Updating address details 102-03010010

When updating an address there are different processes to follow, depending on if the customer is:

• at risk of family and domestic violence, and
• advising of a change of address due to separation from their partner

In all cases, staff must:

• take care to make sure updates do not flow onto their former partner's record
• review all address types and contact details to make sure current details are up to date

Where a customer provides a temporary (TEM) address, tell them if they do not provide a further update, mail may be sent to their previous address after the TEM address end date.

Staff can immediately update a customer’s relationship status if they:

• indicate they and/or their children are at risk of family and domestic violence, and
• are concerned for their safety

In these cases, the customer can then supply the Separation details (MOD S) form and/or verification within 14 days. For more details, see Change in relationship status from partnered to single.

For mail to be sent, Services Australia must be given an address where a customer can receive mail.

If a customer is advising of a future change of address tell them:

• mail will not be sent to that address until after the future start date
• they may need to provide a postal address until the future date. This is to help keep their details secure

For more details on postal address options, see Where customers are unable to provide a residential address.

Tell customers that information used for their Centrelink, Child Support and Medicare payments and services is transferred within the agency. However, they may need to contact each program separately to update relevant information. This will depend on their individual circumstances.

Staff must check the below customer details at every contact, and update if needed:

• address, including postal address
• telephone details, including mobile phone

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.

Where the customer has verified their identity via Interactive Voice Response (IVR), address details do not need to be confirmed.

The customer can view/update address, accommodation or contact details online.

Note: the home address on the system will not be changed just to issue a Health Care Card (HCC) or Low Income Health Care Card (LIC) with a different address (for example, term address for students). Customers can nominate a preference as to which address should be displayed on the HCC or LIC. See Preferences for concession cards for more details.

If the address change is a change of postal address only, entitlement will not be affected.

All mail will go to the postal address.

End dating a postal address using yesterday's date makes sure any future outgoing mail is sent to the correct address.

If a person is sharing accommodation with another person who is not a family member, staff must:

• ask the Living Arrangements question set, and
• request sharer details through a Rent Certificate (SU523) form using Request Documents. See Requesting information (CLK). Note: change of address details for dates in the future are unable to be coded for sharers. Tell the customer to re-contact once they have physically moved address

Two people who were previously partnered may be living separately and apart on a permanent or indefinite basis but continue to live under the same roof. This may be a temporary or permanent arrangement.

If a customer currently assessed as separated under one roof advises they have now moved out of the shared residence:

• the customer's record must be updated, and
• the 'SUR' Relationship Qualifier Code must be ended on the Marital Status (MS) screen

For more details on how to end the 'SUR' qualifier code, see Member of a Couple (MoC) and Separated under one roof (SUOR) assessments.

• Entitlement to Rent Assistance (RA) may change. For example, now sharing accommodation, purchased a home, under 25 and now living with parents or moved temporarily
• If the customer is in receipt of Disability Support Pension (DSP) (Blind) or Age Pension (Blind) they must disclose details of their income and assets to be paid RA
• Entitlement to Remote Area Allowance (RAA) may change
• Relationship status changes. For example, separation, becoming partnered, illness separated
• Dependent child changes due to separation or becoming partnered
• A change in income and/or assets from real estate. For example, a homeowner becoming a non-homeowner and their previous home becoming an asset. See Sale of principal home when a customer sells their principal home
• Customer receiving Essential Medical Equipment Payment (EMEP) must reclaim for the new address

When the person receiving EMEP (or the equipment user they care for) changes address, the system will auto cancel their EMEP payment. This is due to EMEP being paid in respect of medical equipment and/or medically required heating/cooling being run at a specific address. When a person moves and continues to use that medical equipment at the new address, they must lodge a new claim for EMEP.

The cancellation of EMEP must be documented with the change of address.

Consider recording a homelessness indicator, if the customer:

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

For mail to be sent, Services Australia must be given an address where a customer can receive mail.

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

Do not undertake any MALEP assessments. The Department of Social Services (DSS) have paused all Moving to an Area of Lower Employment Prospects (MALEP) assessments.

Circumstances that may affect customer's entitlements include:

• Moving to an area of lower employment prospects. Services Australia must decide if the job seeker has reduced their employment prospects by moving to a new location. If this is the case, consider a possible Moving to an Area of Lower Employment Prospects (MALEP) employment related exclusion period
• Single customers under 25 years old, without dependent children, who return to live with a parent, do not qualify for Rent Assistance (RA)

Job seekers can give their Employment Services Provider their new address details. The Employment Services Provider will tell the job seeker to contact Services Australia to provide their new home address. When the job seeker contacts Services Australia, the Service Officer must confirm their home address details and decide if there are any potential impacts on eligibility and/or ongoing entitlement.

Note: when a temporary address is recorded, job seekers will remain connected to the same Employment Services Provider and must comply with their mutual obligation requirements.

For more details, see Job seeker change of address.

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 must be updated on that customer's record as well.

