Pause of requirements

Sometimes there may be a pause of your mutual obligation or participation requirements.

Pause of requirements

During this period, no payment suspensions or financial penalties will apply if you don’t meet your requirements.

You must still report any income you and your partner get every 2 weeks, even if it’s $0. This is so we can pay you the right amount.

You can stay up to date with information about pauses of mutual obligation or participation requirements by continuing to check this page for updates.

You can also read more about pause of obligations on the Workforce Australia website. This includes notifications, what happens during a pause and what you need to do when the pause ends.

If you’re unable to meet your requirements for any reason, you should speak to your provider.

Current and upcoming pauses

There’s currently a national pause of requirements for participants in all Remote Australia Employment Service regions. This is due to the transition of existing CDP participants to the Remote Australia Employment Service (RAES). The pause is from 1 October 2025 up to and including 6 February 2026.

There’s currently no pause of requirements in ACT.

There’s currently no pause of requirements in NSW.

There’s currently no pause of requirements in NT.

There’s currently no pause of requirements in QLD.

There’s currently no pause of requirements in SA.

There’s currently no pause of requirements in TAS.

There’s currently a pause of requirements for participants in the Goulburn Murray Employment Region due to bushfires in Victoria. The pause is from 12 January 2026 and up to and including 8 February 2026. The pause applies to participants living in the following Local Government Areas (LGAs):

  • Albury
  • Alpine
  • Benalla
  • Berrigan
  • Campaspe
  • Indigo
  • Greater Shepparton
  • Mansfield
  • Mitchell
  • Moira
  • Murrindindi
  • Strathbogie
  • Towong
  • Wangaratta
  • Wodonga.

There’s also a pause of requirements for the LGA of Mount Alexander due to impacts from the Victorian bushfires. The pause is from 14 January 2026 and up to and including 11 February 2026.

There’s currently no pause of requirements in WA.

Page last updated: 15 January 2026.
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