Delivery of payments to Centrelink customers outside Australia 103-04020000

International Services (CIS) only pay customers receiving a social security pension (other than Parenting Payment Single) who:

• leave Australia and remain payable for more than 26 weeks, or
• are paid under an International Agreement

If a customer intends to be outside Australia for less than 12 months, payment will generally continue to their normal Australian bank account every 2 weeks.

Only staff in International Services (CIS) are to code overseas payment arrangements.

If an International Services (CIS) pension customer intends to be outside Australia for more than 12 months, there are 3 possible payment options available depending on the country in which the customer is living:

• Direct deposit into a bank account in Australia
• Direct deposit into an overseas bank account
• In very limited circumstances, by cheque to an overseas address

Payments can be made to a bank account held in the name of the customer or their payment nominee.

Direct deposit and cheque payments may not be available in some countries due to payment limitations or sanctions.

Cheques cannot be paid to a payment nominee

Group payments to institutions or organisations outside Australia are not possible.

A customer who is not an International Services (CIS) pension customer will continue to be paid into their Australian bank account every 2 weeks while their payment remains portable, no matter how long they are outside Australia.

Due to system limitations, ongoing family assistance payments (for example, Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and Parental Leave Pay (PPL)), cannot be paid to bank accounts outside Australia. These payments can only be deposited into an Australian bank account every 2 weeks, even if the customer has moved to another country.

For example, a person cannot receive their FTB into a bank account in the Netherlands. These customers will need to arrange access to their money from their normal Australian bank account while outside Australia.

CIS staff can issue a one-off payment outside Australia.

Regular payments are made outside Australia every 4 weeks.

Ad-hoc payments like arrears from new pension grants, restorations, back-dating or reissuing of rejected payments are generally issued to customers on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Public holidays will affect payment issue dates for both regular and ad-hoc payments. See the Overseas Payment Schedule in Resources.

International Services (CIS) pension customers living in any country can choose to continue to receive payment into an Australian bank account. These customers' records can remain in the home environment with payments every 2 weeks. Transferring customer records to Environment I will result in payments every 4 weeks.

Customers receiving payment into their Australian bank account may access the payment:

• using an Automated Teller Machine (ATM), or
• arrange for their bank to transfer money to their overseas bank account

Centrelink uses 3 overseas direct deposit payment methods:

• Automated Clearing House (ACH) – payment is made directly from Citibank to the customer’s bank. Payment must be made in local currency
• Legacy ACH – funds are transferred from an account held by Services Australia in the country of payment to the customer’s bank account. Payment must be made in local currency
• Worldlink Wire (WWR) – payment is made via an intermediary or correspondent bank and processed manually by the beneficiary’s bank. Payments can be made in either the local or in another available currency

The overseas direct deposit payment method is determined by the country, currency, and payment method available in the country where the bank account is held. Staff and customers cannot choose the overseas electronic payment method.

There are countries where there are payment limitations or sanctions.

Customers can also choose to have payments made into an Australian bank account belonging to them or a nominated payment nominee.

Cheque payment may be made to customers if they have an exceptional reason to be paid by cheque instead of direct deposit.

Approval must be sought and given by Residence and International program before a customer can be paid by cheque.

Cheques:

• cannot be issued to an Australian address
• cannot be paid to payment nominees. Payment nominees must provide Australian or overseas bank account details
• must be available in the destination country, where there are not payment limitations or sanctions
• currency is dependent on the country the cheque is being sent to. See Currency used for International cheque payments

Payments by direct deposit should be encouraged because:

• it is safest option
• the customer receives their money much faster than by cheque, and
• countries have or are looking at decommissioning cheques, including Australia

Customers paid by direct deposit into a bank account outside Australia will generally be paid in local currency every 4 weeks. If the local currency cannot be used, payment is either in Euros or US Dollars. The Resources page has links to the attachments:

• Currency used for direct deposit, and
• Currency used for International cheque payments

The payment is converted by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) using the exchange rate applicable on the day of payment issue. See the Resources page for current and historical exchange rates applied to 4 weekly payments outside Australia.

If payments are not made in the local currency, it is important to make sure that the customer or payment nominee’s bank account will accept payment in the currency paid, as not all accounts accept foreign currency.

Note: The intermediary bank involved in the transfer of the non-local currency payment to the beneficiary bank will deduct a fee from the customer's payment.

International Services (CIS) staff can use a Notice to prepare a Refund Account (SF030) form to issue a one-off payment or arrears to a Centrelink beneficiary outside Australia. Payment can only be to an overseas bank account or an Australian bank account. Payment cannot be issued via cheque.

An SF030 can be issued to:

• a former family assistance payment customer who is entitled to arrears (for example, from reconciliation), but has left Australia and closed their Australian bank account
• overseas estates, and for certain other payments, if no alternative is available

Due to international sanctions, customers cannot be paid by cheque or direct deposit in the following countries. Customers can choose to have payments issued to a nominated Australian or a non-sanctioned country bank account belonging to them or a payment nominee.

• Cuba
• Iran
• North Korea
• Russia
• Sudan
• Syria

Customers cannot be paid by cheque to the following countries. They can only be paid by direct deposit:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Denmark
• Finland
• Ireland
• Kenya
• Malta
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• South Africa
• Tunisia

The customer can provide their overseas bank account details by:

• completing and returning the international Bank Account Details (AUS178) form relevant for their country, or
• providing a bank statement or document that shows their overseas bank details, including:
• relevant bank account details
• currency of the account, and
• name(s) of the account holder(s), or
• contacting International Services (CIS) and providing their overseas bank account details over the phone
• The customer will need to provide a bank statement or completed AUS178 form with the new payment details as soon as possible to confirm the details given over the phone

If the customer wants payment to their Australian bank account, the details can be taken over the phone.

If the customer wants to appoint a payment nominee, the customer and nominee must complete and return the relevant Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf form.