Family assistance and Paid Parental Leave scheme options online 133-04080000

Not all the options will be available on both Centrelink online account and Express Plus Centrelink Mobile app. Some options may only be available on one.

• Claim a payment. See Item 2
• Income estimates and payment choices. See Item 3
• Change in circumstances. See Item 4
• Reviews. See Item 5

• Claim family assistance, PPL or DAP
• Add newborn child
• Add child
• Change their claim choice for a newborn or adopted child prior to the birth or entry date of the child

• View current family income estimate. See View income estimate, actual income and income history online table
• Update family income estimate. See Update family income estimate option online table
• View and update FTB payment choices when getting Family Tax Benefit Part A, Family Tax Benefit Part B and Rent Assistance. See Update family income estimate and payment choice option online table
• View FTB reconciliation status (if customer received payments in previous financial year)
• View family income history. See View income estimate, actual income and income history online table
• View Child Care Subsidy Summary. See Centrelink online account help - Claim Child Care Subsidy online guide
• View Child Care attendance/absence details

• Advise non-lodgement of tax return. See the Advise non-lodgement of tax return option online table
• Advise of return to work. See the Advise return to work option online table
• Advise change in your circumstances for Paid Parental Leave entitlement
• Advise change in your circumstances for Dad and Partner Pay entitlement
• View and update child education details for children for whom you receive Family Tax Benefit. See the Update FTB child education details online table

• Complete Healthy Start review. See the Update Healthy Start for School Review option online table
• Complete Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Child reviews

Customers can use Centrelink online account and Express Plus Centrelink Mobile app to advise that they or their partner are not required to lodge a tax return for a previous financial year, limited to the last three completed financial years.

To do this, they can select the Advise Non-lodgement of Tax Return option.

See Centrelink online account help - Advise non-lodgement of tax return online guide.

To help determine if their non-lodgement is reasonable, customers will need to advise for the applicable financial year:

• whether they had tax withheld on any amount of income
• their previous financial year income, including all amounts of adjusted taxable income for themselves and their partner if applicable
• whether they had a child support assessment to pay or receive child support

The service will use the information provided by the customer and other known information (including Single Touch Payroll (STP) data received from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO)) to decide whether to accept or not accept the customer’s non-lodgement advice.

Families have until 30 June of the lodgement year to lodge a:

• tax return with the ATO, or
• 'not required to lodge' advice provided and have it accepted

FTB top-ups, supplements and Single Family Income Supplement (SIFS) will not be paid to eligible customers if income lodgement requirements for the customer (and their partner) are not met by this time.

This page displays receipt details. It also displays the details provided by the customer, for them to view or print.

Not accepted outcome

If the information (including STP data received from the ATO) indicates they may need to lodge a tax return, the service advises it will:

• not accept their non-lodgement advice as they (or their partner) may need to lodge a tax return
• record the income provided on the FAO Income for Previous Year (FIPY) screen

The customer will need to contact the ATO to:

• lodge a tax return, or
• provide a 'not required to lodge' advice with the ATO, also known as a Return Not Necessary (RNN)

Details will transfer from the ATO. If they lodge a non-lodgement advice with the ATO, the ATO will confirm this. The system will use ATO information with their income recorded on the FIPY screen or most recent estimate for that financial year to reconcile their FTB.

Note: a customer who completes 'not required to lodge advice' with the ATO, will need to verify their income for the previous financial year before CCS can be reconciled or they can be paid SIFS, if eligible. They can do this using Advise Non-lodgement of Tax Return option in their Centrelink online service or Express Plus Centrelink app.

If processing fails during the update, the activity will remain as a started Transaction or Activity on the customer’s record. A Note in the Customer First interaction history will provide more details about why the ‘not required to lodge’ update did not automatically complete.

See Recording not required to lodge advice and previous year income.

Customers can use their Centrelink online account for this option.

The About this service page will show who is eligible for this assistance and who can use this service.

Customers should not use this service if they:

• were on paid leave for the entire time they were out of the workforce
• have been single for the entire time out of the workforce. They may already be eligible for the maximum rate of FTB Part B, subject Part B primary earner income limit

They cannot use the service to update ex-partner details.

Information they will need:

• any periods of paid leave (for example, maternity leave, recreational leave or long service leave)
• work related insurance or compensation payments, or
• periods of income from self-employment

The customer selects this if they choose to continue.

If the customer has a current partner, the Who has returned to work? page will show.

• If, since 1 July 2005, the customer or their partner returned to work for the first time after a period out of the workforce, caring for an eligible child. The customer may not be eligible if:
• the child has previously been in the care of another person, and
• the other person has received this extra assistance for the child
• The customer needs to select the appropriate person and then click Continue

If the customer:

• Has eligible children, the page will show all children currently linked to the customer and partner records
• Select the relevant child. If caring for more than one child, select the child who last came into their care, e.g. youngest
• Confirm if this is the first return to work since the child was born or came into care
• Has no eligible children, they cannot continue. The service will tell the customer to contact if they believe they do have eligible children. Procedure ends here

The details on this page depend on whether or not the customer has previously notified the return to work.

