Finalising a change of assessment (COA) application 277-03120040

Customers may make agreements before, during and after the COA application has been lodged.

Note: an agreement is taken to be 'made' on the last date the agreement was signed.

For limited agreements made:

• before the COA application was lodged
• the annual rate must be equal to or greater than the annual rate payable under the assessment
• action the agreement as per Agreements between Child Support customers
• at the same time or after the COA application was lodged
• decide if it is just and equitable to accept the agreement, see the References page for a link to the Child Support Guide 2.6.17, Would a change be just and equitable?
• make a determination about the provisional notional assessment as this will determine the rate of FTB payable to eligible Part A customers

Binding agreements that are properly made before or after the COA application was lodged must be accepted.

Immediately action a COA application lodged against a provisional notional assessment (PNA) where an agreement has already been accepted.

Decision Makers (DM) liaise with Agreement Service Officers when an agreement is received during the COA process and after a decision has been made. Agreement Service Officers ensure the agreement meets legislative requirements and undertake Cuba functions such as recording the agreement and processing decisions and outcomes.

To provide customers with certainty and consistency, a COA decision should be made to cover the longest period possible while giving due consideration to the circumstances of the case and the objectives of the Child Support Scheme.

When assessing if a longer term decision is appropriate it is important to consider the circumstances of the case and the grounds of the application.

It is important to remember that the type of decision and how the decision gives effect to a variation will also affect the administrative options available. Some longer term decisions can be made while still providing a relatively high level of flexibility.