Management of documents sent to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) 277-09180030

Document preparation – all ART Appeal reviews

Every review will have notepads, letters and documents. There are a handful of specific notepads, letters, documents and Cuba screen prints to be included in addition, depending on the type of decision being reviewed.

For help see an SSO/Team Leader.

Table 1

ART document standards

Description

Order of document content

Prepare all documents in this order

Index (via electronic bookmarks)
ART Record of application
Written ART application if provided by applicant to ART
Objection decision letter/s and Statement of Reasons (objection decision)
Child Support Assessment notice (if objection resulted in changes to liability rates)
Relevant other letters, documents and notepads in chronological order (Oldest to Newest)
Cuba Screen Prints

Standard letters, documents and notepads

Include in all documents

Notepads relevant to the original decision, include all:

phone conversations
attempted contacts
contact letters
documents provided by both parties

Copies of any child support sourced information, relied upon in the making of the original decision, e.g. payslips or group certificates
Notepad recording the original decision. This is not required if the full text of the original decision is included in letters
All conversations that advised the parties of their objection rights to the decision under review
Letters to both parties notifying them of the original decision including the attached assessment notices
Any relevant letters/notices (e.g. New Child Support Period, Assessment Notices etc.) which have bearing on the decision under review
Copy of objection documents received from the objector, including:

the written objection (or notepad capturing the verbal objection if care)
any submitted evidence to support the claims

Copy of acknowledgement letter to objector
Copy of ROR letter sent to respondent
Copy of any responses received to the objection from the other party
Copies of any letters exchanging additional evidence during the objection process
Copies of any additional child support sourced information, relied upon in the making of the objection decision, e.g. payslips or group certificates
Notepads recording:

conversations and documents provided relating to the objection
objection decision discussions with both parties
relevant conversations with either party after the objection decision

Copies of any relevant information received after the objection decision

See A to Z list of extra inclusions for specific appeal types.

Cuba screen prints

In most cases letters and notices will contain sufficient information, however if the Service Officer identifies that a Cuba screen print contains relevant information that has not otherwise been provided, it should be included.

Document preparation – specific appeal types

A to Z list of extra inclusions for specific appeal types

Notepads, letters, documents and Cuba screen prints to consider for the type of decision being appealed.

Table 2

Term

Relevant period

Items to include when building an ART file

Extension of assessment/agreement after age 18 (A18)

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

letters sent to customers 3 months before the child turned 18 advising they can apply for an extension
Customer Application Details window
Child Details window for A18 child

ART EOT – S93(2) documents for ART extension of time to appeal

When a customer has lodged a request for review by the ART, and the application was lodged outside of the ART time limits, the ART will need to consider whether to grant an extension of time to appeal (EOT to appeal).

The document will be prepared in the same manner as if it is being prepared for a substantive matter. Refer to the relevant

‘Special Variations’ for the substantive appeal type of the underlying decision in dispute.

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

all conversations/contacts where the option to apply for an ART review was discussed, whether during or after the objection decision
any discussions, notepads or documents provided by the customer about the reasons for the delay in making the appeal to the ART

Note: only send documents to the ART. Do not send documents to either party. If the ART grants the EOT, then a new review number will be provided, and the updated documents will then be provided to the party/s to the review.
Redactions: should apply in the same manner as a substantive matter.

Agreement

The relevant period for an Agreement will depend on what aspect of the Agreement is in dispute
For:

Acceptance of the Agreement – relevant period is from the start date or made on date of the agreement
Particulars of the agreement applying (or not applying) – relevant period is from the date which the objecting party believes Agreement clause should have been applied (or should not have been applied)
Agreement suspension/termination due to the payee under the agreement ceasing to be an eligible carer – relevant period is from the date the Agreement payee ceased to be an eligible carer
Termination of, or refusal to terminate, an Agreement due to clause/s within the Agreement – relevant period is from date the Agreement has been ended (or the date from which the objecting party believes the Agreement should have been ended)

