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Module 1 · One page cheat sheet
SRDP: the financial reality behind the letter
What to say and what to check, lesson by lesson. Print it, or save it as a PDF and keep it beside the file.
What SRDP actually is, and the choice it forces
- Confirm in writing to the client: this is an election, not a decision made for you.
- Diarise the decision window the moment the offer arrives, and tell the client the date.
- Ask for the full determination bundle, not the summary letter.
- Flag early that a licensed adviser needs to run the comparison, and that the cost of that advice may be recoverable.
Why "nil" is not nil
- Never accept a nil figure as a nil outcome. Separate eligibility from quantum in your file note.
- List every deduction line and identify its legal basis before you advise the client on next steps.
- Check impairment points against the medical evidence you hold, not against the summary.
- Ask the delegate, in writing, for the calculation showing how the rate was reduced.
The mechanics advocates are never shown
- Name the interaction points to the client in plain language, and write them into your file note.
- Collect the inputs an adviser will need: determinations, impairment assessments, super scheme correspondence, payment summaries, incapacity payment history.
- State explicitly, in writing, that you are not comparing the options and that a licensed adviser will.
- Do not let the client sign anything while any of those inputs are still missing.
Case studies: what was hiding behind the letter
- Pick the case that most resembles a file currently on your desk and re-read that file this week.
- For each case, identify the single document that changed the outcome. In most files, it is already sitting in the bundle.
The advocate's SRDP checklist
- Adopt the bundle list above as a standing checklist in your practice.
- Write your referral protocol down before you need it, and make the independence of the referral visible on the file.
General information for professional development only. Nothing here is personal financial advice, tax advice or legal advice, and no product or fee content is included.