If the customer wants to:

• advise new return to work details, go to Item 5
• update return to work details previously advised, go to Item 6

Enter details for the person who returned to work

• The date they ceased their previous employment
• The date they returned to work. If they did not work previously, they should leave this field blank (this question is not mandatory)
• Whether they are self-employed. If Yes, the service will send them a form to complete and return
• Whether they were working at least 10 hours per week on the return to work date. This will average over 4 weeks

Enter details for the person who returned to work:

• The date they (ceased their previous employment
• The date they returned to work
• Whether they are self-employed. If Yes, the service will send a form for them to complete and return
• Whether they were working at least 10 hours per week on the return to work date. This will average over 4 weeks

This page:

• shows a summary of the details the customer gave, and
• tells them they do not have to nominate a 'return to work' at this stage

If they are certain they will not return to work an average of 10 hours per week or more, they can make a nomination

Nomination

The 'return to work; date is the date they first worked after caring for the child. This will be the end date of the quarantine period. The customer will need to confirm their nomination in writing after the end of the financial year. Do they want to make a nomination?

• Yes, go to Item 8
• No, they will return to the entry page. Procedure ends here

Enter details of their main employer (or their self-employment):

• Employer's name (mandatory field)
• Employer's contact number, including area code (mandatory field)
• Employer's ABN
• Employer's address
• Town/suburb
• State - selection from a dropdown list
• Postcode

Click Continue button.

Enter details, including:

• Paid leave including:
• Recreational leave
• Annual leave
• Sick leave
• Personal leave
• Carer's leave
• Holiday leave
• Long service leave
• Leave loading
• Maternity leave
• Paternity leave
• Rostered days off
• Other payments received on termination of employment
• Work related insurance such as:
• Workers compensation payments
• Traffic accident compensation
• Sickness and accident policies
• Self-employment income
• A self-employed person may:
• be a sole trader
• be in a partnership
• be involved in a company or trust
• contract their services or equipment to other people
• work on a commission basis
• Customers who are self-employed may include:
• Primary producers
• Market gardeners
• Tradespeople
• Business owners
• Cottage/backyard industries
• Seasonal workers
• Contractors

There is space for the customer to provide details of 2 income periods. They can select Add more work related income periods. This will give them up to 20 income periods.

Continue.

This page will display a summary of the details the customer gave using the service. It will include:

• the relevant dates during which the customer (or their partner) was working, or self-employed
• whether they were working at least 10 hours per week (averaged over a 4 week period)
• the employer's details, or self-employment details)
• the periods of work related income

Declaration

The customer declares the details are correct and they understand that:

• they may need to verify the return to work:
• self-employment details, or
• a nomination of a return to work of less than 10 hours per week
• giving false information is a serious offence
• Centrelink can make enquiries to ensure the customer gets the correct payment
• they must advise within 14 days any changes to their circumstances

If they agree, they must check the box.

Select Submit button.

• The customer's Customer Reference Number (CRN)
• Their receipt number
• The date and time

This page also advises the customer that:

• their record is updated
• they will be told how this affects their FTB after the end of the financial year

The service will record a DOC on the customer's record.

The customer can print the page or return to the entry page.

Customers can complete the review using their Centrelink online account.

A customer must meet the HSFS requirements:

• during a financial year if they were receiving FTB Part A and
• they or their partner (if they have one) were receiving an income support payment
• has a child who has turned 4 years of age

Customers will receive an initial letter. It tells the customer their child needs to have a health check under the Healthy Start for School initiative.

When the customer gets the initial letter:

• the online option will be available
• they can use this option to record details of their child's health check status
• they can record Yes when the health check is complete

If they do not intend to have a health check for the child, they can record No. A warning will tell the customer:

• how it will affect their payment
• how much time they have to complete the health check

If:

• Child turns 4 years of age on or after 1 July 2018, see Healthy Start for School (HSFS) requirements from 1 July 2018
• Child turns 4 years of age during financial years 2011-12 to 2017-18, see Healthy Start for School (HSFS) requirements for financial years 2011-12 to 2017-18

Customers have 2 ways to access this service:

• Customers registered online can:
• record details using the Update Healthy Start for School option
• obtain a receipt number confirming the update
• amend a review response from 'No' to 'Yes' once the check is complete
• Customers not registered online can use the One Time Access Code. This code will be in their Healthy Start for School letter or reminder letter. Customers can:
• Record details using the Update Healthy Start for School option. Once updated, the review option will no longer be available. If the customer records 'No', only a Service Officer can amend the review response. The Service Officer can change the response to 'Yes' if the customer completes a health check
• Obtain a receipt number confirming the update

Customers will not be able to access this service when the notification timeframe expires.

Customers can use their Centrelink online account or Express Plus Centrelink Mobile app for this option.

See online guide, Centrelink online account help - Update your family income estimate and payment choice.