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

copy of the Agreement and Legal Certificates (if applicable)
copy of the application for acceptance of the Agreement or the Cuba notepad if verbal application for acceptance
Periodic rates, Formula Modification, Inflation and Clauses window where applicable to the agreement
the latest, and previous, Notional Assessment and Provisional Notional Assessment windows and letters are only required if the objection decision being reviewed is the termination of a Limited Agreement due to changes to the Notional Assessment (or the refusal of a request to terminate the Agreement due to changes to the Notional Assessment). In that case a copy of the written election attempting to elect to terminate the Limited Agreement should also be included

Application for Assessment (disputed on grounds other than parentage)

The relevant period for an appeal against the Application for Assessment is from the date the application.

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

MAFA retrieved from Pluto
copy of contact letters issued during registration process
if the application for assessment was refused as a care decision found no party was an eligible carer, include that care decision

Care

The relevant period for a Care appeal is from the date of event of the original change in care, up to the time a new care decision is made.
Care details are also needed for the care period preceding the relevant period.

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

notepad which recorded the original notification of the care change
if the original decision was made by Centrelink, information and documents from Centrelink systems
if the original decision was made by SGT or IC, check Customer First for information, letters, evidence (unless they are duplicated in Cuba and already a part of the document)
copy of court orders or parenting plans which are relevant to care (these may pre-date the relevant period)
Family court reports are not to be included unless relevant
If care percentage at registration is under review MAFA retrieved from Pluto
Care window using the ‘ALL CARE’ view type for each child subject to the decision in the relevant period. Each care period to be highlighted and captured in turn. For each care period, include the information behind the ‘Use Date’ button

Change of Assessment (COA)

The relevant period for a Part 6A COA appeal is from 18 months before the original COA application through until

now, or the end of the RVA.

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

copy of the application, and any cross application, for Change of Assessment made by either parent or the Registrar (CTP)
all relevant documents stored in the CTP, COA and Objection Electronic Document
copy of all particulars in regards to a decision to credit or not credit a relevant NAP, including related Communication notepad entries (e.g. Reason 2, 3 and 5)
any information, evidence or documents supplied for other processes which may contain relevant information, such as hardship applications and debt repayment negotiations
relevant land title searches and information from litigation or other referrals (Reason 5 or 8)
notepads discussing topics that may be relevant to the COA reason such as, care, caring obligations, new employment, moving address, quitting employment etc.
Formula Modification window – select ‘Display All’
Clauses and inflation window if present
Case Collection Details and Case Collection history windows showing private collect and Child Support collect periods from start of case
Payer Maintenance Liability window, from the Case window, for the relevant period

Estimate

The relevant period includes all assessments overlapping with the start of the Initial Estimate to the end of that financial year.

Note: even if the Estimate/Amended estimate in dispute is not the Initial Estimate for the financial year, all the

assessments from the start date of the Initial Estimate for the financial year, up the assessment period in which the 30 June end of the financial year falls, should be included.

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

any notepads detailing the discussion about the Estimate/Amended estimate, including:

any attempts to lodge one, even if it did not fully comply with the requirements for a valid estimate
whether the customer declined to make an Estimate/Amended estimate
whether the customer did not take action to provide the full information needed for an Estimate/Amended estimate should also be included

Estimate reconciliation

The relevant period includes all assessments overlapping with the start of the Initial Estimate to the end of that financial year.

In addition to all ART appeal documents include: the further windows behind the Reconciling income line, including the:

Reconciling Estimate Income window
Reconciliation Calculator window
Details of Child support income/Allowable Deductions window

Year to Date (YTD) – include full details of the YTD changes, if the YTD details has been updated:

by the customer electing under s63AC to update the YTD amount before the estimate reconciliation, or
by the Registrar deciding under s63AD to update the YTD amount after an estimate reconciliation)

if the Registrar has refused make any change under s63AD to update the YTD amount after an estimate reconciliation, include full details of that decision

Disputed application for Fixed Annual Rate (FAR) not to apply

The relevant period for a FAR will be for the entire child support period (CS Period) to which the FAR application applies.

