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If a job seeker asks for a review by an ARO or the SSAT of a decision to apply a serious failure period or an unemployment non-payment period, they should be paid pending the finalisation of the review.
Although a job seeker can also ask for a review of any decision to suspend payment or apply a NSNP penalty or a reconnection penalty, payment pending review is not available for these penalty types. These penalty types are generally for small amounts and they end as soon as the job seeker re-engages. To be paid pending review, a job seeker is required to meet their requirements anyway. Therefore, if a job seeker was paid pending the review of one of these decisions, their normal payments would resume once they re-engaged and payment pending review would be unnecessary.
If the decision to apply a serious failure or unemployment non-payment period is upheld on review, the penalty period commences from the job seeker's next pay period to start after Centrelink is notified of the final decision. If the job seeker has already partly served the penalty, they are only required to serve the balance of it. The provisions relating to participation in a compliance activity and financial hardship are applicable.
The rules for paying a job seeker pending review are set out in the Social Security (Administration) (Payment Pending Review) (DEEWR) Guidelines 2009.
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Last reviewed: 1 July 2011
