Employer Services Officer (ESO) role in setting up employer withholding (EW) linking 277-04140020

There are 2 linking referral intrays for ESOs:

• New Org Link
• Employer Linking Referral

If the link intray is a NEW Org Link:

• complete searches in Cuba to make sure the record does not exist
• create a new organisation record in Cuba

If there is a pending s120 notice, do not wait for a response:

• Action the link referral intray as required
• Record relevant details gathered when actioning the linking referral in the Collection window as a response to the s120 notice

Is the linking referral for a customer who is already linked?

• Yes, see Table 6, Step 6
• No, go to Step 3

If the linking referral does not have the required information, do not send the linking referral back. Complete searches to get the relevant information. If the customer needs to be contacted, contact the referring Service Officer.

Are Centrelink deductions in place?

• Yes:
• end the Centrelink Deduction,
• go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 4

The customer can be linked using STP if the linking referral was created from a:

• POSSIBLE EW – SINGLETOUCHPAYROLL intray or
• POSSIBLE EWA – SINGLETOUCHPAYROLL intray.

Review the:

• Source of employment information for Single Touch Payroll (STP)
• Collection window for the entry, New Information found – Single Touch Payroll

If the link was created as a result of a SINGLETOUCHPAYROLL intray and the notepad has not been copied into the Collection window, go to Step 5

Have both of the STP linking referral criteria been met?

• Yes, process the link as Single Touch Payroll (STP), go to Step 6
• No, go to Step 7

Is the POSSIBLE EW (or POSSIBLE EWA) -SINGLETOUCHPAYROLL intray still on the customer record?

• Yes, copy the notepad into the Collection window, for documentation coding, see Step 4 in Create linking referral and end EW table of Service Officer role in setting up EW linking
• No, notify a team leader for escalation to National ICS. National ICS will copy the details into the Collection window and respond to the team leader.

ESOs use the Staff Feedback Tool to provide feedback to the referring Service Officer.

Check the following details in the Collection window:

• the details match the customer and employer on the link referral
• there are no anomalies in the details, including the pay cycle and pay date
• there is a ‘Y’ in the Derived income greater than PEA: field
• there is a ‘N’ value in the Labour hire: field
• there is no duplicate ABN listed in Cuba

If these conditions are met and the employer has:

• had an active link in the past 12 months, see Table 5
• not had an active link in the past 12 months, see Table 3, Step 4

If these conditions are not met, contact the employer to confirm employee and employer details. See Table 2.

Contact the employer within 2 business days of receiving the link referral intray, see Table 2, Step 2.

Confirm and/or clarify the details from the STP data, if there is:

• an anomaly with the data, get clarification from the employer on the identified issue
• a ‘N’ in the Derived income greater than PEA field, check if the customer regularly gets more than the protected earning amount (PEA)
• a ‘Y’ in the Labour hire field, ask about the employment arrangement:
• Are they an independent contractor, paid periodically with PAYG withheld?
• Contract arrangement, for example, length of contract, payment method to see if a link is appropriate
• If there is a duplicate ABN in Cuba contact may be needed to identify the correct Cuba record

Determine how to contact the employer:

• If the employer is registered for Child Support Business Online Services (CSBOS), go to Step 3
• Contact by phone if an alternate process has not previously been set up, go to Step 5

Confirm and update the following:

• the customer is:
• in receipt of salary and wages
• in receipt of Parental Leave Payment (PPL) and/or employer funded maternity/paternity payments
• in receipt of ongoing compensation
• an independent contractor who is paid periodically with PAYG withheld. Confirm the contract arrangement, for example, length of contract, payment method
• the employer's:
• ABN
• company, business or trading name
• postal address
• telephone contact name and number
• the customer's:
• average hours and hourly rate, to determine the Protected Earnings Amount (PEA)
• payroll ID
• pay cycle - to create or update a pay cycle, see Table 4, Step 4
• next pay date and the period covered by that pay date
• employment status for example, full time, part-time, casual, subcontractor, commission, no longer or never employed
• date of commencement of the current employment status
• contact details are correct
• the employer confirms a different name than is in Cuba
• the customer’s legal name must be confirmed with the Employer
• issue a notice with the customer’s legal name, as this will be stated in the notices. See the Resources page for examples of customer legal name
• the employer unable to confirm legal name that is in Cuba. Respond to the link advising, the link is unable to be completed due to the name difference

