact to their pension rate if they have an asset-tested rate. HEAS customers can continue to notify of changes to their HEAS advance at any time

Note: task locking conflicts may occur.

To action an advance change request, there must be an existing loan.

HEAS trained streaming Service Officers must check for an existing HEAS loan in Process Direct:

• Select the HEAS screen
• Search for existing loans

If a loan shows on the HEAS screen and the advance request was submitted:

• in a Home Equity Access Scheme partnered application form (SA310) or Home Equity Access Scheme single application form (SA496):
• The application form can be accepted
• The customer must be contacted to confirm acceptance of the advance request, and to advise the correct advance application process for future requests
• The new application request must be cancelled and the advance request manually coded to prevent a second loan. The question set in the new application can be used for the advance request
• Go to Step 2
• online or in a Home Equity Access Scheme variation form (SA497), go to Step 2

If a loan does not show on the HEAS screen, the customer or nominee must lodge a new application for HEAS to request an advance payment. See Claiming a Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS) loan

If the customer requested a HEAS advance request:

• online, go to Step 3
• in a completed SA497, go to Step 4

For online advance requests, in Process Direct:

• Select the work item
• Select to review the details entered by the customer

Note: customers must answer more questions if it has been more than 13 weeks since they were paid a HEAS fortnightly loan payment, or an advance payment.

If a customer is partnered and the partner has also requested an advance lump sum, code the activities separately.

If the work items have not automatically bundled:

• allocate the partner's work item through Work Optimiser, and
• assess both HEAS advance requests

Go to Step 5.

For SA497 requests:

• Select the Documents tab to confirm that:
• all required consent has been provided if the customer is partnered or the nominee submitted the SA497
• a Home Equity Access Scheme review form (SA498) has been submitted with the SA497, if the customer was required to answer the additional questions
• If the customer and partner (if applicable) have not provided consent for the advance request, staff must:
• Issue a Request for Information (RFI) to request the completion of specific mandatory consent questions
• Make genuine attempts to contact the customer to advise an RFI has been issued
• Create an open Fast Note. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Older Australians > Home Equity Access Scheme > SA497 Advance
• Allocate the started Fast Note work item through Work Optimiser
• Place the work item on hold pending receipt of request information
• Close the SA497 digital work item by marking it as completed
• Reject the request if the requested information has not been returned by the due date

If the customer is partnered and the partner has also requested an advance lump sum, code separate activities.

If the work items have not automatically bundled:

• allocate the partner's work item through Work Optimiser, and
• assess both HEAS advance requests

HEAS trained streaming Service Officers must report if they identify:

• any concerns about a customer's advance payment request, or
• fraud or corruption

For more details, see Report suspected fraud and corruption.

Before processing an advance payment:

• Check for any changes to the payment destination (PAS) screen
• When an update has been made within 30 days, confirm the correct payment details by making genuine attempts to contact the customer before finalising the request:
• Clearly annotate any contact
• If contact is unsuccessful, send a Request to contact letter (Q164), advising the customer to contact Services Australia and confirm their payment destination
• Hold the work item for 14 days

If the customer confirmed their payment destination, go to Step 6.

If the customer has not confirmed their payment destination in an:

• online request:
• Change the status to cancel
• Document the record with the reason the status was changed
• Procedure ends here
• SA497 request:
• Mark the SA497 and SA498 (if required) as completed
• Document the record with the reason it was marked as completed
• Procedure ends here

Customers may advise of other changes to their circumstances within the advance payment request. These can include:

• start, stop or change fortnightly amount, or
• add or change security property, or
• add or change maximum loan amount, or
• add or change nominated amount

If the customer advised a change to their circumstances, provisional data shows on a new line, with the date of effect as the date of request.

