Initial Estimate in Pluto 277-19070242

When a customer advises their income has reduced, review the case and the customer’s individual circumstances:

• Consider all relevant steps in Table 1 of Child support estimates
• Go to Table 2 in Child support estimates to progress the discussion

Confirm the following information is available in Pluto or the customer can provide it:

• Taxable Income, or
• Income Tax Declaration (ITD)

When neither income type is available:

• explain about lodging an ITD
• see Income Tax Declaration in Pluto

If the customer cannot provide an ITD, procedure ends here

Has the estimate election been made as part of an application for assessment?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No, if the customer
• can provide a Taxable Income or an ITD for the last relevant year of income (LRYI) go to Step 4
• cannot provide either income, procedure ends here

If the customer has a Tax File Number (TFN) recorded but no income information available in Pluto, select the:

• customer’s Income Summary screen and
• ATO Income button to display ATO income information

The income information will display, go to Step 4

Where there is no income information available, explain about lodging an ITD.

If the customer is:

• able to lodge an ITD:
• see Income Tax Declaration in Pluto and
• once ITD is completed, go to Step 4
• unable to lodge an ITD at this stage, procedure ends here

The Standalone Income estimate process is launched from the Task Selection menu.

The Integrated Income estimate process is launched during an application for assessment.

If an estimate election is made, complete the estimate process before the application for assessment is finalised.

To process:

• Standalone income estimate, go to Step 5
• Application for assessment integrated income estimate, go to Step 7

From the Customer Summary screen, select the Right Slider icon.

The Task Selection menu will display.

Access the Income Estimate - Initial process using 1 of these 2 methods:

Method 1

• In the Search Task field enter the name of the task to be launched
• Select the appropriate option from the dropdown menu
• If the incorrect task is selected in error:
• search task field, select the Cancel icon and
• search for the task again
• The radio button next to the customer Income Estimate - Initial task will be automatically populated
• Select Start

Method 2

• In the Process Group list select Income
• In the Task List select Income Estimate – Initial
• Select Start

The Lodge Income Estimate interaction will display

The Applicant Income Estimate form has a status of Not Started.

Select the Applicant Income Estimate form, see the Table 2

Complete the integrated estimate process before the application for assessment is finalised.

Locate integrated initial estimate process:

• select In process Application for Assessment from the customer interactions or Service Officer’s Application For Assessment inbox
• select Process

If the Initial Estimate form will not proceed see Table 4.

Confirm the correct customer tile is selected from the left hand menu.

Does the Income Estimate form display?

• Yes. This means the customer said they wanted to lodge an estimate in the initial discussion. They responded Yes to the question ‘has your income reduced by more than 15%?’. See Table 2
• No. This means the customer did not say they wanted to lodge an estimate or that their income had changed in the initial discussion. The Income Estimate form must be completed

Generate the estimate form

• Select either the Applicant form or the Other party form, depending on the customer’s role
• From the income section, select Yes to the question ‘has your income reduced by more than 15%?’
• Select either Submit or Save

The Income Estimate form will have a status of Not Started.

Select the Income Estimate form ready to record the estimate.

The following sections of the form will display:

• Application Details
• YTD Income Summary
• Estimate Income Details
• Further Information Details
• Rights and Obligations
• Review Income Summary

Note: these sections contain information necessary to lodge the estimate.

To view sections of the form, select:

• Expand all icon to open all sections, select the Collapse all icon to close all sections, or
• the individual section or select the Form menu icon and select the section to view

Use the Estimate documentation macro to document the estimate election.

The Date of Notification will default to today.

If required, update using the Calendar icon or by recording the details manually. See Child support estimates.

Use the following dropdown menu to select the appropriate estimate details:

• Estimate Type
• Estimate Reason

The Date of Effect

The Effective Date will default to today. If required, update either using the Calendar icon or record the details manually.

If the estimate starts from a future date, update the effective date to reflect this. It will not update automatically. Some reasons for using future dates are the start of:

• a new financial year or
• a new Child Support Period

The date of effect for an estimate is the day the customer makes their estimate election.

Processing an integrated estimate

• The date of effect is not taken from the date the:
• application for assessment is received, or
• customer indicates their income has reduced

Note: unless the estimate election commenced on the same day the application for assessment was lodged.

Deeming policy

Select Yes, if the estimate effective date is the result of a deeming policy. For more information about the current deeming policies, see the Resources page of Child support estimates.

Retrospective notification date

Select Yes, if the estimate has a retrospective notification date being applied.

To document all relevant information:

• Select the Additional Information notes banner
• Select Save within the notes section once the form is ready to be submitted

From the Case Selection List, select the relevant Cuba Case ID and Financial year under the selection heading.