Conditions that may affect a customer's entitlements include:

• At home or accommodated independent person if living with parents
• Away from home rate if required to live away from home for the purposes of engaging in study, training, employment, etc. for secondary and tertiary students
• Independence on the grounds of state care. Independent customers that return to live in the parental home must have their independent status reviewed. For more details, see:
• Returning to the parental home when independent or qualified for the away from home (AFH) rate of Youth Allowance (YA), or
• Returning to the parental home when in receipt of the Away from Home rate of ABSTUDY
• Independence because it is unreasonable for the customer to live at the home of either parent; rate changes associated with leaving or returning to the parental home. Claims for the unreasonable to live at home (UTLAH) rate must be investigated by a social worker
• Fares Allowance entitlement, if required to live away from home to study
• Moving to an Area of Lower Employment Prospects (MALEP) - this can result in the use of a payment preclusion period
• Term (TER) addresses are where students are living away from home to study. These addresses are expected to have an end date that aligns with their study end date

Encourage customers to update a change of address using their online account or Express Plus App if capable of self-management. See:

• Accessing and using Centrelink self service
• Update address, accommodation or contact details online

Unless:

• self service channels are currently unavailable (confirmed by NNU, Newsflash and Bulletins), or
• the Service Officer determines the customer is not capable of self-management in this instance

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

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.

• If the customer moves in with their carer, their principal home may remain an exempt asset for up to 2 years
• They are exempt from the sharers' rate of Rent Assistance (RA)
• If they are under 21 (receiving Youth Disability Support Pension (DSP)), the rate of payment will vary depending on whether they are living with their parents or independently
• If the customer lives in disability accommodation this must be correctly recorded on their record
• If the customer is in receipt of DSP (Blind) they must disclose details of their income and assets to be paid RA

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

If a non-current customer is providing a new address, this should be recorded. Accommodation information and telephone subscriber information is not needed for non-current customers.

However, where the non-current customer is a care receiver and they have had a change of address, eligibility for Carer Payment (CP) and/or Carer Allowance (CA) for the carer must be reviewed. See Change of address for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) for more details.

Customers who have no current address or myGov inbox subscription will have the following stopped for manual intervention:

• FTB reconciliation
• lump sum claim
• non-lodger activities
• Newborn Upfront Payment (NBU) debt activities

See Manual intervention into family assistance reconciliation.

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

For more details, see Changes to Income Management priority needs.

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

For more details, see Customer moves out of an Income Management (IM) or enhanced IM area.

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. The Resources page contains a link to declared IM areas.

Customers may be placed on enhanced IM if their home or term address is in an enhanced IM location and they meet other eligibility criteria. If customers are only in the area temporarily (for example, they are travelling, attending a funeral or medical appointment), their address must be coded as Temporary to avoid being placed on enhanced IM in error.

If a customer wishes to change and/or backdate their address details, evidence supporting the change may be required from the customer before ending participation on enhanced IM is considered. This is to prevent customers from changing or backdating their address details to avoid participation.

Customers who permanently move out of an enhanced IM location will end participation in the program after 13 weeks. Updating or deleting home or term address details purely for the purposes of avoiding enhanced IM will not automatically end a customer's participation. Address updates done incorrectly in an effort to avoid enhanced IM may result in placing the customer at risk of overpayment for additional payments such as Rent Assistance or Remote Area Allowance.

Some countries have specific address format requirements in order for a customer to be paid correctly to an overseas bank account.

See Overseas Bank Account Details (OBAD) for country task cards and coding requirements. Updating a home address incorrectly for customers paid to certain countries may cause their payment to reject. Staff must take care when updating address details for these overseas customers.

Customers changing their address and they currently have Centrepay deductions to pay rent and/or utilities for their existing address. The deductions may need to be:

• cancelled immediately
• given an end date or target amount to be recorded
• changed

Customers can use Deductions options online in their Centrelink Online or Centrelink express apps to manage their Centrepay deductions.

For more information on Centrepay deductions, see Starting, changing and cancelling a Centrepay deduction at the request of a customer.

Moving within the same state

When a customer changes their address and they have a current RDS deduction for government rent to a Housing Authority (HA), check if the deduction is still required.

End an RDS deduction if the customer advises it is no longer needed. Advise the customer to speak with their HA before they cancel the deduction to ensure:

• the customer makes other arrangements if there are any continuing rent obligations (for example, arrears or loan repayments)
• they avoid missing payments

Customers cannot terminate an RDS deduction themselves through self-service and online channels. It must be cancelled by the HA or the agency.

Moving interstate

If a customer has an RDS Rent (RNT) deduction and they move interstate, the change of region from one state to another will automatically terminate the deduction. If the deduction is still needed, the customer must contact the relevant HA and request they commence a new deduction.

Any other RDS deductions the customer has, for example, LON, ARR or OHP will not cease automatically. Ask the customer if these are still required and terminate if required.

See Terminating a Rent Deduction Scheme (RDS) deduction for more information.

Generally, addresses must not be changed solely on information provided by a third party. However, there are some circumstances where it may be appropriate to action a change of address:

• The partner of a Services Australia customer advises a change of address for both them and their partner, and they have permission to enquire, the address may be changed. Staff must:
• identify the person providing the update and marital circumstances before making the change
• take extra care. If not convinced of the accuracy, do not change the address before checking with the affected person
• A customer is admitted to an aged care home and their partner or an authorised third party has advised the change of address into residential aged care. Once the information is clarified with the aged care home, the address may be changed, see Change of address to an aged care home

In all cases, the Service Officer must be satisfied the third party is identified correctly before updates are made.