To view the Loan Details (HEAS) screen, select:

• Expand
• Edit

Review the customer's circumstances for the following criteria:

• Loan Security Value - if the customer has advised a change to their 'Loan Security Value' since the last formal valuation was done, a new formal valuation may be required
• Maximum Loan Amount (MLA) - if the customer has reached, or the requested HEAS advance loan amount exceeds the existing MLA, an error will show on submission of the claim activity. See Change of circumstances - Home Equity Access Scheme
• Deductions - if the customer has advised the security property has an encumbrance recorded against it, Complex Assessment Officers (CAO) must update the details. This includes any:
• loan
• mortgage
• reverse mortgage
• life interest
• line of credit, or
• other encumbrance

If the customer requested any of the above circumstance changes in an:

• online request:
• Create a Fast Note. Use Fast Note > select Auto Text > use Older Australians > Home Equity Access Scheme > HEAS Advance Approved/Rejected/Escalated
• Document the escalation details and close the Fast Note
• Escalate the request to a CAO for assessment
• Go to keywords screen in Process Direct, select keyword HEASTFR. This will adjust the work item to the correct skill set
• Place the work item on hold for one day
• Unassign the work item using reason code 2nd Contact Required. There is no need to monitor the work item. When it is due, it reallocates automatically based on capability
• Procedure ends here
• SA497:
• Create a Fast Note. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Older Australians > Home Equity Access Scheme > SA497 Advance
• Document the escalation details and leave the Fast Note open
• The Fast Note will escalate the request to a CAO for assessment
• Mark the SA497 and SA498 (if required) as completed

If the customer did not request any of the above circumstance changes, go to Step 7.

Customers must answer additional questions if it has been more than 13 weeks since they were paid:

• a HEAS fortnightly loan payment, or
• an advance payment

If a customer has not received a fortnightly loan payment or a lump sum within the last 13 weeks, the online request or the SA498 will ask the following questions:

• Relationship status - has there been any change to their relationship status since they last recorded their status?
• Property details - confirm or provide the property address used as security against the loan and include the following:
• Do they still have ownership interest in the property?
• What is the estimated current market value of the property?
• Is the property larger than 2 hectares (5 acres)?
• Who are the listed property title holders? What percentage do they own?
• Are there circumstances affecting the value of the property?
• Is the property mortgaged or encumbered?
• Are they or any co-owners of the property bankrupt or subject to a personal insolvency agreement?
• Is the property adequately and appropriately insured?
• Do they intend to take additional loans or mortgages on the property in the future?

If the customer needs to answer additional questions in an:

• online request:
• If required, issue a Request for information (RFI) and advise to complete the additional questions in the SA498
• Make genuine attempts to contact the customer to advise a RFI has been issued
• Create a Fast Note. Use Fast Note > select Auto Text > use Older Australians > Home Equity Access Scheme > HEAS Advance Approved/Rejected/Escalated
• Document the escalation details and close the Fast Note
• Escalate the claim to a CAO for assessment
• Go to keywords screen in Process Direct, select keyword HEASTFR. This will adjust the work item to the correct skill set
• Place the work item on hold for one day if additional questions have been provided or 22 days if an RFI was issued
• Un-assign the work item using reason 2nd Contact Required. There is no requirement to monitor the work item. When it is due, it reallocates automatically based on capability
• Procedure ends here
• SA497 request:
• If required, issue an RFI and advise to complete the additional questions in the SA498
• Make genuine attempts to contact the customer to advise an RFI has been issued
• Create an open Fast Note. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Older Australians > Home Equity Access Scheme > SA497 Advance
• Document the escalation details
• Place the Fast Note on hold for 22 days if an RFI was issued
• The Fast Note will escalate the request to a CAO for assessment
• Mark the SA497 and SA498 (if required) as completed
• Procedure ends here

If the customer does not need to answer additional questions, go to Step 8.