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

The CS Period, highlighting relevant period and showing details of FAR/MAR window, and the FAR/MAR History window with the period under appeal highlighted
Income window for the parent who applied for the FAR not to apply. Highlight the income for the Last Relevant Year (LRYI) that relates to the CS Period in which the accepted or refused FAR not to apply assessment period falls so the ISP box is visible
Benefit window n (and Client Benefit History window as it is possible that a customer who is not currently in receipt of a benefit may have been during the relevant period)

Disputed application for Minimum Annual Rate (MAR) not to apply

The relevant period for MAR will be for the entire child support period (CS Period) to which the MAR application applies.

In addition to all ART appeal document, include:

the CS Period, highlighting relevant period and showing details of FAR/MAR window, and the FAR/MAR History window with the period under appeal highlighted
Income window for the parent who applied for the MAR not to apply. Highlight the income for the Last Relevant Year (LRYI) that relates to the CS Period in which the accepted or refused MAR not to apply assessment period falls so the ISP box is visible
Benefit window (and Client Benefit History window as it is possible that a customer who is not currently in receipt of a benefit may have been during the relevant period)

Non-agency payment (NAP)

The relevant period for a NAP Appeal will be from the date of payment of the NAP/PNAP.

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

copies of any court orders, child support agreements or change of assessment decisions relating to the NAP/PNAP
Payer Maintenance Liability window (for the relevant case)
the following windows should be added for the NAP/PNAP claim in the decision under review, then repeated in order for any subsequent or previous similar NAP/PNAP payments:

NAP List by Case window (highlighting the relevant entry)
Expanded NAP Details window
Expanded NAP Item window
Each separate NAP item highlighted and captured

Opt-In/Opt-In Arrears Amount

Include the following:

Opt in – production window (showing details of both the opt in date, and the opt in arrears period and amount of opt in arrears accepted)
Payer Maintenance liability window, highlighting any opt in arrears amount also raised
if there have been any later changes to the amount of opt in arrears (e.g., due to subsequent variations to the assessment rate payable for the opt in arrears period, or due to adjustments to the ‘Amount Paid to Date’ portion of the opt in arrears calculation), highlight the subsequent variation/s to opt in arrears liability in the maintenance account
Case Liability Rates window for relevant period. Full ‘History’ and ‘details of assessments’ will not be needed, unless there have been variations to the Opt-in arrears amount

Post Separation Income

The relevant period will include all assessments for the child support period (CS Period) to which the application for PSI exclusion relates.

E.g., If the PSI application is for the 2021/2022 Financial Year ATI, then the relevant period is the period in which the 2021/2022 income applies to the assessment

In addition to all ART appeal document, include:

Income window of applicant parent, showing highlighted:

details of the applicant parent’s ATI from the last financial year that ended before the parents’ last separation date, and
the Last Relevant Year (LRYI) Adjusted Taxable Income (ATI) that the applicant sought to have reduced by the PSI exclusion application

if the applicant parent has made an application for PSI exclusion from an Estimate or Amended estimate, also include all details of that Estimate/Amended estimate
Post Separation Income window for applicant parent, highlighting the relevant entry

Refusal of EOT to Object

Refusal of EOTs are single party reviews. Only send the documents to the ART and to the Applicant. Give consideration to if information and/or documents about/from the other party is relevant and should be included.

Refer to the relevant Special Variations for the substantive appeal type as per the underlying decision in dispute for specific inclusions.

The only exception to this is with a Part 6A Appeal. The relevant period for an EOT to Object for a Part 6A Objection begins from the original COA application date or the beginning of the RVA, whichever is earlier.