If a reason populates the Income Decision Reason field, the estimate cannot be lodged:

Investigate the decision reason, see Table 2, Step 9 in Child support estimates.

• If the reason is that there is no taxable income:
• discuss alternative options with the customer, for example lodging an ITD
• see Income Tax Declaration in Pluto

Only 1 financial year can be selected for each estimate process

If the:

• customer elects to lodge an estimate for multiple financial years, complete separate processes
• estimate is being completed as part of the application for assessment process, use the:
• integrated estimate process for the current financial year and
• standalone estimate process for the new financial year

Is the estimate commencing from 1 July?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 4

• Record the Year to Date (YTD) income details in the Income Component table. Using the Add new line icon, record the following details:
• Income component
• Source
• Frequency
• From date
• To date
• Days (this field will automatically calculate)
• Amount
• To continue adding additional income sources for the customer’s YTD, select the Add new line icon
• To remove an income line select the delete line icon
• If income earned in the YTD period is nil:
• do not complete the Income component table
• leave this section blank
• Record all additional income types in the corresponding fields
• Select the relevant radio buttons to indicate whether the income is per Period or Annualised
• To record all relevant YTD information, select the YTD Income Information note. When the form is ready to be submitted, select Save within the notes section
• Select Yes on Calculate YTD Income. The system will automatically calculate the amount of income earned in the YTD period based on the information recorded

YTD subsequently updated

• If the YTD is subsequently updated prior to the estimate being finalised, the YTD must be recalculated
• To recalculate, select No and then back to Yes

• Record the estimate income details in the Income Component table
• Using the Add new line icons, record the following details:
• Income component
• Source
• Frequency
• From date
• To date
• Days (this field will automatically calculate)
• Amount
• Continue to select the Add new line icon to add additional income sources for the customers estimated income. To remove an income line select the Delete line icon
• If the estimate of income is nil, do not complete the Income Component table, the section can be left blank
• Record all additional income types in the corresponding fields. Select the relevant radio buttons to indicate whether the income is to per Period or Annualised
• Select the Estimate Income Information note to record all relevant estimate information. Select Save within the notes section once the form is ready to be submitted
• Select Yes on Calculate Estimate Income. Based on the information provided the system will automatically calculate the amount of income earned in the estimate period

Estimate details subsequently updated

• If the Estimate details are subsequently updated prior to the estimate being finalised, they must be recalculated
• To recalculate, select No and then back to Yes

If the customer:

• has provided all the information to make the estimate complete, select Yes
• has not provided all the information to make the estimate complete :
• the toggle will automatically default to No
• request the customer provides the required information
• record the date the information must be provided in the date field. Select the Calendar icon or enter the date manually

Is evidence required?

• Yes:
• select Yes
• record the date evidence is due in the Evidence is required by field. To record this, either select the Calendar icon or manually record the date
• select the Details of Information and/or evidence required notes banner to record all relevant information on the evidence required. Select Save within the notes section when the form is ready to be submitted
• No, the toggle will automatically default to No

The following sections must be read to the customer:

• Rights and obligations discussed with the customer
• Objection rights

Confirm the customer’s understanding.

Select the Yes to All checkbox.

The customers estimate income information will display.

Review all the information to ensure the details are recorded accurately

Confirm these details:

• In the Review and Summary table, the following are correct:
• Type
• Previous income
• Estimate income
• YTD income
• Expected adjusted taxable income amount
• Estimate is applying from the correct date of effect

Information displaying correctly and understood

• If any of the information is not displaying correctly:
• update all relevant information
• return to previous steps in this table (Steps 2, 3 and 4)
• go to Step 2
• If unsure about any of the information displaying in the income summary:
• seek Service Support Officer (SSO) assistance
• see Technical support in Child Support

Will the customer be supplying evidence of income at a later time?

• Yes, go to Step 9
• No, see the Table 5

If the customer will be providing additional information, the estimate cannot be finalised until the:

• information has been received or
• timeframe has ended and a decision can be made on the information available

If waiting on evidence or additional information from the customer, select Save:

• The Initial estimate form will display as In Process
• The estimate has not been finalised and no information will display in the customer’s Income Summary screen

Once the estimate election has been made, if additional information becomes available the election needs to be updated.

If the initial estimate election was made via:

• an application for assessment integrated process, go to Step 2
• a standalone estimate process, go to Step 3

To access the Income Estimate form:

• locate the relevant Application for Assessment interaction either through:
• the Interactions tab on the Customer summary screen, or
• the Service Officers inbox
• select the relevant interaction
• select Process
• select the correct customer from the left hand tile menu
• select the Income Estimate form
• select the appropriate menu item that is relevant to the details to be updated. To process the updates and finalise the estimate see the Table 2

Access the Lodge Income Estimate interaction either through:

• the Interactions tab on the Customer summary screen, or
• the Service Officers inbox

From the relevant interaction, select Process.