When coding an advance lump sum request, the:

• date of receipt is the date the HEAS National team processes the activity. Advance lump sum requests cannot be backdated
• system automatically records the HEAS advance lump sum on the Direct Investments (SVDI) screen as an exempt direct investment, when the HEAS loan is secured by the customer’s principal residence

On completion of the advance activity:

• the HEAS loan principal balance amount is updated with the advance payment details from the advance payment delivery date
• the SVDI screen coding is updated the day after the HEAS payment is finalised
• a Manual follow up (MFU) is created to send a reminder letter 69 days after delivery of the advance amount, for customers to update their income and assets
• if the customer does not update the information, the advance amount is included in the asset test 90 days after delivery

Customers must meet the eligibility criteria to apply for a HEAS advance loan payment.

Once eligibility is met, the customer may be entitled to a HEAS advance payment if all the following apply:

• the HEAS loan balance is less than the lowest of:
• MLA, or
• the customer's nominated MLA. See the Resources page for an example
• the customer has not already had 2 HEAS advance payments in the past 26 fortnights
• there is an available HEAS advance amount. The most a customer can advance in any 26-fortnight period is 50% of their annual maximum pension rate

Is the customer eligible for a HEAS Advance payment?

• Yes, go to Step 10
• No, reject the claim Advance claim rejected (ARJ). See Table 1 on the HEAS trained streaming Service Officer tab in Processing applications for Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS)

Staff must check that consent has been provided when the:

• customer is partnered
• request is completed by a correspondence nominee

If all required consent has been provided, go to Step 11.

If all required consent has not been provided in an:

• online request:
• In Process Direct, issue an RFI through the Request Documents option
• Place the work item on hold, pending receipt of the requested information
• SA497 request:
• In Process direct, issue an RFI through the Request Documents option
• Create an open Fast Note. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Older Australians > Home Equity Access Scheme > SA497 Advance
• Place the Fast Note on hold, pending receipt of the requested information
• Allocate the started work item through Work Optimiser
• Mark the SA497 and SA498 (if required) as completed

If the requested information has not been returned by the due date and the request is to be rejected, see  Table 1 in the HEAS trained streaming Service Officer tab in Processing applications for Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS).

In Process Direct, select Edit to view or edit the HEASADV screen.

Check the Advance loan amount the customer has requested within the Process Direct slider or SA497 variation form.

Before selecting Assess, check the following are correct:

• Advance Payment Amount - amount the customer has requested
• Maximum Advance Payment Amount - the customer's amount of entitlement

The system automatically calculates the maximum HEAS advance amount available to the customer. The HEAS advance amount keyed must be equal to, or less than this amount.

If the HEAS advance loan amount is requested in an:

• online request, the amount will show as provisional data
• SA497, staff must manually code the HEAS advance amount

Staff must make genuine attempts to contact the customer if they have requested more than the system calculated maximum advance amount. Tell the customer the maximum advance amount they can request.

The customer can:

• request another amount. A new amount cannot be accepted verbally. They must give:
• written consent on an amended SA497, or 
• a written letter of request, hand signed and dated by the customer and partner (if applicable)
• withdraw the request. To withdraw the request:
• staff must be satisfied with the customer's (or nominee's) identity before actioning the withdrawal. See Authenticating a Centrelink customer.
  Do not accept verbal withdrawal if the customer's partner has already provided consent. Return to Table 1 > Step 5 for more details
• reject the HEAS application with reason Customer Request (CLR).
  Note: this is an approved workaround. Do not withdraw the HEAS application by changing the status via the status icon, as a letter will not generate to the customer to confirm the withdrawal
• give written consent for a new amount. Staff must place the Advance loan request activity on hold. In Process Direct, select the Status icon and update as follows:
• Status - On Hold
• On Hold reason - Request for Information
• On Hold Expiry Date - 14 days in the future

If the customer is partnered and the partner has also requested an advance lump sum, code separate activities.

The date of decision is the system date the advance assessment activity is finalised.

If the activity is started and not finalised on the same day, the decision date is the date the activity is Completed.

For example, if the activity was started on 09/07/2024 and not finalised until 11/07/2024 the decision date is 11/07/2024.

