Youth Allowance (YA) or ABSTUDY customer becomes partnered 102-05010040

Is the change a future change?

• Yes:
• Do not code the change now
• Tell the customer to confirm the change within 14 days of the date it occurs
• Offer to issue appropriate forms now (Partner Details (MOD P) according to information in this procedure
• If appropriate, book an appointment for the customer for a new claim or transfer interview, or to discuss how this change will affect their payments. The appointment should be as soon as possible after the customer expects to separate/ become partnered
• Record details on a DOC. If necessary to follow up the return of the forms where the customer is becoming partnered, resubmit the DOC for 14 days (21 days for remote area and overseas customers) from the expected date of the change. Transfer DOC to the customer's local Centrelink service centre
• No, go to step 2

If the customer is:

• advising they are/were married or in a registered relationship and are:
• an ABSTUDY customer, see Assessing independence for ABSTUDY customers
• a YA customer, see Assessing independence when a customer is/was married or a member of a couple
• living with a partner in a de facto relationship, go to Step 3

Are the customer and partner above the age of consent? See References for a link to the definition of Defacto Relationships (YA and DSP).

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 4

If there are any concerns about a child’s safety, follow the risk and referral process. This includes circumstances where there is a significant age gap between a customer and their partner, and it is suspected the younger person may be under undue influence from the older person.

Tell the customer this partnership is not recognised under Social Security Law, see the References page for a link to the relevant legislation. Refer the customer to the Social Worker immediately.

Record details of contact on a DOC.

If the customer is:

• independent, go to Customer or partner under the age of consent. Procedure ends here
• dependent, procedure ends here

Go to the NIH screen to view their independence status.

If the customer is 22 years of age or older they are considered to be independent due to age.

Is the customer already considered independent?

• Yes, the customer is independent, go to Step 6
• No, the customer is not independent, go to Step 7

If the partner is, or has previously been, getting a Centrelink payment or benefit, go to the NIH screen to view their independence status. If the partner is not getting a Centrelink payment or benefit, and there is no status of independence on the NIH screen, they cannot be considered independent.

If the partner is 22 years of age or older they are considered to be independent due to age.

Is the partner already considered independent?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No, go to Step 7

The customer and/or their partner may be deemed independent based on the length of their relationship. Ask the customer the date their relationship commenced and determine if they may become independent as a result.

For YA see Assessing independence when a customer is/was married or a member of a couple, and return to this step.

For ABSTUDY see ABSTUDY customer currently or previously married, in a de-facto relationship of at least 6 months, or in a registered relationship, and return to this step:

• If the customer and/or their partner would not be considered independent based on the length of their relationship, go to Step 8
• Where the customer and partner would be considered independent, they must provide evidence of the length of their relationship. If evidence has been provided, go to Step 9
• If the customer has not provided evidence, ask them to do so along with the Partner Details (MOD P) form. Issue a written request for information notice, see Requesting information (CLK) and DOC the file with the information provided by the customer, including the date they became partnered. For example, joint bank account, insurance policy, lease agreements, dependent spouse rebate or a statutory declaration from a third party. Procedure ends here

Note: the evidence provided by the customer may not clarify the length of the relationship meets the relevant independence criteria. In this case, only consider the customer as partnered from the date they first notified Services Australia they were partnered.

Tell the customer:

• The partner's circumstances (for example, income) will not be taken into account for either member of the couple while the YA or ABSTUDY customer is dependent.
  Note: the customer and partner should not be linked until they are both independent. For example, they qualify as a member of a couple for YA/ABSTUDY or become independent for another reason.
  The customer and/or their partner must advise if one or both becomes independent
• If one customer becomes independent, the personal income test will apply but the partner income test will not apply to the independent customer. The dependent customer will continue to be subject to the personal income test and the parental means tests
• If both become independent, then the personal and partner income tests will apply to both customers

Create a Display on Access (DOA) DOC on each person's record use Fast Note - select Auto Text, use Generic > Update > YA/ABY Member of a Couple – Pending Indep:

• Select 'Display on access', then 'confirm'
• Choose the reason 'MAN'
• Expiry date: 12 months for YA customers, or 6 months for ABSTUDY customers, from the date of commencement of the relationship or when both the customer and partner will become independent (due to age)
• Enter the partners details in the Fast Note
• In Customer First, create a manual review on the Review Registration (RVR) screen and complete the fields as follows:
• Service Reason: YAL or ABY
• Review Reason: NEV (Possible Notifiable Event)
• Due Date: the earlier of:
  12 months for YA customers, or 6 months for ABSTUDY customers, from the date of commencement of the relationship, or
  the estimated date when either partner may achieve independent status for some other reason, for example, accumulated earnings
• Source: INT
• Date of Receipt: today's date
• Notes: 'Customer advised they are partnered from xx/xx/xxxx. Review the couple's circumstances to determine if Independence has now been met and link records if appropriate. Return to OB 102-05010040 to action.'
• Keywords:
  for YAL - ACTYAL
  for ABY - ACTABY and ABYRES
• Workgroup: leave blank
• Position: leave blank
• Transfer to Region: leave blank
• The review will mature on the Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload Management will allocate the review for manual action
• Record details of decisions/discussion with customers on a DOC

Procedure ends here.

Follow the process in Change in relationship status from single to partnered > Table 2, ‘Update relationship status and link customer and partner records’.

• If becoming partnered results in a rate increase, the customer will receive the member of a couple rate from the later of:
• the date they were considered to be a 'member of a YA or ABSTUDY couple' or the date they became independent on other grounds, if they advise Services Australia within 14 days of the change, or
• the date they advised the change, if advised more than 14 days after the change occurred
• If becoming partnered results in a rate decrease, the customer will receive the new rate from the earlier of:
• the date they were considered to be a 'member of a YA or ABSTUDY couple', or
• the date they became independent on other grounds

Customers who are, or have been, a member of a YA couple are exempt from the accommodated rate of Youth Allowance.

To be considered independent due to being a member of a YA couple, customers must have been:

• in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months
• a member of a de facto relationship for at least 6 months and special circumstances exist
• married or in a registered relationship

Where a customer and partner are considered Independent, but do not yet the meet the member of a YA couple definition, they cannot be exempt from the accommodated rate for the reason 'member of a YA couple'.

If an Independent couple are living with the parent(s) of one member, only that customer who is not living with their parent(s) is exempt from the accommodated rate. The other member of the couple is considered to be living with parents, and will not:

• be exempt from the accommodated rate
• receive Rent Assistance (RA)

To make sure each member of the couple is paid the correct rate, Service Officers must:

Update the Marital Status (MS) screen:

• Event date: field, enter the date the customer became de facto
• Marital Status: field, to remain as DEF
• PPE Cust and PPE Ptnr: field, update as required
• Qualifier code: field, TEC Tmp Sep/Left Home
• Source: field, enter the source of the information

This will allow the separation of the AC screen for each customer. Code:

• On the customer who is living with parents:
• Type of Rent: field, select the type of rent being paid
• Sharer Status field: LWP
• On the partner's record:
• Type of Rent: field, select the type of rent being paid
• Sharer Status field: select the appropriate sharer status, for example, Shares Accommodation with homeowner (SHH) or Lives in shared accommodation (SHR). This will make sure they are paid the non-accommodated rate, and get RA for their share of the amount paid

In Customer First, create a manual review on the Review Registration (RVR) screen and complete the fields as follows:

• Service Reason: YAL
• Review Reason: NEV (Possible Notifiable Event)
• Due Date: 12 months from date customer and partner have been in a de facto relationship
• Source: INT
• Date of Receipt: today's date
• Notes: 'Customer and partner in de facto relationship from xx/xx/xxxx. Check circumstances and remove qualifier code from MS if appropriate.'
• Keywords: ACTYAL
• Workgroup: leave blank
• Position: leave blank
• Transfer to Region: leave blank

The review will mature on the Due Date coded in the RVR activity. Workload Management will allocate the review for manual action.

The correct 'member of a YA' couple IND reason will make sure both customers receive the correct rate.