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Why you may have to wait
We may apply a waiting period when you claim a payment from us. The time you need to wait depends on if:
- you had a payout from your employer
- your payment was cancelled for not meeting your requirements.
What the waiting periods are
There are different waiting periods that may apply before your payment starts.
Ordinary waiting period
You may need to wait one week for your payments to start. We call this an ordinary waiting period. In some circumstances, we may waive this waiting period.
Read more about the ordinary waiting period.
Income maintenance period
You may have to wait if you got a payout from your employer when your job ended. This includes:
- sick leave
- annual leave
- termination of employment
- redundancy.
Read more about the income maintenance period.
Seasonal work preclusion period
This may apply if you submit a claim within 6 months of you or your partner finishing any:
- seasonal work
- contract work
- intermittent work.
Read more about the seasonal work preclusion period.
Newly arrived resident’s waiting period
If you’ve recently arrived as a resident in Australia, you may have to wait to get payments or concession cards.
Read more about the newly arrived resident’s waiting period.
Compensation preclusion period
If you or your partner get compensation, it may change how much we pay you.
Read more about how compensation affects your payment.
What other factors affect your start date
You may need to wait if we cancelled your payment for not meeting your requirements. We call this a cancellation non-payment period.
This applies if you didn’t meet your requirements when you needed to take part in either:
- Workforce Australia
- Disability Employment Services.
Read more about:
- what you need to do if your payment is cancelled for not meeting requirements
- Workforce Australia on their website.
When you can appeal a waiting period decision
You have the right to appeal if you think we got your waiting period wrong.
Read about reviews and appeals.