Select the menu item most appropriate to the details to be updated.

To process the updates and finalise the estimate, see Table 2 .

If the estimate election will not proceed, the Estimate form and the interaction must be updated.

When the:

• integrated estimate process will not proceed, go to Step 2
• standalone estimate process will not proceed, go to Step 3

• If the form has not yet been completed:
• status is Not Started
• finalise the application for assessment
• If the form has been commenced:
• status is Submitted or In Process
• seek SSO assistance, see Technical support in Child Support

Has the standalone estimate process been started during an application for assessment?

• Yes and the application for assessment is:
• withdrawn, refused or cancelled
• go to Step 4
• No:
• discontinue the estimate interaction
• see Manage interactions in Pluto

Where the:

• estimate was to apply to multiple cases:
• confirm the correct case numbers are selected from the Case selection table in the Initial Estimate form
• deselect the new registration case number, continue with the estimate interaction for all relevant cases
• standalone estimate task has been submitted but not yet finalised:
• cancel the estimate interaction, see Manage interactions in Pluto
• standalone estimate interaction has been submitted and assessed, seek SSO assistance. See Technical support in Child Support

Only make a decision when the:

• estimate details are complete and correct, or
• customer has been asked to provide evidence and the due date for providing evidence has passed

See Table 5 in Child support estimates.

The case number and the case status will display in the Decision table.

Using the Decision dropdown menu, select from these estimate decisions:

• Recorded, go to Step 4
• Disallowed, go to Step 3

If the decision is to Disallow the estimate, the Decision Reason menu will display.

• From the Decision Reason dropdown menu, select 1 of the following decision reasons:
• User has Disallowed Estimate – Not True Reflection of Financial Situation
• YTD income is lower than the income amount provided, or
• YTD income amount is not provided

• Select the Decision Details notes banner
• Record all relevant details about the estimate decision. If using the Estimate documentation macro paste in the notes section
• Select Save within the notes section when the form is ready to be submitted

If all information is correct select Validate to Yes.

When Validate has been selected, warning messages will display in the Validation Reason field. Consider these warnings and adjust as required, see Step 6 in Table 4 of Child support estimates.

Warning messages generate under the following circumstances:

• YTD is 10% more or less than expected
• estimate is not 85% or less than the LRYI
• estimate is invalid due to Income Amount Order in place
• the assessment will be placed on Fixed Annual Rate (FAR) or the Minimum Annual Rate (MAR). Customers may make an application for:
• FAR not to apply, or
• MAR to be reduced to nil

Select Submit when:

• all the estimate details are correct
• all relevant fields have been completed, and
• Save has been selected in the notes section

If the form has:

• not been completed successfully due to a mandatory field not being completed:
• an error message will display
• select the error message to navigate to the relevant field
• been completed successfully, a success message will display

If the estimate was completed as:

• an integrated process and part of the application for assessment, go to Step 3
• a standalone process, go to Step 2

When submit is selected the:

• interaction will display
• Estimate form will display as Submitted
• completed tasks will be updated

To apply the estimate, select Assess.

• If the estimate was completed as an integrated process and part of the application for assessment, select Submit:
• Application for Assessment interaction will display
• Estimate form will show as Submitted
• completed tasks will be updated
• Continue to process the application for assessment
• The estimate will not be applied to the case until the application for assessment has been finalised
• When the application for assessment has been finalised:
• check the estimate has been applied to the assessment
• view the customer’s Income Summary screen to confirm the income has applied correctly

Review the customer letters for correctness. If required, see Letters for Child Support customers.

The following letters will automatically generate dependant on the listed circumstances:

• ME1-1 - to parent to explain why their estimate election was invalid or rejected
• ME2-1 - To the non-estimating parent advising that an estimate has been accepted
• ME2-2 - To an estimating parent advising that an estimate has been accepted
• ME5-1 - to the estimating parent to advise when an estimate is about to expire
• ME6-1 - to the non-estimating parent to advise that an estimate which was to start on 01/07 has been withdrawn
• ME6-2 - to the estimating parent to advise that an estimate which was to start on 1/7 has been withdrawn
• RPO-01 - payee overpayment letter

Manual letter required

Invalid estimates where the estimated income is more than 85% of the parent’s ATI plus other income components:

• Issue unique letter manually UQ90.01 – Unable to accept your estimate of income
• See Manual letters in Pluto