Centrelink Nominee vs Power of Attorney
You have a valid enduring power of attorney for your parent. You call Services Australia to manage their Age Pension. And the operator tells you the EPOA doesn't give you access — you need to be appointed as a "nominee" instead.
This catches families off guard because it seems like the same thing. It's not. A nominee and an attorney are two separate legal appointments, granted by different bodies, with different authority and different processes.
What Each One Covers
An enduring power of attorney is a private legal document created under state or territory legislation. It gives the appointed attorney authority over the principal's financial and/or personal affairs — bank accounts, property, investments, bills. It operates across the private sector (banks, insurers, aged care providers) and continues after the principal loses capacity.
A Centrelink nominee is an appointment made through Services Australia's own administrative system. It gives the nominee authority to deal with Services Australia on the person's behalf — reporting changes, accessing payment information, signing Centrelink forms, lodging claims, and managing aged care means assessments. There are two types: a correspondence nominee (receives all Centrelink letters and correspondence) and a payment nominee (receives the person's payments into a nominated account).
An EPOA does not automatically make you a Centrelink nominee. Services Australia maintains its own nominee framework separately from the state-based POA system.
Why You Usually Need Both
Without a Centrelink nominee or an accepted POA/authorised-person arrangement, the EPOA attorney may not be able to access your parent's Age Pension records, report changes to their circumstances, manage their aged care means test, or receive their Centrelink correspondence. You can present the EPOA to Services Australia; depending on the authority and service, it may record you as an authorised representative or use it to support a nominee appointment. Follow Services Australia's required process and paperwork.
Without an EPOA, the Centrelink nominee can manage government payments but has no authority to deal with banks, sell property, or sign aged care contracts. The nominee appointment is limited to Services Australia interactions.
For a parent entering aged care, you may need both. The EPOA handles the private-sector side (bank accounts, property sales, care provider contracts), while a nominee or authorised representative arrangement handles the government side (pension adjustments, means-tested fee calculations, aged care subsidy claims).
How to Set Up a Nominee Appointment
If your parent has capacity, they can appoint you as nominee by completing Form SS313 (Authorising a person or organisation to enquire or act on your behalf). The parent signs the form, nominates you, and specifies whether you're a correspondence nominee, payment nominee, or both. Lodge the form at a Services Australia service centre or by post.
If your parent has lost capacity, submit the EPOA or guardianship/administration order and follow Services Australia's process for an authorised representative or nominee. The document must show that you can act on your parent's behalf for financial matters.
For NDIS participants, a similar distinction applies. An NDIS nominee is appointed under NDIS legislation and gives authority to manage the participant's NDIS plan and interact with the National Disability Insurance Agency. A guardian appointed by a state tribunal is separate from an NDIS nominee, though guardianship orders can support the nominee application. The NDIS nominee form is separate from the Centrelink nominee form.
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Specific Forms You Need
Centrelink nominee: Form SS313 (general nominee for Services Australia interactions) or Form AC019 (Aged Care Nominee).
NDIS nominee: The NDIS has its own nominee application process managed through the NDIA.
These forms are free and available from Services Australia service centres or online. Processing times vary — request priority processing if your parent's situation is urgent (imminent aged care entry, unpaid means-tested fees accumulating).
The Common Mistake
The most common mistake is assuming that a state-issued EPOA covers everything. Families present the EPOA at the bank (works), at the aged care facility (works), at the hospital (works for medical consent, depending on the document type) — and then hit a wall at Services Australia. The nominee system exists because government agencies operate under federal legislation that doesn't automatically recognise state-based enduring documents as granting administrative authority within their specific systems.
Set up the nominee appointment at the same time as the EPOA — don't wait until you need it.
The Enduring Power of Attorney and Guardianship toolkit includes a complete institutional registration checklist — covering banks, My Aged Care, Services Australia nominee forms, and NDIS — so every authority gap is closed in a single setup session.
Get Your Free Enduring Power of Attorney and Guardianship in Australia — Quick-Start Checklist
Download the Enduring Power of Attorney and Guardianship in Australia — Quick-Start Checklist — a printable guide with checklists, scripts, and action plans you can start using today.