There is no requirement to build the document to include information 18 months before the COA application date for an EOT to Object appeal.

Include all conversations/contacts where the option to object, and any discussions, notepads or documents provided by the customer about the reasons for the delay in making their objection.

Only send documents to the ART and the Applicant.

Do not send documents to the other party.

Information is on the Process page > Table 3 > Step 2 should always be redacted from all documents.

Note: additional information on the Process page > Table 3 > Step 2 relating to the Applicant may not need to be redacted as only the applicant will see the documents.

Registration of liabilities (other than Child Support assessment liabilities)

The relevant period for an appeal against the registration is from the date the application was made.

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

notepads documenting the registration of the international assessment/overseas court order/maintenance order/Adult child maintenance order/spousal maintenance order
copy of such documents provided by either party, or central authority
if applicable, include the following:

copy of NZ in case calculator
foreign dollar conversion notepad/Scrutiny sheet
residency decision if made and relevant
history of any accepted or rejected relevant Australian assessment/registration for same child

Relevant dependant

The relevant period for an appeal against the addition or refusal to add relevant dependant is from the date the application was made.

In addition to all ART appeal documents, include:

Care window:

select each Relevant Dependent under appeal with All Care, and
highlight relevant care period for the child

if the original notification was from FAO data transfer include External Information Care window

Remittance - Late Payment Penalties (LPP)

Remittance of penalties is a one party appeal – Do not send any documents to the second party.

The relevant period for a refusal to remit late payment penalties appeal begins from the month in which the penalty under consideration first began accumulating, until the current day.

Include the following:

discussion notes regarding debt collection and any LPP remission offers
any history of approving or rejecting requests to remit LPPs
Late Payment Penalty Submission window found in Collection Window (CW) and associated notepads. Be guided by the submission for other relevant windows e.g. assessment or account periods
Client Penalty Details window select LPP

Remittance - Estimate Penalties

Remittance of penalties is a one party appeal – Do not send any documents to the second party.

The relevant period for a refusal to remit estimate penalties appeal begins from the recording of the initial estimate until the current day.

Include the following:

Client Penalty Details window select Estimate Penalties
the Reconciling income line from the Income window and further windows behind the Reconciling income line, including the:

Reconciling Estimate Income window
Reconciliation Calculator window
any associated notepads

Income window showing history of estimates
any history of approving or rejecting requests to remit estimate penalties

Build the file using Adobe Acrobat

How to guides and training materials for Adobe Acrobat can be found at Acrobat resources.

Table 3

Action	Description
Preparation	To build a consistent quality document, the following Adobe settings are needed. This enables: searchable text, where possible, subject to document quality bookmarks, which allows quick location and identification of specific material within a document
Order to build documents	See Table 1.
Scan page alert	While building the document, run character analysis when prompted. This helps the redaction process.
Document naming convention	All material included in the ART document needs to be assigned a file name, so the content is identifiable when collating into ADOBE ACROBAT. Documents are identified by assigning a unique document name to each document type included in the bundle. The purpose of the document naming conventions is to: make sure the document is built in ascending chronological order make each document uniquely identifiable and accessible for compliance and privacy checking minimise ‘drag and drop’ as a requirement in managing chronological order reduce the incidence and likelihood of injury by minimising mouse clicks and movement enable easy identification and correction of misnamed document See Table 4 and Table 5 for guides to naming conventions.
Relevant material collated	Check for document name consistency, rename/ correct if needed.
Prepare to combine documents	Go to Adobe Select Create > Combine files into single PDF > Switch to List View Select Options and make sure the below Other options are ticked Always add bookmarks to Adobe PDF Continue combining if an error occurs Show page numbers in Thumbnail View Convert all documents to PDF when creating a portfolio Select OK
Combine files	Select All > right mouse Combine Files in Acrobat Select Combine Files
Indexing	Remove existing bookmarks and assign new bookmarks to create an index to help the user go to the specific material in the document. Add the following standout bookmarks as applicable: ART APPLICATION STATEMENT OF REASONS CHRONOLOGY OF DOCUMENTS ORIGINAL DECISION SCREEN PRINTS (if included) Bookmarks are easily applied after the document is combined. To edit and rename existing bookmarks: To view applied Bookmarks, select Bookmarks tab from the side menu. Within the combined PDF document select the Bookmark tab from the left Tool bar To rename the existing bookmarks as required: Select the bookmark to rename, right mouse click > Rename: Key the name of the bookmark e.g. Record of application Select enter Repeat renaming all Bookmarks as required.