Determine how to contact the employer:

• If the employer is registered for Child Support Business Online Services (CSBOS) and their letter channel preference is online, go to Step 4
• Phone contact if an alternate process has not previously been set up, go to Step 5
• Issue an EF1 where an employer
• has previously requested this process, or
• phone contact is unsuccessful
• go to Step 6

Send a message to the employer through the CSAOnline inbox. Include the body of the Confirmation of Single Touch Payroll letter produced by the Employer Contact Letter macro.

Note: an APS6 needs to approve messages using unique text.

Use the Employer withholding (linking) macro to document the response in the Employer Relationship window.

Did the employer give the details?

• Yes, see Table 3
• No, and an EF1 is needed, go to Step 6

Issue an EF1 via CSBOS. A CSAOnline Employer Quest intray will create. Do not delete the intray.

The employer receives an email notification: Unactioned Confirmation of a Person's Employment (EF1). Employers can submit their response via CSBOS.

If the employer does not submit a response within 5 days, they will receive a reminder email. The CSBOS ESO needs to contact the employer to follow up the EF1. They can:

• get the employment details by phone, or
• help the employer to submit a response through CSBOS

Document the response in the Employer Relationship window.

Did the employer give the required details?

• Yes, see Table 3
• No, go to Step 8

ESOs must:

• ensure they are speaking to the appropriate person by asking for a full name and title before discussing any personal information
• remind the employer of the confidentiality requirements of the discussion
• tell the employer the call may be recorded and listened to for quality assurance and training purposes

See Contact with Child Support customers.

If the contact was unsuccessful, document unsuccessful contact attempts in the Organisation/Employer Communication window. Go to Step 6

If the contact number is for a third party who won’t give contact details for the employer, send an FS30.00 – s120 to External Organisation.

Encourage the employer to give the details over the phone. If they will not give the details over the phone and the referral was received through STP, explain which fields in the EF1 to complete. If the employer will accept the notice by fax, request:

• a contact name
• telephone number
• a secure fax number
• the EF1 be returned within 2 business days, 7 days, if posting

See Resources for Digital Faxing Instruction.

Will the employer give the details over the phone?

• Yes, use the Employer withholding (linking) macro to record the conversation on the Employer Relationship window. See Table 3
• No, go to Step 6

For STP links, send the Confirmation of Single Touch Payroll letter. Only ask for the details that need clarifying.

For non STP links, send an EF1 to the employer if they:

• have requested all contact be in writing
• will not give the details over the phone
• cannot be contacted by phone

Where contact with the employer has been made and they ask the EF1 be emailed, offer Secure Messaging.

If the employer will not accept the notice by fax send the letter through Cuba.

Allow the customer time to respond. See Standard response times.

If sending by fax, telephone the contact person to confirm they received the fax.

Document contact attempts and discussion with the employer in the:

• Employer Relationship window, and
• Employer/Organisation Communication window

If the existing organisation does not have the appropriate attributes, add the relevant attributes.

Note: a Duplicate Warning alert dialogue box will appear if there is an s120 notice pending. If the notice is asking for the same details as the EF1, contact the employer:

• to get the information, and
• tell them not to respond to the s120 notice

If employer contact is unsuccessful or they will not give the details over the phone, wait for a response to the s120. Do not send the link back to the Service Officer while waiting for the s120 response.

See Standard response times.

Has the employer completed the EF1?

• Yes, see Table 3
• No, go to Step 7

If the employer has not responded to the EF1 after 2 business days, contact them by phone.

Ask if they received the EF1. If the EF1 was not received confirm and if needed update their:

• address
• fax number
• email, for CSBOS employers

If the notice was not received or completed:

• encourage the employer to give the details over the phone. For STP links, only ask for the information that needs confirming. If they will not give the details over the phone:
• fax another EF1
• call to confirm they got the fax
• document the action in the Employer Relationship window and Organisation Detail window
• document the response to the EF1 in the Employer Relationship window
• document any changes to employer details in the Organisation Detail window. To action employer detail updates, see Table 4

If the employer does not want to give the details, go to Step 8.