This date is recorded as the actual date the advance is assessed and is used for the immediate payment processing and delivery of the advance lump sum.

Grant date/start date determination

The grant date of the HEAS Advance payment is the latest of the following dates:

• Request Date
• Customer's current Entitlement Period Start Date (EPSD) (based on the current system date)
• Latest confirmed change to the Maximum Pension Rate (on or before the system date)

Due to a system limitation, do not complete the finalisation on the customer's Entitlement Period End Date (EPED). The system does not correctly recognise the advance amount being paid to the customer.

The grant date cannot be a future date:

• To determine the grant date, the system finds the EPSD of the current entitlement period
• Consideration is given to any of the following changes in the same period:
• changes to Marital status
• changes to Rent Assistance
• increase to Pension Basic rate - CPI dates are 20 March or 20 September

When any of these changes have effective dates within the entitlement period, the advance grant date is set to the latest of all dates. This is to make sure the customer is paid the lump sum based on their correct rate of payment.

Does the grant date fall on EPED?

• Yes:
• staff must allocate the work item to themselves through Work Optimiser
• hold the work item for +1 day
• when the work item comes off hold, continue processing the advance
• No, process the advance request

Before finalising the activity, select Assess. The Entitlements (ELD) screen will show the provisional outcome.

If the outcome is not correct, edit the relevant coding changes.

To manually add/edit the provisional HEAS advance payment amount, select Edit.

Is the HEAS Advance payment to be granted?

• Yes, go to Step 15
• No, go to Table 1 on the HEAS trained streaming Service Officer tab in Processing applications for Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS)

If the customer currently gets a fortnightly HEAS loan payment:

• The loan (LON) component is recalculated and the advance amount subtracted from their maximum entitlement
• A new fortnightly loan amount is calculated and applied from the date of grant of the HEAS advance

If error E049PH - Current loan does not exist for this Link ID presents, escalate the advance to a CAO for completion.

To complete the HEAS Advance loan payment request:

• Select Finalise. A dialog box shows and confirms the work item has finalised successfully
• Update the Fast Note pop-up to include the relevant HEAS Advance information. Use the HEAS Advance Approved/Rejected/Escalated Fast Note
• A letter automatically generates and is sent to the customer with the grant outcome. To view the letter, go to Customer First Outbound Correspondence

After overnight processing of grant outcomes, the HEAS advance payment is added to the customer's HEAS loan balance on the HEAS screen.

When the HEAS loan is secured against the customer's principal home, the HEAS advance payment is recorded on the Direct Investments (SVDI) screen as Investment Type HEAS.

To action an advance change request, there must be an existing loan.

CAOs must check for an existing loan in Process Direct:

• Select the HEAS screen
• Search for existing loans

If a loan shows on the HEAS screen and the advance request was submitted:

• in a Home Equity Access Scheme partnered application form (SA310) or Home Equity Access Scheme single application form (SA496):
• The application can be accepted
• The customer must be contacted to confirm acceptance of the advance request, and to advise the correct advance application process for future requests
• The new application request must be cancelled and the advance request manually coded to prevent a second loan. The question set in the new application can be used for the advance request
• Go to Step 2
• online or in a Home Equity Access Scheme variation form (SA497), go to Step 2

If a loan does not show on the HEAS screen, the customer or nominee must lodge a new application for HEAS to request an advance payment. See Claiming a Home Equity Access Scheme loan.

If the customer requested a HEAS advance request:

• online, go to Step 3
• in a completed SA497, go to Step 4

For online service requests, in Process Direct:

• Select the work item
• Select to review the details entered by the customer

Note: customers must answer more questions if it has been more than 13 weeks since they were paid a HEAS fortnightly loan payment or an advance payment.

If the customer is partnered and the partner has also requested an advance lump sum, code separate activities.

If the work items have not automatically bundled:

• allocate the partner's work item through Work Optimiser, and
• assess both HEAS advance requests

Go to Step 5.

