Completing the Paperwork to Transition to NEIS Allowance | Sarina Russo

If you are receiving Rental assistance from Services Australia, please also download the following document:

If you cannot attend a Services Australia office to complete the above form, you can request a digital version here.

Once the forms are completed in full, please email them to your Business Solutions coach

Please contact us if you have any concerns, but please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions in the first instance.

Yes, unless one of the following criteria applies to you:

The first nine months of your NEIS agreement has passed

If you are receiving a Parenting Payment Single or a Disability Support Pension payment, you may choose to stay on those payments.

In general terms no, but you must meet the reporting requirements as required by Services Australia.

You are required to complete:

1. NEIS Change of Circumstances Form
2. Tax File Number Declaration Form
3. Rental Assistance Form

You only need to complete this if you were in receipt of rent assistance from Services Australia, the day immediately before you commenced your business under NEIS program and the first six months of your NEIS agreement has not passed.

You need to adhere to your current Services Australia reporting requirements. Additionally, if you are eligible for Rental Assistance you will need to get Services Australia to complete this form for you. If you cannot have the NEIS Rental Assistance Eligibility Form physically completed by a Services Australia Officer, an electronic Services Australia Statement will be accepted in place of the hard copy form. Information on how to request an electronic Services Australia Statement can be found here.

Once you have downloaded and completed the forms, please email them back to your Business Solutions Coach.

NEIS Payment dates occur every second Thursday; 4th March, 18th March, and 1st April are NEIS payment dates, and fortnightly thereafter.

NEIS payments are paid for nine months from the commencement of your NEIS Agreement. This nine months will also take into consideration any JobSeeker payments you have received during this time. You are only eligible to receive NEIS payments for the number of remaining months left in the nine-month period.  

For example:

You commenced NEIS on 15th October 2020 and the transfer to NEIS payments occurs on 15th March 2021. This means that five months of your agreement have elapsed therefore you will have another four months of payments available to you (Please refer to your NEIS Agreement for start dates)

Rental Assistance is only paid for six months and this is also from the commencement of your NEIS agreement. For example, if you have been on NEIS for six months and one day you are not entitled for Rental Assistance.

If you are current receiving JobSeeker payments and do not submit the transfer documents, your payments are likely to be affected. If you have not completed the documents correctly, they will be returned to you for correction, which may delay your transfer to NEIS payments.

When you transfer to NEIS assistance, you will not be eligible for the Healthcare Card, however you can apply for a new Healthcare Card on the basis of being a low income earner.