A Helpful Guide to Understanding and Applying for a Centrelink Medical Exemption

You never know what will happen in life. If you get payments from Centrelink and suddenly get sick, hurt, or have a flare-up of a long-term condition that makes it impossible for you to meet your mutual obligations, you may be able to get a medical exemption. You can stop looking for work or doing other things you have to do while you recover without affecting your payments.

This guide tells you everything you need to know about the medical exemption process, including what it is, how to apply, what will happen after you send in your documents, and what to do if you need help for a longer time. When you’re having health problems, we want to give you clear and correct information.

Knowing what medical exemptions are and how they work

If you get a Centrelink medical exemption, you don’t have to meet your mutual-obligation or participation requirements for a while. It doesn’t mean that you won’t have to do these things forever; it just means that a verified medical condition is stopping you from doing them for a short time. Australia+1 Services

When you send a medical certificate to Services Australia, an assessor looks at it to see if your condition meets their standards. The most important things to think about are:

• The illness, injury, or disability must make it very hard for you to work or take part. Operational Australia+1 Services
• You must not be able to work or do something useful for at least 8 hours a week. Services Australia+1
• Your inability to work should have a clear time frame for recovery, or at least a reasonable hope of recovery within a short period of time. Australia+1 Services

Submitting a medical certificate does not guarantee an exemption because each application is looked at on its own. Australia+1 Services

How to Get a Medical Exemption: A Step-by-Step Guide

As of 2025, this is the right and up-to-date way to apply for a medical exemption:

Step One: Get a Real Medical Certificate

The official Centrelink Medical Certificate (SU415) is the best one. Services Australia+1

• This form has been changed since 2022 to make it easier to read and fill out. Australian Medical Association+1
• A doctor can also send a digital certificate through Health Professional Online Services (HPOS), which is now the fastest way to get it done. Australia+1 Services
• The certificate must say what your diagnosis is, how long you are expected to be unable to work, participate, or study, and that your capacity is less than 8 hours a week (or zero), or use similar language to show that you are unable to work. Services Australia+2 Operational Services Australia+2
• Only doctors who have been given permission can sign or send in the SU415 or SU683 certificate. Services Australia+1

Step 2: Give the Certificate to Centrelink

You have two main choices:

• Your doctor can send it directly through HPOS for you, which is usually faster. Australia+1 Services
• You can also scan or photograph the original and upload it to your Centrelink online account (myGov) or take it to a Service Centre. Australia+1 Services

For your records, keep a copy of the certificate you sent in and any other medical documents.

Step Three: Wait for Centrelink to look it over

Centrelink will look over the certificate you sent in and decide whether the exemption will be granted or if more information is needed. Australia+1 Services

You must keep meeting your mutual-obligation requirements (job search, appointments, reporting income, etc.) during the review period unless an exemption has been officially approved. Just sending in the certificate does not stop your obligations. Services Australia+2 Australia+2 Operational Services

What Happens After You Submit: Possible Results

Services Australia will look at your application and decide if it is an approved exemption, modified obligations, or refusal.

If your medical exemption is approved, your mutual obligations, like job-search and participation requirements, will be put on hold for the time period listed on the certificate. Operational Services Australia+2 Services Australia+2

• The maximum exemption period has been greatly lengthened since January 1, 2025. Medical exemptions can now last up to 24 months, depending on the doctor’s opinion and Centrelink’s decision. Services Australia+2 Soscip+2
• If your condition lasts longer than the first period, you might need to get a new certificate. Your continued eligibility will depend on new medical evidence and evaluations. Operational Services Australia+2 Australia+2 Services

If Centrelink cuts or changes your obligations Instead

If you aren’t completely disabled but have limited ability (for example, you can work or study part-time but not full-time), Centrelink may change your job plan or participation requirements (for example, by giving you fewer hours or different tasks) instead of giving you full exemption. Operational Services Australia+1

• Send you for a formal capacity assessment, like an Employment Services Assessment (ESAt), to find out what obligations you can actually meet. Operational Services Australia+1

If Your Request for an Exemption Is Denied

If your medical certificate doesn’t clearly show that you can’t work or participate for at least 8 hours a week, this could happen. Services Australia+2 Australia+2 for Economic Justice

If the request is turned down, you have a few choices:

• Ask your doctor to fill out a new certificate that has more information about your functional impairment. A lot of refusals happen because the information is unclear or not enough. Australia+1 for Economic Justice
• Use the established Centrelink review processes to ask for a review or appeal of the decision. Economic Justice Australia+1
• Look into whether modified obligations or a different payment (like a disability-related payment) might be better for you, depending on how long you can work. Operational Services Australia+1

What to Do If You Have a Long-Term or Ongoing Medical Condition

If your illness or disability is long-term and ongoing (not just for a short time), the standard fixed-term medical exemption may not be enough. In these situations:

• Centrelink may do a full work-capacity assessment (like an ESAt) to see what level of work or participation you can handle. Operational Services Australia+1
• Depending on the outcome, you might not get a full exemption but instead get modified obligations, like fewer hours or different tasks. Operational Services Australia+1
• On the other hand, if your disability makes it hard for you to work, you may need to check if you qualify for long-term support like a disability pension or other income-support payment. Operational Services Australia+1

Other Kinds of Help or Exemptions

There are other reasons besides medical ones that can get you out of your mutual obligations. Centrelink also looks at other unusual situations, but the rules are different for each type of payment. These include:

• A family or personal crisis (like a death in the family or domestic violence)
• A natural disaster or an emergency that wasn’t planned for
• Full-time activities that are only for a short time and help you reach your job goals

In each case, you might need to show proof or paperwork that is right for your situation. Operational Services Australia+1

Getting Help: Who to Call if You’re Having Trouble

It can be hard to apply for a medical exemption. If you need help:

• Call Services Australia and have your Customer Reference Number (CRN) ready.
• If you’re having trouble with complicated problems, disagreements, or appeals, think about getting help from a financial counselor or a community legal center.
• If your doctor doesn’t know how to use the SU415 or SU683 process, you can ask them to use the official form or HPOS. Since the changes in 2022, a lot of general practitioners know about this. Australian Medical Association+1

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What Changed and Why It Matters (Update for 2025)

• Starting on January 1, 2025, the longest time someone can get a medical exemption will be 24 months, up from the previous limit of 13 weeks. This will depend on a medical assessment. Australia+2 Services Soscip+2
• The official medical certificate (SU415) was changed (in 2022) to make it easier to use and to make it clear what information Centrelink needs. Australian Medical Association+1
• Submitting through HPOS (digital certificate) is now a common and preferred way to speed up processing. Services Australia+1
• The certificate still needs to show that you are unable to work or participate for at least 8 hours a week (or are otherwise unable to do so) in order for it to be valid. Australia+2 Services Operational Australia+2 Services
• Centrelink still has the final say on whether or not to grant an exemption; not all medical certificates automatically guarantee one. Australia+1 Services

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Why These Changes Matter

• The longer exemption period (up to 24 months) gives people with serious or long-term health problems more time to recover and more stability without having to worry about looking for a job.
• The new SU415 form and digital submission through HPOS make things easier for both doctors and patients, which means that requests are more likely to be accepted quickly and correctly.
• Making the requirements clear (like a minimum incapacity of 8 hours a week) helps applicants and GPs know what qualifies, which lowers the chance of delays or rejections.