File building naming conventions (Starting block)

Table 4: this table explains how to save documents for the starting block as per the below document type codes so they appear in chronological order when combined to a single PDF file.

Document type	Example naming convention
Record of Application	20000101 0000 ROA
Written Application	20010101 0000 WA 20010101 0001 WA 20010101 0002 WA Increase the last digit by one for each document saved.
MX14 Objection cover letters	20020101 0000 CLA (Applicant Letter) 20030101 0000 CLR (Respondent Letter)
Statement of Reasons (only include one copy)	20040101 0000 SOR
Assessment letters generated by the objection decision Note: save assessment letters in order with the oldest assessment period starting at number 0000.	20050101 0000 20050101 0001 20050101 0002 Increase the last digit by one for each document saved
Reverse case assessment letters (if required)	20060101 0000 20060101 0001 20060101 0002 Increase the last digit by one for each document saved

File building naming conventions (Additional documents)

Table 5: Save documents using a combination of date (backwards - YYYYMMDD) and document type code so they appear in chronological order when combined to a single PDF file.

Document type	Example naming convention
Letters issued to customers	YYYYMMDD 9000 YYYYMMDD 9001 YYYYMMDD 9002 ... etc Note: Where letters have cover pages sent to both customers and assessment notices, the order should appear: 9000 = Applicant cover page 9001 = Respondent cover page 9002 + = assessment notices
Reverse case letters (if applicable)	YYYYMMDD 9500 YYYYMMDD 9501 YYYYMMDD 9502 ... etc Note: Where letters have cover pages sent to both customers and assessment notices, the order should appear: 9500 = Applicant cover page 9501 = Respondent cover page 9502 + = assessment notices
Correspondence	YYYYMMDD 8000 YYYYMMDD 8001 YYYYMMDD 8002 ... etc
Cuba notepads (timestamped)	YYYMMDD HHMM Note: Convert the hours (HH) and minutes (MM) back to Australian Eastern Standard Time to avoid notepads appearing out of order.
Cuba notepads or other system inclusions without timestamps	YYYYMMDD 2300 YYYYMMDD 2301 YYYYMMDD 2302 ... etc Tip: Other naming conventions or time stamps may be more appropriate to ensure documents appear in an order that represents the chronology of events.
Cuba Screenshots	30000101 0000 SCR

mySupport

mySupport webforms:

Create, transfer or Retrieve a Corporate File
Corporate File Return

ART tools and resources

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Letters and electronic messages

Services Australia has endorsed the letter or electronic message for use. It is the latest version. Do not use locally produced letters or electronic messages.

UQ70.01 - ART Non-Disclosure of documents decision

UQ70.08 - Covering letter when providing ART record

UQ70.12 - ART documents insert - Single Touch Payroll disclaimerUQ70.16 - ART Non-disclosure of document request - to ART

UQ70.20 - Schedule of documents for submission Section 70 of the ART Act 2024

Operational Information

Management of documents sent to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) 277-09180030

Document preparation – all ART Appeal reviews

Document preparation – specific appeal types

A to Z list of extra inclusions for specific appeal types

Build the file using Adobe Acrobat

File building naming conventions (Starting block)

File building naming conventions (Additional documents)

mySupport

ART tools and resources

Letters and electronic messages