For SA497 requests:

• Select the Documents tab to confirm that:
• all required consent has been provided if the customer is partnered or the nominee submitted the SA497
• a Home Equity Access Scheme review form (SA498) has been submitted with the SA497, if the customer was required to answer more questions
• If the customer and partner (if applicable) have not provided consent for the advance request, staff must:
• Issue a Request for Information (RFI) to request the completion of specific mandatory consent questions
• Make genuine attempts to contact the customer to advise an RFI has been issued
• Create an open Fast Note. Use Fast Note - select Auto text, use Older Australians > Home Equity Access Scheme > SA497 Advance
• Allocate the started work Fast Note work item through Work Optimiser
• Place the work item on hold pending receipt of request information
• Close the SA497 digital work item by marking it as completed
• Reject the request if the requested information has not been returned by the due date

If the customer is partnered and the partner has also requested an advance lump sum, code separate activities.

If the work items have not automatically bundled:

• allocate the partner's work item through Work Optimiser, and
• assess both HEAS advance requests

CAOs must report if they identify:

• any concerns about a customer’s advance payment request, or
• fraud and corruption

See Report suspected fraud and corruption for more details.

Before processing an advance payment:

• Check for any changes to the payment destination (PAS) screen
• When an update has been made within 30 days, confirm the correct payment details by making genuine attempts to contact the customer before finalising the request:
• clearly annotate any contact
• if contact is unsuccessful, send a Request to contact letter (Q164), advising the customer to contact Services Australia and confirm their payment destination
• Hold the work item for 14 days

If the customer has confirmed their payment destination, go to Step 6.

If the customer has not confirmed their payment destination in an:

• online request:
• Change the status to cancel
• Document the record with the reason the status was changed
• Procedure ends here
• SA497 request:
• Mark the SA497 and SA498 (if required) as completed
• Document the record with the reason it was marked as completed

Customers can lodge another Change of Circumstance (COC) with the HEAS advance payment request, including requests to:

• stop fortnightly loan payments
• start fortnightly loan payments
• change fortnightly loan payments

In these instances, a separate work item presents in Process Direct.

Has the customer requested any of the above change in circumstances?

• Yes:
• CAOs must consider the impacts of these changes and the effect on the rate of payment before they assess the Advance Loan Amount. See Change of circumstances - Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS)
• When the change of circumstances have been actioned, go to Step 7
• No, go to Step 7

The date of decision is the system date the advance assessment activity is finalised.

If the activity is started and not finalised on the same day, the decision date is the date the activity is Completed.

For example, if the activity was started on 09/07/2024 and not finalised until 11/07/2024, the decision date is 11/07/2024.

This date is recorded as the actual date the advance is assessed and is used for the immediate payment processing and delivery of the advance lump sum.

Grant date/start date determination

The grant date of the HEAS Advance payment is the latest of the following dates:

• Request Date
• Customer’s current Entitlement Period Start Date (EPSD) (based on the current system date)
• Latest confirmed change to the Maximum Pension Rate (on or before the system date)

Due to a system limitation, do not complete the finalisation on the customer’s Entitlement Period End Date (EPED). The system does not correctly recognise the advance amount being paid to the customer.

The grant date cannot be a future date.

To determine the grant date, the system finds the EPSD of the current entitlement period.

Consideration is given to any of the following changes in the same period:

• changes to Marital status
• changes to Rent Assistance
• increase to Pension Basic rate - CPI dates 20 March or 20 September

When any of these changes have effective dates within the entitlement period, the advance grant date is set to the latest of all dates. This is to make sure the customer is paid the lump sum based on their correct rate of payment.

Does the grant date fall on EPED?

