Identification and eligibility for Income Management 103-01020000

Customers may be automatically identified for Mandatory Income Management (IM), or referred to Services Australia for IM. Services Australia is responsible for ensuring customers meet the basic eligibility criteria for any of the measures to which they have been referred.

The system will identify customers who live in a declared Income Management area who are:

• eligible for Mandatory Income Management, Disengaged Youth and Long-Term Welfare Payment Recipients measures
• eligible under the Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipient measure because they are:
• aged under 16 years and in receipt of a Special Benefit (SpB-USY)
• 16 years of age or over and in receipt of an independent rate of Youth Allowance, Disability Support Pension or ABSTUDY Living Allowance due to meeting the Unreasonable to Live at Home (UTLAH) criteria
• under the age of 25 and receive a Crisis Payment (CrP) within the last 13 weeks due to prison release
• potentially eligible for Nominee Income Management (NIM)

Customers will not be identified for VWPR if they are full time students or apprentices, or currently on voluntary IM. Note: if a customer's voluntary IM ceases, they may be income managed under this category.

Customers may be referred to IM by a State or Territory Child Protection Authority, or a Supporting People at Risk approved referring authority. Customers referred by one of these authorities will be income managed under Child Protection or Supporting People at Risk measures respectively.

Customers whose personal circumstances make them vulnerable or at risk, will, upon being determined as suitable by a Services Australia social worker, be placed on IM under the Vulnerable Welfare Payment Recipient measure.

Customers can volunteer for IM under the voluntary IM measure. This measure should be promoted to customers who would benefit from IM in areas where voluntary IM is available.

Approved referring authorities and external organisations can also refer a customer to the agency for voluntary IM, however the customer is under no obligation to enter into a voluntary IM Agreement or attend any appointments.