Update address, accommodation or contact details online 133-04150020

For how customers use this service, see online guide: Centrelink online account help - Update address, accommodation and contact details. A link to this guide is also available within the service.

Some customers are not eligible to use this service.

Customers can update details online up to 14 days before they change address. An error message shows if they enter a date more than 14 days in the future.

On the Update address, accommodation and contact details page, customers can select 'Update' to add, edit or remove their:

• permanent home address
• temporary address if they are living somewhere temporarily (they must enter start and end dates)
• term address (they must enter start and end dates)
• a postal address for their mail, or confirm this is the same as their home address

When they select 'Remove' to delete details, the customer needs to provide the end date for that address, except for postal addresses.

When a customer end dates their permanent address, this triggers a manual follow up. They will need to provide a postal address and a contact phone number.

Customers with mutual obligation requirements:

• may be asked about moving to an Area of Lower Employment Prospects (MALEP)
• who update a temporary address, are advised on the receipt page:
• the update they have made may not be immediately applied to their record. This update will be reviewed and they may be contacted if further information is required, and
• if they have an upcoming compulsory activity with a provider, but cannot attend because they live too far away, they must contact their provider. If they do not, their payments may be stopped or affected

Partnered customers

Partnered customers are asked if their partner is moving with them. If they select:

• Yes, their partner’s details will also be updated
• No, they are unable to proceed with the update and are given the following message:
  “You can't continue this update as your partner is not moving with you.
  We want to make sure we have the right information about you. If you have separated, you will need to complete a Separation Details (MOD S) form. Otherwise, please contact us to discuss your circumstances.”

When customers are asked if their partner is moving with them, the partner's full name is shown when they are linked to their record. This mitigates the risk of customers still being linked to a former partner and their record being updated. Because if the customer has experienced domestic violence from an ex-partner, they could discover the customer's address.

The current partner's first name only is shown in questions throughout the accommodation and contact details modules of this service.

This page shows for customers who:

• select a current nominee address on the Nominee Address Details Summary (NOADS) screen, or
• update or end-date the address being used as their nominee address on the Update address page

The customer needs to select or add the address for their nominee mail.

If a customer gets a care related payment and advises a change in home/temporary/term address, the workflow will ask questions about that care.

The questions depend on their caring circumstances. For example, is the care receiver moving with them?

If the customer provides care to more than one person, they must answer questions for each person.

The service creates a DOC when they finish the task. The DOC includes the answers they gave on the Caring for someone page.

On the Update address, accommodation and contact details page, customers can select 'Update' to add, edit or remove their:

• home phone number
• work phone number
• mobile phone number
• email address
• fax number
• other contact
• internet service provider (ISP) details:
• only Disability Support Pension customers under 21 years of age without dependent children, and
• Farm Household Allowance customers who meet eligibility to be paid the basic rate of Telephone Allowance (TAL)

When they select 'Remove' to delete details, the customer needs to provide the date these contact details stopped.

When customers add a new phone number, they are asked if this is:

• an international number
• a silent number

End dating their mobile number or email address can end their subscription to Centrelink letters online and Electronic Messaging.

Customers from Norfolk Island have a different format to their telephone numbers.

For how customers use this service, see online guide: Centrelink online account help - Update address, accommodation and contact details. A link to this guide is also available within the service.

Some customers are not eligible to use this service.

Customers can update details online up to 14 days before their circumstances change.
An error message shows if the date entered is more than 14 days in the future.

The Accommodation workflow starts if the customer:

• selects My details > Personal and contact details > Update accommodation details from the homepage menu
• selects Update accommodation details under Personal and contact details on the My profile page
• selects Update in the Accommodation tile on the Update address, accommodation and contact details page
• updates an address linked to accommodation details, or
• makes changes that require accommodation updates

The customer can choose to:

• update rent details
• update sharer details, or
• add new accommodation

Customers can update the following accommodation details outside of an address update:

• Add new sharer details
• Delete current sharer details
• Edit current rent or sharer details
• Home ownership and living circumstances details
• Member of a couple (MOCA) details

The customer chooses the address type/s they want to update accommodation details for:

• Home address
• Postal address
• Temporary or Term address

When the address type is selected, questions will follow based on the answers given by the customer. The customer will only be asked questions relevant to their circumstances. This may include questions about:

• Home ownership, see Item 4
• Accommodation circumstances, see Item 5
• Living arrangements, see Item 6
• Moving to an Area of Lower Employment Prospects (MALEP), see Item 7

The customer indicates:

