Commencing or returning to work for JobSeeker Payment (JSP) and Youth Allowance (job seeker) 102-07030080

If a customer contacts to advise they have started employment and it is not their reporting day, record a DOC with employment details. If the customer is a variable reporter, change their reporting frequency to 2 weekly. Tell them to report their employment details on their reporting day. Explain to them how to report correctly.

Obtain the following details from the customer and record in a DOC:

• date employment started
• type of employment: part-time, casual, full-time ongoing
• employer's name and Australian Business Number (ABN)
• employer's phone number
• gross employment income per week/fortnight
• period of employment, if applicable

Ensure the customer’s reporting frequency is 2 weekly. Tell them of any changes to their reporting requirements. For example, their next reporting date and requirement to report every 2 weeks.

Family assistance and income support reporting obligations are different:

• Income support customers must report actual income paid, not just an estimate. Service Officers must discuss income reporting requirements at every opportunity and ensure actual income paid and family assistance income estimates are both updated when required
• If either member of a couple is receiving family assistance, their estimate must include income support payments received, employment income and any other components of adjusted taxable income (received or expected) for the financial year for both members of the couple

If a customer contacts to advise their partner has started employment, see Partner commencing or returning to work.

Has the customer started an Australian Apprenticeship?

• Yes, consider if the customer should apply for another payment as they may have ongoing entitlement to payment. See Identifying the most beneficial payment for students or Australian Apprentices. Go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 4

If the customer:

• does not wish to provide employment and income details, and requests immediate cancellation of payment or withdrawal of a new claim, go to Step 5
• provides employment and income details and wants payment cancelled immediately, go to Step 5
• provides employment and income details and wants payment to continue if entitled, go to Step 6

Note: if the customer has a nominee, see Nominees.

Explain to the customer they may still be entitled to receive income support payments.

If employment is full-time-ongoing, part-time or casual, customers can continue to report their income and retain entitlement to the employment income nil rate period.

If employment is full-time ongoing, customers can continue to report their income and deplete their Working Credit and access the employment income nil rate period before payment is cancelled.

If the customer chooses to cancel their payment immediately and does not want to continue reporting or advise of their employment and income details, tell them they will lose access to their Working Credit balance and any remaining income support and concessions they may be entitled to. See Cancellation at customer's request of JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or Youth Allowance (YA) (job seeker).

Does the customer wish to cancel payments immediately and declines to provide employment and income details?

• Yes, for customers:
• currently receiving payment, see Cancellation at customer's request of JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or Youth Allowance (YA) (job seeker)
• with a new claim in process, see Cancel or withdraw an online claim
• Procedure ends here
• No, go to Step 6

For JSP or YA job seekers, determine if the customer has ongoing entitlement to payment. They must still satisfy the sufficient work test, mutual obligation requirements and continue to report on their normal reporting due date.

Job seekers will be able to deplete their Working Credit balance and access an employment income nil rate period before payment is cancelled due to income.

The most common examples of full-time workers who may qualify for JSP without further activity requirements are:

• JSP and YA (job seeker) current customers who obtain full-time work may remain qualified for payment while in the employment income nil rate period
• Job seekers with a pensioner partner (the income test cut-off point for the JSP partner is higher than applies to individuals or allowance couples)
• Long term single JSP customers aged 60 or over who receive Rent Assistance (RA)
• JSP single principal carers
• Job seekers with a working credit balance in the entitlement period they are paid employment income

See:

• Unemployed eligibility for JobSeeker Payment (JSP) and Youth Allowance (job seeker, and
• Paid work as an approved activity

For customers with full-time ongoing employment who still qualify for payment

When a provider advises a job seeker has been placed in full-time ongoing employment, an electronic transaction will be sent via the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) to Services Australia, The transaction will automatically update the Employment Status with code 'FTO' code on the Customer Employment Status (EAES) screen. To make sure job seekers are able to access their working credits and Employment Nil rate period:

• Assess all employment income paid during the entitlement period as IOP or LOP. See Recording and correcting employment income details
• Process any outstanding reports via the Earnings and Reporting workflow
• Record details on a Note/DOC explaining the employment status and income assessment outcome. Procedure ends here

Advise the customer of the following:

• They must continue to report, including any employment income, on their normal reporting date
• If their income is likely to reduce the job seekers payment to nil, an 'Employment Income Nil Rate Period' may apply. See Employment income nil rate period

Note: this procedure does not affect a customer's right to voluntarily cancel their payment. See, Cancellation at customer's request of JobSeeker Payment (JSP) or Youth Allowance (YA) (job seeker).