• Yes:
• CAOs must allocate the work item to themselves through Work Optimiser
• Hold the work item for +1 day
• When the work item comes off hold, continue processing the advance
• No, go to Step 8

CAOs must check that:

• supporting evidence is provided (for example, a change in security property ownership) when there has been a change to the:
• customer's personal details
• property details
• financial circumstances
• consent has been provided when the:
• customer is partnered
• request is completed by a correspondence nominee

Has all the required information, documentation, and consent by partners or third parties been provided?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No:
• in Process Direct - issue an RFI through the Request Documents option
• place the work item on hold pending receipt of the requested information

If the requested information has not been returned by the due date and the request is to be Rejected, see Table 2 > Step 5.

See the Resources page for:

• a guide to identify required documents
• details about assessing consent for HEAS advance payments
• links to Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS) forms

Check the Loan Details (HEAS) screen.

Has the customer received a loan payment or a lump sum within the last 13 weeks?

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

When the customer has not received a loan payment or a lump sum within the last 13 weeks, the SA498 will ask the following questions:

• Relationship status - has there been any change to their relationship status since they last recorded their status
• Property details - confirm or provide the property address used as security against the loan and include the following:
• Do they still have ownership interest in the property?
• What is the estimated current market value of the property?
• Is the property larger than 2 hectares (5 acres)?
• Who are the listed property title holders? What percentage do they own?
• Are there circumstances affecting the value of the property?
• Is the property mortgaged or encumbered?
• Are they or any co-owners of the property bankrupt or subject to a personal insolvency agreement?
• Is the property adequately and appropriately insured?
• Do they intend to take additional loans or mortgages on the property in the future?

Note: if all mandatory questions have not been answered, CAOs can use the Enhanced RFI in Process Direct to request the completion of specific mandatory questions. All changes must be signed by the customer and partner (if applicable).

If the customer advises they have had a change in their relationship status, this may affect their rate of payment. Staff must update any changes before assessing the Advance Loan Amount.

After updating the relationship changes, contact the customer and tell them about the changes to their Advance Loan Amount entitlement.

Select the work item for the HEAS advance request in Process Direct, then select Process.

From the Task Selector, select:

• HEAS - Home Equity Access Scheme
• REBS - Real Estate/Business Identity Details
• HEASADV - Home Equity Access Scheme Advance

Alternatively, manually key each screen using the Super Key field.

Select Next to check or update the customer's record. The Home Equity Access Scheme Summary (HEASS) screen will show.

If the customer is partnered and the partner has also requested an advance lump sum, code separate activities.

If the customer advised a change to their circumstances, provisional data shows on a new line, with the date of effect as the date of request.

To view or edit the Loan Details (HEAS) screen, select:

• Expand
• Edit

Review the customer’s circumstances for the following criteria:

• Loan Security Value - if the customer has advised a significant change to their 'Loan Security Value' since the last formal valuation was done, a new formal valuation may be required
• Maximum Loan Amount (MLA) - if the customer has reached, or the requested HEAS advance loan amount exceeds, the existing MLA, an error will present on submission of the claim activity. For more details, see Change of circumstances - Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS)
• Deductions - if the customer has advised the security property has an encumbrance recorded against it, CAOs must update this, as it changes the loan security value. This includes any:
• loan
• mortgage
• reverse mortgage
• life interest
• line of credit
• any other encumbrance

Has the customer changed their existing Loan Security Value?

• Yes, go to Step 11
• No, go to Step 1

If the customer has changed their existing Real Estate details this may impact on their existing MLA.

Check historical real estate information to determine if a formal valuation is required.

For more details about a formal valuation and how deductions will impact the loan security value, see:

• Security for the Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS), and
• Table 4 in Assessing Home Equity Access Scheme (HEAS) applications

Formal valuation is required

Request a formal valuation and place the Advance loan request activity on hold. In Process Direct, select the Status icon and update as follows:

• Status - On Hold
• On Hold reason - Referral to valuation
• On Hold Expiry Date - 14 days in the future

Update the Progress of Claim Note with the reason for placing the claim on hold.

When the formal valuation is returned, go to Step 12.

To view or edit the REBS screen, select:

• Expand
• Edit

Was a formal valuation required?

