Unemployment Non-Payment Period
Job seekers who become voluntarily unemployed without a good reason or are dismissed from suitable work because of misconduct may need to wait eight weeks before they receive payment.
Job seekers who have received relocation assistance from a provider to take up a specific job may need to wait 12 weeks before they receive payment if:
- they fail to commence this job; or
- within 6 months of receiving relocation assistance they leave this job without a reasonable excuse or have their employment in this job terminated due to misconduct.
These eight and 12 week waiting periods are called Unemployment Non-Payment Periods.
An Unemployment Non-Payment Period will not affect payments received from the Family Assistance Office.
Job seekers cannot reduce an Unemployment Non-Payment Period by participating in a Compliance Activity. However, subject to eligibility criteria, if Centrelink determines that serving an Unemployment Non-Payment Period may cause severe financial hardship, the job seeker may qualify for payment under hardship provisions.
Can a job seeker appeal an Unemployment Non-Payment Period?
Job seekers have the right to appeal decisions made by Centrelink. For more information about how to ask to have a decision looked at again, refer to Reviews and Appeals.
More Information
- Read the Why it’s important to meet your Activity Test or participation requirements factsheet.