How to pay for a police check

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Australian National Character Check (ANCC) makes every effort to provide updated and accurate information to its customers. However due to the continuously changing nature of legislations for the Commonwealth and various States and Territories, it is inevitable that some information may not be up to date. The information on the website is general information only. The contents on the website do not constitute legal or professional advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal or professional advice. While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, suitability, accuracy or availability with respect to the information.

Applying for the police check in Australia is no longer as cumbersome or complicated as when it was only the traditional and physical means. Now, candidates can apply for a Police Check certificate online through approved service providers like Australian National Character Check (ANCC).

The police check has become a standard document of assessment that most organisations and employers include as an internal risk mitigation policy. It is almost impossible to apply to anything where you will not need a police check.

Does the police check application require a fee?

The police check application form has a standard fee that the candidate must remit during their application. It is the base fee required to process any application, and it is standard all through the States and Territories in Australia.

There are many ways to pay for the police check in Australia, mainly when you apply online;

• PayPal payment option;
• Credit Cards;
• Debit Cards;
• Online Banking options.

The online payment method leads to faster and easier transaction processing times. There are no further delays in confirming your payments if you use any online payment options to process your police check payments in Australia.

How to pay through PayPal

PayPal offers a seamless and easy way to process payments for many businesses, employers and institutions. An applicant can complete their payments on PayPal by completing the following steps;

1. When applying for the police check, the payment portal will provide an invoice or "payment advice". The payment advice contains the details about the payments, including;
• Amount to be remitted,
• When and how to make the payments,
• Recipient of the payments (the NPCs in this case)
2. Depending on the device or payment type you are using, you may have to log in to a Paypal account before progressing any further with payments.
3. Select the type of Payment. PayPal classifies a payment as either payment-related or a transaction for friends/families. The Payment for a police check is payment-related.
4. You may be asked to input further details of the receiver, depending on how you Start the Payment process. Make sure to get every information you fill in from the payment page on your police check application.
5. Confirm the amount and currency; after filling in the complete information above, including the recipient's details, PayPal will request you to confirm the amount and the currency you are sending.
6. Select your funding; After confirming the amount you are sending, PayPal asks you to choose your payment source.

PayPal allows a lot of sources for making payments on its platform; applicants can complete their Payment through;

• PayPal balance
• Linked Bank accounts
• Debit/Credit Card payments

Generally, every method of completing the payments has its pros and cons; applicants should select any payment method that fits their budgets.

Once you have selected a payment source for your PayPal transaction, the payments will go through if you have sufficient balance in that source.

The next step is to review the payments you have made and confirm that the payments have succeeded.

Is it possible to make a police check payment on PayPal without an account?

Yes, you can process police check payments using PayPal without an account. However, the candidate must get the payment invoice and can fund their payments through a Credit or Debit Card rather than the numerous payment options that would have been open to them.

1. Request or Select the PayPal Payment Invoice - it is sent to the email you have provided
2. Click on the “Pay Now” option in the email, or invoice you receive
3. Enter your credit or Debit Card details on the page you are directed to. At this point, PayPal may request if you want to open an account with them
4. The final stage is to confirm and review the payments you just processed. If it contains all the details and instructions you expect, confirm the payments.

Paying through a Debit or Credit Card for a police check may incur more charges than other methods of paying through PayPal.

How much does the police check cost in Australia?

People fear that applying for a police check in Australia is very costly because most employers and agencies have begun to include it in their requirements. However, this is not true of applying for a police check online through well reputed suppliers like Australian National Character Check or through any legal means the government lays.

An online police check application with ANCC costs $52.90 + GST and a further $9.50 if the candidate requests a hard copy.

People prefer applying online because of the efficiency of the service and the speed of processing the payments for the police check application.

Who pays for the police check in Australia?

Typically, the person who applies for a police check covers the entire cost and fare of the process.

However, the organisation or Employer requesting a police check can also cover the entire or partial cost of the police check application depending on their agreement with the candidate and their internal organisation policies.

Suppose the organisation has any special programs that help their candidate cover the cost of a police check. In that case, they should discuss it explicitly with the candidate before they apply for the check.

Can an Employer apply for a police check on behalf of a person?

The Business Portal of ANCC makes streamlining the application easier for organisations and agencies that manage the police check procedures for their candidates.

The third-party organisation should create a business account with ANCC to enjoy the benefits of managing the entire police check application from just a single account.

When third parties initiate a police check on behalf of a person, it is with the informed consent of the candidate.

Can I get a free police check?

No, there are no free police checks in Australia; regardless of where you are, the police check application attracts the base fee.

The organisation or Employer you work for can make the application "free" by covering the entire cost through a single payment system on the ANCC business portal, however this will depend on the organisation that requests the check.

Can I get a police check without paying?

Unless a third party has covered the entire cost of a police check application, you will not receive your result. The applicant's payments validate the police check application in Australia; those who do not pay cannot get their police check result.