The service is available during self service hours of operation to most customers who receive:

• Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A or Part B (including status of CAN-OIS and CAN-ENR where the cancellation applied in the previous 12 weeks), or
• Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

Customers can use their Centrelink online account and Express Plus Centrelink app to:

• view their current family income estimate
• update their current family income estimate or their future financial year estimate between April and June
• provide an income estimate when FTB is cancelled due to Off Income Support (OIS) or Estimate Not Reasonable (ENR). Note: the system will attempt to automatically restore FTB payments once an income estimate has been provided if the customer or their partner are ISP current
• see how their new income estimate affects their payment
• access other online services (for example, Payment Choices)
• get a receipt number confirming their estimate has been updated

See Helping families provide a reasonable annual income estimate for family assistance payments.

Customers can read about this service by clicking on the relevant help links.

Customers can update their payment choice by:

• using the Payment Choices service, or
• selecting the Payment Choices link found in the Next Steps section on the receipt page after updating their family income estimate. This will redirect them to the Payment Choices service

It allows customers to view and/or update their payment choice for:

• Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A
• FTB Part B, or
• Rent Assistance (RA)

The service will recommend a payment choice based on the customer's details. Encourage customers to accept the recommended payment choice to avoid an overpayment. If they select a different choice, a warning of a possible overpayment will display.

Customers can use their Centrelink online account for this option.

Customers can view their:

• income estimates for the current financial year and their estimates and actual income for the past 4 financial years

The system will use the income estimates the customer provides during the financial year to determine the rate of:

• Family Tax Benefit (FTB), and/or
• Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

Customers can:

• view their actual income
• use these amounts as a starting point to:
• give a more accurate family income estimate
• choose an FTB payment option that suits their circumstances
• choose a CCS withholding percentage that suits their circumstances
• update their activity test details (ATD) for CCS

The service is available during Centrelink self service hours of operation. It allows any FTB or CCS customer to access the service. They can view their estimated and actual income for each of the last financial years on one page.

Actual income comprises income amounts received for the customer and partner (if applicable) from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).

Income components not provided by the ATO (that is, the components that are estimated) are only displayed as part of 'actual income' when:

• the ATO has confirmed taxable components, or
• the customer (and partner) declare they:
• are not required to lodge income tax returns (they have an exemption), and
• do not have an end date for this exemption

This page shows a breakdown of the income components for the selected actual income amount.

If the current partner has permission to enquire (PPE) set to:

• Yes, the partner column will show all income components as 'Not Available (N/A)' except for the partner's Total and the Combined total
• No, the partner column will show all individual components and the partner's Total as 'N/A'. Only the Combined total will display

The Estimates you provided page shows a breakdown of the income components for any selected estimate.

Customers can use Centrelink online account for this option.

Customers must have an active online account to use this service.

See online guide, Centrelink online account help - Update your child's education details for Family Tax Benefit.

To:

• Add new study details. See online guide, Centrelink online account help - Update your child's education details for Family Tax Benefit.
• Updating existing course details on the Edit Studies details page, see Item 2

The following questions will display and will pre-fill with existing course details. The customer can over-type:

• Is [Childs Name] enrolled in? Options to select:
• Full-time
• Less than full-time
• What is [Childs Name] education level? Defaults to Secondary
• Is [Childs Name] currently studying outside Australia? Options to select:
• Yes
• No
• What type of schooling is [Childs Name] undertaking? Options to select:
• State/private
• Registered home
• Overseas
• Did or will [Childs Name] start this course of study later than their 16th birthday? Options to select:
• Yes
• No
• What date did or will [Childs Name] start this course of study?
• Date [Childs Name] will complete Year 12 or equivalent, or date ceased study?

The following question will show if the customer has previously indicated their child has completed year 12:

• Is [Child's Name] repeating Year 12? Options to select:
• Yes
• No

The following question will show if the customer updates or adds a new course end date. This end date must be less than 28 days in the future:

• Has [Childs Name] completed a Year 12 or equivalent qualification or will [Childs Name] complete this qualification in the next 28 days? Options to select:
• Yes
• No

The customer must select the Next Button to add the updates.

This page will show because the customer selected that the child is studying overseas.

The following questions will show on this page:

• In which country is [Childs Name] studying?
• In which educational institution is [Childs Name] studying?
• What is the name of the course [Childs Name] is undertaking?

This will show when a customer enters enrolment details of 'less than full-time' on the Add/Edit study details page.

The following questions will show on this page:

• Is there a reason [Child's Name] is not in full-time education or training?
• Provide a reason why [Child's Name] is not in full-time education:
• What date did this circumstance begin?
• What date will this circumstance cease?

Displays the details provided by the customer for review.

The declaration must be accepted before they can submit the update.

A receipt number (if applicable) and the outcome of the service displays.

Customers will see one of the following:

• Successful Update - completed: This will confirm the service accepts their details. The customer will get a receipt number
• Successful Update - manual follow up: A Service Officer will need to apply the update. They will receive a receipt number. Workload Management System (WMS) will create a work item for follow-up
• Unsuccessful Update - SAP failure: An error with the SAP system is preventing the creation of the Interaction Record. No information will save. The customer will not get a receipt number