Changing address (CLK) 102-03010000

When a customer changes their address, either temporarily or permanently, they must notify Centrelink:

• within 14 days of moving
• of any other changes because of their move

For example, if they owned their previous home, they need to provide details of what has happened to it.

Every customer's address (including postal address) and telephone details (including mobile phone numbers) must be checked at every contact and updated if required.

Note: if the customer has authenticated via Interactive Voice Response (IVR), there is no need to confirm address details.

Centrelink may ask customers to provide specific information about events or changes in circumstances. These requests:

• can be made in writing
• customers usually have 14 days to respond

Failure to respond may lead to suspension or cancellation of payments.

If a customer requests mail to be sent to a different address, record this as a postal address.

Where a customer:

• tells us they are separating, see Separating safely - protecting personal details to make sure personal information is kept safe
• indicates that their partner is not moving with them, this is considered a family and domestic violence interaction point, see Family and domestic violence

Customers receiving income support payments are required to provide a current address. Consider recording a homelessness indicator, if the customer:

• no longer has a home address, or
• accommodation is temporary or unstable

Where a customer is experiencing, or at risk of homelessness, Service Officers must make sure they are given additional support. This may include referrals to Centrelink professionals or external agencies.

Before updating a customer’s residential address to no fixed address, staff must make sure an alternate postal address has been provided. See Where customers are unable to provide a residential address.

Note: customers who are receiving or applying for Rent Assistance (RA) must have a current residential address.

If a customer changes their address and uses Centrepay to pay rent or utilities, they may need to update or cancel their deductions. See Starting, changing and cancelling a Centrepay deduction at the request of a customer.

Customers who have an outstanding debt have a legal obligation to notify Services Australia of any change of address within 14 days. This is the case even if they no longer receive a payment.

There are specific qualification criteria in relation to where the carer and care receiver are living. When a carer or care receiver notifies a change of address, continued eligibility for payment must be confirmed. See Change of address for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) for more details.

Note: accommodation details (for example, rent paid or ownership) are not required if the carer is receiving CA only.

Income managed customers must have a review of their priority needs and expense allocations when they notify a change in circumstances, including a:

• change of address, or
• change in rent

See Changes to Income Management priority needs for more details.

Customers:

• whose payments are currently income managed and who move permanently outside of a declared IM area will continue to be income managed
• who have been identified for IM and move out of a declared IM area before IM commences, or provide a retrospective change of address, may still have their payments income managed

See Customer moves out of an Income Management (IM) or enhanced IM area for more details.

When a customer moves into a declared IM area, they may be profiled or referred for IM if they meet the criteria for an IM measure available in that location.

The location criteria for IM eligibility is based on a customer’s permanent residential address (that is, Home or Term address). Therefore, it is important to confirm the customer’s move is permanent and not temporary to avoid them being incorrectly identified for IM.

If a customer is the applicant for an ABSTUDY student, (for example, for Schooling A payments) or they act as a nominee for another person, their details will need to be updated on the customer’s record as well.

Customers should be told that Services Australia does not routinely transfer information between services. The customer may need to contact other programs and agencies, for example, Centrelink, Child Support and Medicare, to update relevant information.

If a customer has been selected for a Rent Assistance (RA) Profile Review, address updates must be done as part of the review. While a RA Profile Review is outstanding, customers and staff will be blocked from updating the address outside the review.