For customers who have cancelled FTE (full-time employment)

If a customer has FTO coded on the EAES screen (manual or automatically) and they continue to report without declaring employment income for 3 consecutive fortnights, they will cancel FTE (full-time employed).

If the customer has cancelled FTE, and:

• Is not full time employed (e.g. is casual), or
• never commenced employment, or
• employment does not commence until a future date, or
• has failed to report their employment income and wants to be restored to access the nil rate employment period
• go to Step 7

Otherwise, go to Step 8.

Does the customer have earnings to declare for the cancellation period?

• Yes:
• Code employment income from the date the job seeker is first paid
• Restore the payment via the Benefit Action (BA) screen and finalise the activity
• Tell the customer to continue reporting and include any employment income paid on their normal reporting day. If income is above the relevant income limit, the nil rate period process may apply. See Employment income nil rate period
• Record details on a DOC
• Check the job seeker's Job Seeker Registration. If it is inactive (JSR/INA), in Process Direct, complete the Start job seeker registration workflow to reactivate the JSR status:
  - select Customer Summary from the Process Direct landing page
  - enter the customer's CRN, then select Go
  - in the customer's record, select > Participation Summary > Job seeker registration & provider referral information > Start job seeker registration
• Procedure ends here
• No:
• Code a new entry on the EAES screen of NFT (Not full-time ongoing employment) or PTC (part-time/casual employment) with DOV the day after coding 'FTO'
• Restore the payment via the BA screen and finalise the activity
• Tell the customer to continue reporting and include any employment income paid on their normal reporting day. If income is above the relevant income limit, the nil rate period process may apply. See Employment income nil rate period
• Record details on a DOC
• Check the job seeker's Job Seeker Registration. If it is inactive (JSR/INA), in Process Direct, complete the Start job seeker registration workflow to reactivate the JSR status:
  - select Customer Summary from the Process Direct landing page
  - enter the customer's CRN, then select Go
  - in the customer's record, select > Participation Summary > Job seeker registration & provider referral information > Start job seeker registration
• Procedure ends here

Note: if error 'E705CQ occurs - use EAN to update AUT data. F2 for help' presents, further investigation is required. See the Resources page in Recording and correcting employment income details.

• If the customer's payment is being cancelled and their circumstances later change, they may have to lodge a new claim. JSP/YA job seeker customers can lodge the claim online or staff can complete the Assisted Customer Claim workflow
• If the customer has a partner on income support, reassess the partner's entitlement and advise the effect of the customer's income on their partner's continuing entitlement
• Tell the customer of possible entitlement to a Health Care Card (HCC), or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) once payments stop
• Parenting Payment will suspend after cancellation of their partner's payment
• If applicable, request and update the estimate of annual income for Family Tax Benefit. Customers can give a verbal estimate. Note: if either member of a couple is receiving family assistance, their estimate must include income support payments received, employment income and any other components of adjusted taxable income (received or expected) for the financial year for both members of the couple
• If the customer has a nominee arrangement in place (voluntary or involuntary), contact with the nominee may be required before taking action requested by the customer. For more information, see Nominees
• Check eligibility for Special Employment Advance (SEA) and offer to customer before the payment stops. Applications for Special Employment Advance (SEA) can be:
• taken at a service centre, or
• uploaded through the Express Plus Centrelink mobile

Do not cancel the payment if the customer wishes to apply for SEA. Tell the customer to complete SEA application (SU514) and upload through the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.