ESO contacts the employer/ employer representative by phone:

• ask questions to ensure they:
• are speaking with the employer/employer representative, and
• have authority to act on behalf of the employer
• if the employer/employer representative neither confirms nor denies receipt of an EF1, send another EF1, document the actions
• explain to the employer/employer representative that an EF1 is a legal notice issued under s120 of the Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988
• ensure that they are aware they are required to respond to a legal notice
• explain to the employer that there are penalties for failing to respond

Allow the customer time to respond. See Standard response times.

If the employer has not responded 14 days after the initial EF1 was issued and contact attempts have been made in line with Contact with Child Support customers:

• issue a PAD 1-1 Notice for Failure to Return Questionnaire
• address the letter to the correct legal contact officer for the organisation, not the payroll officer

Report Suspected Fraud, if the employer refuses to give the required details 7 days after sending the PAD 1-1 Notice for Failure to Return Questionnaire and attempting follow up contact. Complete the EFI Non Compliance referrals template.

Is the customer employed?

• Yes, determine if EW is appropriate, go to Step 2
• No, the employer advises the customer:
• is no longer employed, go to Step 3
• never been employed, see Table 6, Step 2

Check:

• there is an ongoing collectable liability, a child support debt, child support related debt, or carer debt (an overpayment), and:
• the customer's expected weekly earnings exceed the PEA by an amount great enough to support child support deductions. Still consider EW for customers who have no or minimal debt, and do not regularly earn above PEA. EW may be more appropriate than collection via a s72A, and
• the amount that will be deducted by the employer is greater than $20 per month for this employee

Note: if the deduction is less than $20/month and there is no documentation to explain why, refer the matter to the Service Officer's team leader via email for investigation. See Debt repayment.

If the employer pays an additional maternity or paternity payment in addition to the Parental Leave Pay, the PEA is applied to the total payment that the customer receives, not the individual components.

EW is not an appropriate collection method if the customer is a:

• sole trader, consider other collection avenues
• contractor with no PAYG arrangement with their employer. Consider issuing a 72A notice. EW is appropriate if they are a contractor with a PAYG arrangement
• partner in a contracting partnership, not in receipt of wages. Consider issuing a 72A notice

Note: if the customer has no on-going liability and an outstanding debt will be recovered in one deduction, refer the customer back to the Service Officer to consider a s72A. See Collection of child support debts through third parties (s72A and s72AC).

Is EW appropriate?

• Yes, and the employer has:
• had a link in the previous 12 months, see Table 5
• not had a link in the previous 12 months, go to Step 4
• No, see Table 5, Step 2

If the customer is no longer employed, ask the employer for:

• the BSB and account number used to pay their wages. If the employer declines to provide the full account number, request the BSB only
• contact details of the customer, and
• new employment details

If the employer provides new employment details:

• do not send the link back to the referring Service Officer to create a new linking referral
• generate a linking referral, see Table 6, Step 4

Check if the new employer is locked and case managed:

• if not, link the customer to the new employer
• if they are locked and case managed:
• create a Linking Referral intray, asking the customer be linked to the employer
• refer the linking request action back to the owning Service Officer

If no new employment details are given, see Table 5, Step 2

Using the Employer withholding (linking) macro to guide the employer conversation. Explain to the employer:

• Where to find information on Services Australia website
• The payment details is included in the letter sent to them
• Their obligations, including payments can be made by the pay date, but must be received no later than the 7th of the month following deductions
• The consequences of non-compliance
• The Employer Handbook referenced in the letter is no longer available

For links completed without contact though STP, keep the employer locked until after this conversation.

If the employer is a new organisation or details have changed for an existing organisation:

• record the details in the Organisation Detail window, and
• update the Organisation Details window

If new contact details are provided for the customer:

• create a Linking Response intray on the customer
• record the contact details in the intray notepad
• the intray auto routes to either the:
• customers case manager, or
• position the customer is locked to

Duplicate records can be viewed by ticking the Show Duplicates check box in the Organisation List window.