• Yes:
• update the required fields
• select Save
• select Next
• No:
• check the existing information for accuracy
• select Cancel
• select Next

In Process Direct, select Edit to view or edit the HEASADV screen.

Check the Advance Loan amount the customer has requested within the Process Direct slider or SA497.

Before selecting assess, check the following are correct:

• Advance Payment Amount - the amount the customer has requested
• Maximum Advance Payment Amount - the customer's amount of entitlement

The system automatically calculates the maximum HEAS advance amount available to the customer. The HEAS advance amount keyed must be equal to, or less than this amount.

If the HEAS advance loan amount is requested in an:

• online request, the amount will show as provisional data
• SA497, staff must manually code the HEAS advance amount

Staff must make genuine attempts to contact the customer if they have requested more than the system calculated Maximum Advance amount. Tell the customer the maximum advance amount they can request.

The customer can:

• request another amount. A new amount cannot be accepted verbally, they must give:
• written consent on an amended SA497, or
• a written letter of request hand signed and dated by the customer and partner (if applicable)
• withdraw the request. To withdraw the request:
• staff must be satisfied with the customer's (or nominee's) identity before actioning the withdrawal. See Authenticating a Centrelink customer.
  Do not accept verbal withdrawal if the customer's partner has already provided consent. See the Service Officers subtab, Table 1 > Step 5 for more details
• reject the HEAS advance request with reason Customer Request (CLR).
  Note: this is an approved workaround. Do not withdraw the HEAS application by changing the status via the status icon, as a letter will not generate to the customer to confirm the withdrawal
• give written consent for a new amount. CAOs must place the Advance loan request activity on hold in Process Direct. Select the Status icon and update as follows:
• Status - On Hold
• On Hold reason - Request for Information
• On Hold Expiry Date - 14 days in the future

Before finalising the activity, select Assess. The Entitlements (ELD) screen will show the provisional outcome:

• If the outcome is not correct, edit the relevant coding changes
• To manually add/edit the provisional HEAS advance payment amount, select Edit
• Before completing the activity, go to Table 2

Is the HEAS Advance Lump Sum to be granted?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 2

Before rejecting the HEAS advance payment request, the Decision Maker must contact the customer to explain the decision and give them an opportunity to provide more details.

Complete the following actions:

• Make genuine attempts to phone the applicant
• Tell the applicant of the rejection outcome and explain their review and appeal rights
• Record the outcome of each contact (including unsuccessful contacts) on the Progress of Claim DOC through the Document List (DL) screen. See Advising verbally of an unfavourable decision for more details

Was contact with the customer successful?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

The customer can give more details when the HEAS loan advance amount cannot be granted for one of the following reasons:

• Written consent not provided by partner
• MLA reached

Does the customer want to give more details?

• Yes: key the following:
• Status - On Hold
• On Hold reason - Request for Information
• On Hold Expiry Date - 14 days in the future
• Progress of Claim Note - document the reason the claim has been placed on hold
• No: and the rejection reason is:
• a correspondence reason - written consent not provided, or failed to reply to correspondence, go to Step 5
• not a correspondence reason, go to step 4

Follow this process when the customer is uncontactable or one of the following rejection reasons apply:

• 2AP - 2 advances already taken (received 2 HEAS advance payments in the previous 26-fortnights)
• MBE - Maximum loan amount precludes (reached their maximum loan amount (MLA)
• ZMA - No available HEAS advance amount
• AVW - Advance Request Voluntary Withdrawal (withdrawn the HEAS advance payment request)

In Process Direct:

• select Finalise to complete the HEAS advance payment request
• use the Fast Note pop-up to include relevant HEAS Advance loan information. Use the HEAS Advance Approved/Rejected/Escalated Fast Note

A dialog box shows and confirms the work item has finalised successfully.

A letter automatically generates and is sent to the customer with the rejection outcome. To view the letter, go to Customer First > Outbound Correspondence.