During the online application, a payment window comes on after the application process. If the candidate does not process the due Payment, their application remains on the portal.

Does the Price of the police check vary?

The police check is a nationally coordinated criminal history check in Australia; it has the same resources and procedures in Australia conducted by a central government agency - the NPCS.

The price will vary if the candidate requests different service providers. Different service providers will include their own "service charge", which will cause a variation in the price of the police check.

A standard employment check via Australian National Character Check attracts a base price of $52.90 + GST.

Do I pay for the police check verification?

No, the police check ID verification is not a separate process from the application. There is nothing like "paying" for a police check verification. However, candidates must submit the required I.D. verification as part of the application process.

Do I pay to receive my police check after application?

No, the police check application is a once-for-all payment. After payment is made, no agency, medium or government official can demand subsequent payments before you receive your police check application.

If a candidate requests a refund for their application, a standard administrative fee may be charged to process the refund depending on the stage that the application is at.

Can I pay for a police check in instalments?

No agency or medium allows you to pay more than once for a police check application. Before completing the payment details, ensure you have the required funds in your payment source.

The police check application can only be paid for once before submitting the final details of the candidate.

Does the police check expire in Australia?

A police check is a point in time check and cannot expire. However, the requesting party can consider the reports on a police check certificate obsolete depending on their internal organisation principles. Generally, most organisations will not accept a police check that is older than three (3) months. However this timeframe will vary depending on the and their risk mitigation policies.

What if my police check becomes obsolete?

If the Employer terms your police check expired or obsolete, it is time to renew the police check. It is easier and quicker to renew your police check online through the ANCC.

The police check renewal requires the same details as initially applying for a police check.

Do I pay for a police check renewal?

Even if your last police check was under a year ago, you will still pay for the police check renewal. Every police check application a candidate initiates incurs the base fee of $52.90 + GST.

However, you can inquire from your organisation if it provides a reimbursement for those roles that need regular updated police check.

Organisations that have an active account on the ANCC business portal can choose to bear the cost of the police check renewal themselves or can choose to pass it on to the applicant.

How often do I need a police check?

An updated police check gives current information about the candidate's criminal history and records at the Australian Criminal Database.

Some roles demand high integrity and a criminal-free lifestyle in Australia. The legislation even supports that organisations in the sensitive sector (e.g. aged care) should have a well written and laid out internal organisation’s mitigation plan.

However, most employers outside the sensitive sectors may only request a police check within respectable, more extended periods. Generally, the employee should provide an updated police check once every year.

How to apply for the police check in Australia

There are three recognized mediums of applying for a police check in Australia, but most people prefer online.

You can complete an online police check application through the following;

You can complete the Online application quickly by following the steps;

1. Get a P.C., Tablet or Mobile device with good access to the internet, and using a solid browser, connect to the online portal of the Australian National Character Check.
2. Select the "Start a new police check" option on the online portal of the ANCC; you will find the Informed Consent Form.
3. Fill out this form with your accurate details. Your data is compared against the information on the Criminal database; Always be explicit with the information you provide on the Informed Consent form.
4. Select/fill the "Purpose" of the police check; Whether as a probity, employment, and so on. The police check certificate varies slightly depending on the purpose of the check.
5. Make payments via any of the online options; PayPal, Debit/Credit card, and co. If the other party is sponsoring it, you will get an "invite" to complete the police check application via the ANCC business portal.
6. Confirm all the information you have filled in on the Informed Consent form. Ensure that you have selected the correct purpose of the check and spelt the details correctly.
7. If the check is processed for a wrongly selected purpose, you may have to re-apply for another police check and pay extra.
8. Add the required Identity Documents for your police check in your application before you can finally submit a police check application. These IDs prove the person or profile you claim.
9. Provide the required Identification Documents through;
• JPEGs, PNG images or other soft copy formats (online application)
• Scanning and uploading the document (online application)
• Sending mails copies (in the case of a physical application)
10. Complete the informed consent online with your signature before submitting the police check application.
11. Use the "Track a Check" option on the website to track the status of the application. The certificates of tracking are also downloadable in case you want to show them as evidence.
12. Get the soft copy of the police check result. It is sent to the submitted Email address on your application.

If you request the hard copy, it will be forwarded to your submitted postal address.

How can I obtain a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check?

Individuals

If you are an individual, you can obtain a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check certificate online via Australian National Character Check’s police check application and informed consent form. The results are dispatched via email.

Business and Enterprise Customers

Business and Enterprise customers are able to sign up to ANCC’s business portal where they can order, manage, track and view candidates’ criminal history check results on their business portal. Organisations will undergo a process for approval prior to being granted access to ANCC’s business portal.

ANCC sends an invite to the applicant to complete their Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check online and handles the application and informed consent form. Contact ANCC’s business and enterprise partnerships team today to enquire about setting up a business portal for your organisation.

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