If a duplicate record is located, deactivate the record as follows:

• delink any linked employees and link to correct CSRN
• route any unactioned intrays on duplicate to correct organisation and owning ESO
• remove ABN from Organisation window
• update status to duplicate
• remove all attributes from the duplicate employer record and add correct CSID to attributes comment line, see Maintain employer/organisation record Cuba Process Help, Manage employer attributes
• document in the Organisation window notepad details of the duplicate and include correct CSRN for reference
• check employer account for any outstanding amounts, for example Top Up, Excess Cash, Con Rev Debt, unallocated payments and resolve these accounting issues
• lock duplicate organisation/employer to inactive position in ES team
• do not remove the employer address

When an organisation is identified as ceased trading and has an outstanding debt, check if they are undergoing insolvency. If so, see Employers that have gone into liquidation

Where the organisation is not involved in a liquidation process and has ceased trading:

• check if there are any other linked employees. If there are, delink all employees and ascertain if they are now employed by an associated organisation. Link to the organisation, if appropriate, see Table 6, Step 4
• change the employer status to ceased trading
• remove all attributes from the employer. See Maintain employer/organisation record Cuba Process Help, Manage employer attributes
• document in the Organisation window notepad details of the notification/identification of the ceased trading status

If the employer has a debt to the department follow the failure to remit process. See Employer withholding reconciliation and top up.

If the employer does not have a debt, lock the employer to:

• OFFICE: NATIONAL OFFICE
• STREAM/TEAM: SEW NAT EMP SERVICES
• POSITION: A – ES DUPES/CEASED

If the business is operating under the same name, but different ABN:

• create a new Cuba record, and
• follow the cease trading process on the old record

Only amend the ABN on an employer’s Cuba record to correct an error.

If the pay cycle is weekly, fortnightly, 4 weekly, monthly or calendar monthly, see Maintain Employer/Organisation Record Cuba Process Help.

Links can only be made for the following pay cycles:

• weekly
• fortnightly
• 4 weekly
• monthly
• calendar monthly

These are defined as payment periods in the Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988. See References.

Any other pay cycles are considered non-standard and employer withholding cannot be established. Examples of non-standard pay cycles include:

• twice-monthly (rather than fortnightly), or
• bi-monthly (once every 2 months)

At times, an employee may have a standard pay cycle, but may not work every 1 of those pay cycles. For example, works 3 weeks and has 1 week off. Where this occurs for a standard pay cycle only and where an s72A will not be an effective method of collection for a small or no debt, employer withholding may be appropriate.

Note: customers employed under a fly in fly out (FIFO) arrangement are not automatically excluded from being linked. Employer contact is required to decide if the pay cycle meets the requirements.

Where employer withholding is not a suitable payment option. Consider collection via s72A. See Collection of child support debts through third parties (s72A and s72AC).

Link the customer to the employer and establish EW. See Employer withholding (linking) Cuba Process Help.

Note: where there is a s72A notice in place and the STP criteria is met, withdraw the notice and complete the link.

Update the Employer Relationship window using details:

• provided by the employer, and/or
• from the Single Touch Payroll details in the Collection window (for STP links only)

If no employer contact was required due to STP processing, the notepad should state:

• it was linked as per STP details in the Collection window, and
• the action date in the Collection window of the relevant entry

Processing the link automatically deletes the Linking Referral and Employer Linking Referral intrays. .

Was EWA requested?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, go to Step 4

If a link is not appropriate:

• document the reasons for not proceeding in the:
• Employer Relationship window, and
• Employer/Organisation Communication window
• in the Employer Relationship window:
• Clear the details to enable future linking
• Update the Employment status
• See Employer withholding (linking) Cuba Process Help

If the referring Service Officer has requested that a payment arrangement be added for arrears, check response:

• selected is Yes or No in the Customer Contacted box in the Linking Referral window
• reflects in the Payment Arrangement window. The response for the Customer Contacted will issue the correct letter based on whether contact has been made

If an information box appears requesting if a Service Officer is delegated to approve the arrangement, check:

• the required delegation is above your level:
• Select No in the information box
• In the Payment Arrangement Approval Required intray notepad, record the payment arrangement needs approving
• Route the Payment Arrangement Approval Required intray to Service Officer
• the required delegation is at your level:
• Select Yes in the information box
• Record the EWA arrangement via the Payment Arrangement - Client window
• Go to Step 4

Check the customer and employer letters are correct. See Letters Cuba Process Help, View or preview a letter.