When correspondence is not received by the due date and the request is to be Rejected, the claim rejection reasons applied are:

• written consent not provided, or
• failed to provide correspondence

The following approved work around for a known system issue is required when rejecting. Complete the following:

• Process Direct - select Status Tab and change the status to Cancelled
• Use the Fast Note pop-up to include relevant HEAS Advance loan information. Use the HEAS Advance Approved/Rejected/Escalated Fast Note
• Customer Record - draft and issue a Q999 letter to notify the customer their advance has been cancelled for not providing the required documentation by the due date
• Document the HEAS customer’s record with the:
• Date of Event (DOE) the HEAS advance payment was rejected failed to reply to correspondence (FRC) as the requested information was not returned by the due date
• act reference - Social Security Act (SSAct) 1991, section 1137AA - Advance Payments, Social Security (Administration) Act 1999

Procedure ends here.

Is the customer currently receiving a HEAS loan fortnightly payment?

• Yes:
• The loan (LON) component is recalculated and the advance amount subtracted from their maximum entitlement
• A new fortnightly loan amount is calculated and applied from the date of grant of the HEAS advance. Go to Step 8
• No, for an advance lump sum only, go to Step 7

The following approved workaround for a known system issue is required for E049PH - Current loan does not exist for this Link ID (pending a system fix). It requires 2 separate activities. Staff must report through Roxy, quoting PM38593, before actioning the work around.

Note: these 2 activities must be completed on the same day.

To update:

• For work items created by an online request, start by cancelling the Process Direct activity
• In Customer First:
• Go to the Home Equity Access Scheme Summary (PLSS) screen and key S to select the loan
• Change the loan top type from ADV to MX2
• Change the percent to 150%
• Remove the Ceased Loan Indicator (CLI) and the Reject/Cease Reason
• Code source with INT for Channel, change the Date of Receipt (DOR) to the date of processing and key C for action
• Go to the Assessment Results (AR) screen to confirm fortnightly payments are starting. Do not finalise the activity:
• Go to the PLSS screen and put an A next to the loan summary line and select enter
• The Request Date should auto populate to today’s date
• Code the requested Advance amount, code source with INT, change the DOR to the date of processing and insert I for action
• Go to the AR screen to confirm advance payment is shown and add notes 'This is a workaround for PD error E049PH'
• Inhibit the advice by keying INH LTTR in the actions box. This will prepopulate Inhibit Letter in the letter action box
• Finalise activity
• Once the activity is finalised, complete the second activity:
• Go to the PLSS screen and key S to select the loan
• Change the loan top up type back to ADV
• Change the percentage to zero
• Add Y to the Ceased Loan Indicator (CLI) field and CLR as the Reject/Cease reason
• Code source with INT for Channel, change the DOR to the day processing and key C for action
• Go to the AR screen and add notes 'This is a workaround for PD error E049PH'
• Inhibit the advice by keying in INH LTTR in the actions box. This will prepopulate Inhibit Letter in the letter action box
• Finalise activity
• Update the Fast Note pop-up to include the relevant HEAS Advance loan information. Use the HEAS Advance Approved/Rejected/Escalated Fast Note

To complete the HEAS Advance Loan payment request:

• Select Finalise. A dialog box shows and confirms the work item has finalised successfully
• A letter automatically generates and is sent to the customer with the grant outcome. To view the letter, go to Customer First Outbound Correspondence
• Update the Fast Note pop-up to include the relevant HEAS Advance loan information. Use the HEAS Advance Approved/Rejected/Escalated Fast Note

After overnight processing of grant outcomes, the HEAS advance payment is added to the customer's HEAS loan balance on the HEAS screen.

When the HEAS loan is secured against the customer's principal home, the HEAS advance payment is recorded on the Direct Investments (SVDI) screen as Investment Type HEAS.

For more details about making updates to the SVDI coding post-grant, see the Service Officers subtab, Table 2.