• if they (or their partner) own or are paying off the home they live in. They are then asked if they pay site, ground or mooring fees for this home. For example, for a caravan, transportable, home or boat. They are also asked:
• if the home is on more than 2 hectares (5 acres)
• if the property has more than one title
• if any part of the property is used to produce income
• if the home is owned by a private trust or private company
• if they live with their parents (some customers under 25 years)
• if they own or are paying off a home but live somewhere else at the moment. They must enter the date they vacated their home and the reason
• if they do not own the home they live in. They are then asked if they live in a fully self-contained unit, flat or caravan on the same block as their parent's home. If they answer yes or meet non accommodated person rules, they are asked rent questions

The customer chooses the option which best describes where they live:

• Government or community housing
• Private accommodation where they pay rent, board, lodgings, site fees or other fees, living in a boarding or guest house, hostel, hotel, campus or similar
• Retirement or care facility which provides nursing care. This will trigger a manual follow up
• Mobile home
• Emergency accommodation or homeless
• Free accommodation

They must answer further questions about their accommodation to find out if they qualify for Rent Assistance (RA).

The customer indicates if they share accommodation with other people. This does not include their partner or children.

If they do, they are asked:

• if any of the people they live with own the home at the new address
• if they share with any of the following people over the age of 16:
• Partner
• Immediate family
• Other family (aunt, uncle, cousin, in-laws)
• Boyfriend or girlfriend
• Non-binary relationship
• Friend or housemate
• Other

If they are sharing with a person over 16 who is not a relative, they are asked if they:

• previously lived together
• shared guardianship of any children, or
• shared financial commitments

If they answer Yes it will create a manual follow up.

MALEP assessments are currently suspended indefinitely and the MALEP workflow is not being used.

This workflow is triggered if the customer:

• receives or is claiming JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (YA) job seeker Disability Support Pension (DSP) or provisional, and
• does not meet requirements on their new home address:
• they moved to a major metropolitan area of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide, or
• they moved within the suburb/locality and same postcode
• they moved to an area where the unemployment rate is less than 2% higher than their 'home' area

Update your address, accommodation or contact details - Moving to a new location page

They select the reason for moving:

• moving to be with or near an immediate family member
• moving to accept a definite job offer
• moving because a doctor has recommended that I, or a member of my immediate family, move for health reasons
• moving because of extreme circumstances
• moving for other reasons

Their answers are used to assess the Moving to an Area of Lower Employment Prospects (MALEP) employment related exclusion period.

On this page, the customer can select:

• Review and submit updates to submit their changes. See Item 2
• Cancel updates if they no longer want to update their details or need to start again. Procedure ends here

The system will cancel their changes if they do not submit them by the date advised.

This page shows for the customer to confirm details they have provided.

• contact telephone details
• internet service provider details if they are in receipt of DSP and under 21 without dependent children
• email address details
• accommodation details

If the details:

• are not correct, they can select the Edit button to update those details
• are correct, they can select Next to go to the Submit your update page

On this page, the customer needs to read and accept the declaration, then select Submit.

When submitted, the customer gets a receipt that includes the following:

• Receipt ID
• their nearest service centre
• their next payment (if applicable)
• information they need to know based on their circumstances

Depending on the details the customer updates, one of the following messages will show at the top of their receipt page:

• Your Address, Accommodation and Contact details update has been successfully completed. The update has finalised and no further action is required
• We need to assess the update before it can be applied to your record. You will be contacted if further information is required. Staff intervention is required for this update to finalise
• Your Address, Accommodation and Contact details update has been successfully completed but you still have outstanding tasks to complete. See below for further information. There are outstanding tasks that must be completed before this update will finalise

Customers can select Information you provided to check what is included in their update.

A Next steps task will show if they need to provide evidence to support their update. They are advised that if they do not complete these tasks, their payment may stop. The service creates a Required task that:

• tells them what they need to provide
• sends a form through an online letter or by post, if required
• tells them to upload the document and shows the:
• due date, and
• Upload button

If a Rent Certificate is issued it will be available to download from the Request a document service within 48 hours after the update is applied to their record.

An outstanding task will appear on their Centrelink online account homepage or Express Plus Centrelink mobile app home screen until they have completed it.

For further information about verifying rent, see Completing the Accommodation Details (AC) screen and assessing Rent Assistance (RA).

A pending online update is any address, accommodation or contact details update previously made online by a customer that is:

• on hold
• waiting for manual action by staff
• in QMA
• in progress

When a customer has a pending online update, they will see the following message on the Update address, accommodation and contact details page the next time they access it:

’We need to assess the update before it can be applied to your record. You will be contacted if further information is required.’

This message aims to discourage customers from submitting unnecessary duplicate updates. It does not prevent them from making duplicate updates.

Customers can select View details to view the receipt page of their pending update. This also shows the details they updated.