Customer:

• PAD7-2 - Copy of Schedule to Employer
• PAD6-2 - Schedule of Child Support deductions
• CE03-2 - Payer Payment Arrangement-Interim (if EWA is established)

Employer:

• PAD6-1- Employer Withholding introductory letter to commence deductions
• PAD7-3 – Covering letter to employer to notify change to deductions
• PAD6-2 – Schedule of Child Support deductions

If a linking referral is successfully actioned and EW/EWA established, the Collection window will update to reflect this information. There is no need to notify the Service Officer.

In all other circumstances create and route a Linking/Attributes Response intray to advise the referring Service Officer of the outcome of the link referral.

Bring the intray date forward 2 business days. Record in the notepad the reasons why the link did not occur such as:

• EW is not appropriate for example, due type of employment - casual, contractor
• the customer is not employed
• the customer is in receipt of PLP which are due to expire on a particular date and the employer has advised the customer will not be receiving paid leave or returning to work after PLP ceases
• a s72A is required
• authorisation is required for EWA
• there is Stop Withholding indicator
• the customer is on a non-standard pay cycle

Include other relevant details such as:

• a reference to where full details are recorded for example, Employer Relationship window and/or Collection window
• new customer contact details or bank account details provided by the employer, and
• hourly rate of pay and average hours worked. This will help the Service Officer determine an appropriate s72a rate

Procedure ends here for ESOs.

An EW arrangement may need amending after receiving details from the customer or the employer. Document the details received in the Employer Relationship window.

New deduction schedules automatically issue to the employer when there is a change to the liability.

Changes to the nature of the customers/employer relationship are updated in the Employer Relationship window. If a new pay cycle or attributes need to be added to the employer, see Manage employer pay cycles and Manage employer attributes tables of Maintain Employer/Organisation Record Cuba Process Help.

Note: where changes are made to a customer's employer withholding arrangement and the payee is New Zealand Inland Revenue Child Support (NZIRCS), delete all generated payee letters. NZIRCS payees are identified where the address fields are 'NZ IN CASE' - 'DO NOT TOUCH' - 'NEW ZEALAND'.

End (delink) employer withholding when:

• the customer ceases employment
• the conditions of employment change so that EW cannot continue. For example the customer becomes an independent contractor with no PAYG arrangement with their employer
• the customer's employment changes and because of the PEA, EW is not an efficient collection method
• the customer’s employer changes and it is no longer appropriate to be linked to the previous employer
• the customer's PLP entitlement has ended and the customer is not receiving paid leave or returning to work
• the customer is deceased
• the case has ended, and there is no debt
• the case has become private collect, and there is no debt
• an ongoing deduction of zero is requested, and there is no debt
• the youngest child of the case has turned 18 and there has been no application to extend the assessment past the age of 18, unless a debt remains and EWA is already in place. Note: a new linking requests is needed if an A18 application is accepted after the child turns 18

In the above circumstances EW must be ended as soon as possible. A customer's privacy may be breached if notices continue to be sent to an employer when they should have stopped.

Do not end EW when a debt remains payable and:

• the case has ended
• becomes private collect, or
• an ongoing deduction of zero is requested

If EWA is:

• in place, deductions can continue at the same rate to repay the amount. Cuba will calculate the expected deduction for employer account reconciliation purposes and issue the correct letters
• not in place, this must be requested. Create an EW Arrears intray on the customer for action to be taken (a notepad is not required)

If an employer verbally advises the customer is no longer employed, use the Employer withholding (linking) macro to document the details on the Employer Relationship window, and:

• if deductions are made under a s72A notice, withdraw the notice
• they provide new employment information, go to Step 4
• there is a debt, go to Step 5
• there is no debt, go to Step 7

If the EW is to end due to a change in the case, or we have been advised other than verbally by the employer, go to Step 7.

