Initial contact with students claiming Pensioner Education Supplement (PES) and ABSTUDY PES 010-05010010

When a customer or person on their behalf contacts Services Australia to discuss lodging a claim for Pensioner Education Supplement (PES), determine if PES or ABSTUDY PES is the most beneficial payment. See Identifying the most beneficial payment for students or Australian Apprentices.

Australian Apprentice customers are not entitled to PES.

Current ABSTUDY customers (including Incidentals and part-time students) do not need to lodge a claim to get ABSTUDY PES. As they have already applied for ABSTUDY, they are changing allowances under the ABSTUDY Scheme. The only information needed to complete the transfer from ABY to EPA (ABSTUDY PES) is normally available on their qualifying payment record.

For AIC PES enquiries, see Initial contact with customers claiming under the Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme.

Has the customer lodged a paper claim form (SY004 or SY075M)?

• Yes, see Step 4 in Table 2
• No:
• if the customer has lodged an online claim, go to Step 2
• search the system for a customer record. If no record exists, create a record on the Name Search (IN) screen. This should only be if the customer is receiving a Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) Pension
• while in the system, verify that the customer is receiving a qualifying payment for PES
• go to Step 2

If the student's claim for the qualifying payment has been rejected but is then granted, see Closing dates for PES and Calculating the start day for PES.

Is the student receiving or claiming a qualifying payment for PES and ABSTUDY PES under the Social Security Act 1991 or the Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986?

• Yes, go to Step 3
• No:
• the customer does not qualify for PES
• record details of contact on a DOC
• procedure ends here

Is the student in receipt of JobSeeker Payment (JSP), Youth Allowance (YA) (Other) or Parenting Payment Partnered (PPP)?

• Yes, go to Step 4
• No, go to Step 8

Is the student in receipt of JSP as a single principal carer?

• Yes, go to Step 8
• No, go to Step 5

Was the customer in receipt of PES immediately before transferring to YA (Other)/PPP (from DSP) and they are continuing in the same course of study that they were undertaking and receiving PES for?

• Yes, go to Step 6
• No, the customer does not qualify for PES. Record details of contact on a DOC. Procedure ends here

Has the customer had a break in that course of study or has their payment of JSP, YA (Other) or PPP been cancelled since they were paid PES?

• Yes:
• the customer does not qualify for PES
• record details of contact on a DOC
• procedure ends here
• No:
• the customer may continue to qualify for PES
• restore PES payments
• procedure ends here

Is the customer receiving CP?

• Yes:
• CP customers can participate in activities such as study and still qualify for CP if the total time they are away from their care receiver to participate in these activities (including travel time), does not exceed 25 hours per week
• encourage customers to discuss impacts of study before claiming PES. See Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) carer undertakes paid employment, self-employment, voluntary work, education or training activities
• No, go to Step 8

A student must be studying at least 25% of the normal full-time workload for their course to qualify for PES.

Is the student undertaking either full time or concessional workload study in an approved course of study?

• Yes, see Step 1 in Table 2
• No:
• tell the customer they will not qualify for PES
• record details of contact on a DOC
• Note: always encourage customers to test their eligibility for payment by lodging a claim form

If the student wants to claim:

• ABSTUDY PES:
• they need to complete an ABSTUDY claim via the ABSTUDY Claiming Tool or the SY020 form. The customer may need to be transferred to the ABSTUDY queue at this point
• PES:
• encourage them to claim online
• if the customer cannot, or does not want to claim online, advise they can claim verbally via Assisted Customer Claim (ACC)
• if they do not want to claim online or via ACC, issue the SY004 form. Use the SY075M form as an abridged claim if reclaiming within 52 weeks of last receiving PES

Is the customer claiming online or via ACC?

• Yes, go to Step 5
• No, go to Step 2

To issue the appropriate form to Indigenous customers wanting to claim:

• PES, use SY004
• ABSTUDY PES, use SY020

Does the customer want to download the claim form from the Services Australia website?

• Yes, tell them to download the relevant form from the Services Australia website
• No, use the Mail Forms workflow (Customer First > Workspace > Customer Communication > Mail Forms)

Record the appropriate claim form and modules on a DOC.

Ask the student to complete the claim and return it with supporting documents.

Tell the customer they can lodge their paper claim form:

• via Upload documents. See Centrelink online account help - Upload documents. If they can use Upload Documents, they can post their claim and supporting documents to the reply paid facility listed on the claim form
• in person at any service centre

Tell the customer that they may need to provide proof of their enrolment in the course within 2 weeks of starting studies.

Tell students who are receiving a service pension from the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) to attach evidence of their DVA payments with their claim.

If the customer is lodging a paper claim form:

• accept the claim paperwork from the customer
• check for Display on Access (DOA) DOC
• ensure the 'Must Haves' list is completed:
• customer name
• address
• phone number(s)
• course name/institution
• course workload
• course start and end date
• claim signature
• obtain POE where required. If unable to provide, tell the customer POE is required within 14 days. Note: POE is not required for any PES customers who are secondary students at school or tertiary university students
• scan the claim

If the customer is lodging required documents (POE or DVA evidence) for a claim, see:

• Centrelink online account help - Upload documents
• Scanning Centrelink documents using an MFD

Go to Step 6.

When an online claim is submitted, or a claim recorded using ACC, the system creates a unique claim ID. See Viewing and processing online and Assisted Customer Claim (ACC).

If a claim has been submitted online and the customer has ‘required’ tasks still to be actioned, encourage and assist the customer to use the Express plus Centrelink Mobile App, or their Centrelink online account to upload their documents.

If the customer cannot use the Express plus Centrelink mobile app or their Centrelink online account:

• record receipt of the document by marking the task as Provided in the Request and Manage Customer Tasks Guided Procedure, and
• scan the document(s)

Students claiming ABSTUDY PES who were previously in receipt of ABSTUDY may not need to lodge a new claim. These claims follow the same lodgement rules as all ABSTUDY claims.

For NEW ABSTUDY PES customers (who have not been in receipt of ABSTUDY previously) the following procedures apply.

Claims for both PES and ABSTUDY PES must be lodged by the closing dates for PES claims.

From 1 July 2018, eligible customers who lodge their claim after the relevant closing date will receive payments or concession cards from the date they actually submit a complete claim with all relevant supporting documents. Different processes apply for vulnerable customers.

If the PES claim is lodged after this date, the student is not eligible for back payment. They can only be granted PES from the date of claim.

PES students who are studying a full year course or a late-starting year-long course that ends after 15 September in the year of study, will be paid to 31 December.