Assessing, coding and reviewing weekly payments 103-05010010

Answer: Make sure the customer fully understands how weekly payments will affect them. There is no loss in payment.

Make sure the customer understands:

• their first weekly payment is on their normal pay day. This payment will be half the amount they would usually get
• they will get the second half of the payment 7 days later
• they will get a payment every week until they no longer need weekly payments
• we may make contact and review circumstances every 11 months OR as required to ensure weekly payments are appropriate to their situation

Advise the customer they cannot get an urgent payment while on weekly payments.

Advise of other services that can help them financially.

Social work services can help the customer, for example, with referrals to local agencies.

There are a number of things staff can suggest to a customer to help them in the first few weeks, for example:

• reviewing their current Centrepay deductions
• reducing debt repayments
• an Advance Payment if it will not cause financial hardship to pay back

Answer: No.

This is set out in the Social Security Guide, 3.10.3.35, Weekly Payments for Most Vulnerable People

Weekly payments are intended to:

• be a more stable choice than urgent payments for people having trouble budgeting or in financial hardship
• reduce the need for urgent payments
• provide more regular payments at a steady rate to allow the customer to budget and plan ahead

For customers in hardship, consider other help per urgent payment guidelines. This can help them while they get used to the weekly payments. See Referrals to external support services.

Consider referral to a social worker for customers with highly complex needs:

• customers at risk of suicide or self-harm
• young people without adequate support
• customers experiencing family and domestic violence

Refer the customer to a social worker if they are at risk of suicide or self-harm.

Do not end weekly payments to issue an urgent payment. This could mean that the customer cannot return to the legacy model.

Answer: No.

Changing the Entitlement Period End Date (EPED) does not help overcome financial hardship issues when weekly payments start. It will just delay the initiation period.

If possible, talk to the customer about other help.

Help the customer to understand that they will get the same amount as they would on fortnightly payments.

The only change is that they will get it in weekly payments.

The customer's last fortnightly payment still needs to last them 14 days. Their weekly payments need to last them 7 days.

Answer: These customers must stay on the legacy model for weekly payments.

Do not transfer these customers to the new model. If they stop getting weekly payments under the legacy model

• they cannot go back on the legacy model
• if they go onto the new model in the same fortnight they will be in further financial hardship