If nil deductions have been received, go to Step 3.

Note: International Services uses the EW function to manage payments received from New Zealand Inland Revenue Child Support (NZIRCS) from customers living in New Zealand. However, NZIRCS is not an employer.

If nil deductions have been received due to PEA or CASL reason codes for 4 consecutive months, check the notepad to make sure the variation reason code was used appropriately. Do not assume due to a previous reconciliation.

If the variation codes are correct, contact the employer. Ask the employer if the PEA or CASL is expected to be ongoing.

Is PEA or CASL expected to be ongoing?

• Yes, create a Collection Activity Required intray on the customer for the collection method to be reviewed
• No, or the employer has not responded after 14 days, check what action has occurred and delink the paying parent

If the employer provides new employment details for the customer, check the new employer details in Cuba:

• If the new employer does not exist in Cuba:
• create a new organisation record
• attempt to re-link the customer to the new employer, and
• re-key the payment arrangement (EWA) as per previous link
• If the new employer is not locked and case managed:
• attempt to re-link the customer to the new employer, and
• re-key the payment arrangement (EWA) as per previous link
• If the new employer is locked and case managed:
• create a Linking Referral intray for action
• refer the linking request action back to the owning Service Officer

If a debt remains payable when the EW is to end, check with the employer if a lump sum will become available to satisfy the debt or part of the debt.

Note: ESOs can only issue a notice for bank details if the customer is no longer employed or ceasing employment. The employer may have provided the customer’s bank details on a previous EF1 notice.

A lump sum may become available if the customer:

• is likely to have holiday pay owing
• is likely to have a payment for the termination of employment
• accepted a redundancy package in advance of retirement
• is retiring after the age of 55 because there is a high probability that they will receive a lump sum entitlement at severance

If a lump sum is available, check the customer's Cuba account to determine if there are arrears owing.

If debt remains and will not be satisfied by the final EW/EWA payment ask the employer for the following details:

• total lump sum net payment amount
• the date of the payment
• time of the payment, if it will be made that day or the next day
• what the final EW deductions will be because this will be taken into account to determine the outstanding amount payable

Tell the employer they may receive a notice to collect further funds.

Note: do not discuss details about customer debt with the employer.

Use the Employer withholding (linking) macro to document details provided by the employer in the Employer Relationship window.

Is there a lump sum opportunity?

• Yes, send the referral to the Lump Sum team
• No, go to Step 7

Do not process the delink first if an Employer Linking Referral or New Org Link intray is received for a customer where EW is already established.

• Delinking first will delete the intray. This can be an issue where the Employer Relationship window is accessed through the linking intray
• When this occurs and the ESO returns to the intray list, there will be no record of the customer or the link. The customer record does not appear in the Cuba access history
• To reduce the risk of losing a linking referral, if a link is accessed through the intray and it is identified a delink is required:
• copy the customer’s CSRN and return to the intray list
• access the customer record, from the Cuba front screen
• process the delink

For a New Org Link, by using this method, if the intray deletes, a history of accessing the customer’s record remains visible in Cuba.

End EW, see Delink a customer table in Employer withholding (linking) Cuba Process Help.

When EW has been ended an intray automatically creates to alert the Service Officer of the delink.

Note: do not delink customers who are linked to NZIRCS or create intrays on the organisational CSID for NZIRCS. If a customer needs to be delinked from NZIRCS, email International Disbursements Team. The email must identify the customer's reference number and the reason for delinking. International Mainstream Customer Services will manage delinks from NZIRCS.

Check the customer and employer letters are correct.

Customer:

• PAD7-2 - Copy of Schedule to Employer
• PAD6-2 - Schedule of Child Support deductions

Employer:

• PAD7-1 – Employer schedule of deductions – Notice to stop deductions
• PAD6-2 - Schedule of Child Support deductions

Check the Employer Relationship window to ensure all necessary details have been documented, such as:

• reason for delink
• bank account details, and
• new employment details