Update (18 June 2026): Verbal AoB will continue to be accepted for a 12-month transition period.
The Australian federal government has confirmed that verbal Assignment of Benefit will remain valid for all bulk billed patients during a 12-month transition period from 1 July 2026.
For more updates, you can check the government's AoB updates page.
From 1 July 2026, Medicare requires a documented Assignment of Benefit (AoB) for every bulk billed service (Patient claims are not affected by the AoB changes, since there's no Medicare benefit being assigned to a third party).
Cliniko integrates with Tyro Health to process Medicare claims. This guide explains the AoB options available to you when submitting a claim through Cliniko.
This guide applies to digital bulk bill claims. If you're using a physical EFTPOS terminal for bulk billing, this guide doesn't cover that process. Many terminals already have their own built-in AoB process, so check with your terminal provider to confirm.
What is an Assignment of Benefit (AoB)
When a patient is bulk billed, they're agreeing to assign their Medicare benefit directly to the practitioner rather than receiving the payment themselves and then paying the practitioner. This agreement is called an Assignment of Benefit.
Under the updated rules, that agreement must:
Be in writing (physical or electronic)
Verbal valid for all bulk billed patients during a 12-month transition period from 1 July 2026
Include the patient's verifiable agreement (written signature or documented email reply)
Be in place before a Medicare claim is submitted
Be kept on record for at least two years
For more information about the AoB, please refer to Medicare's FAQ
How to collect an AoB when submitting a claim
After raising an invoice in Cliniko, create a payment and select the Tyro Health Bulk billing option:
After checking through the service items, you'll be asked to select an AoB Agreement method:
There are two options:
External
Select External if you've already captured the patient's AoB outside of Tyro Health, or plan to do so before submitting the claim. When you select this option, you're confirming that the AoB has been accepted. The claim will be submitted immediately.
This option covers both verbal consent and written consent collected outside of Tyro.
Selecting External records on the claim that consent was taken externally, which gives you something to point to if you've taken verbal consent during the transition period.
These are two options to collect an External AoB:
Verbal consent — acceptable during the 12-month transition period from 1 July 2026
Invoice notes — see below for instructions on how to collect a written AoB using a Cliniko invoice
Tyro Health (SMS)
Select Tyro Health if you want Tyro Health to manage capturing the AoB via SMS.
You'll be asked to confirm:
Whether the assignor is the patient (defaults to Yes)
The assignor's mobile number, pre-populated from the patient record if available — you can enter it manually if needed
Once you select Submit claim, you'll see a confirmation that an AoB agreement link has been sent to the patient via SMS:
The patient will receive an SMS like this:
The link will take them to the AoB approval page:
We recommend keeping the claim window open while waiting for approval. The AoB link is valid for 48 hours. If the patient doesn't approve within that time, raise a new invoice and resubmit the claim to resend the link. You can then archive the older invoice.
What if a patient doesn't approve?
Without a completed AoB, the bulk billing claim can't be submitted to Medicare. If you've selected Tyro Health as the Agreement method and the patient doesn't approve within 48 hours, you'll need to raise a new invoice and resubmit. You can then archive the older invoice. If you've selected External, make sure consent is genuinely in place before submitting — selecting External confirms to Medicare that the AoB has been captured.
Collecting a written AoB using a Cliniko invoice (External method)
If you'd prefer a written record, you can collect the AoB manually using a Cliniko invoice. This is also a useful fallback if the patient doesn't have a mobile number for the SMS process.
Step one: generate the invoice
Create the invoice for the appointment as you normally would. Make sure it includes:
Patient name
Appointment date
Medicare item number
Business name and details
Practitioner name and provider number
Step two: add the AoB statement
The invoice will need to include a statement of assignment. Copy the following to paste into the Notes field on the invoice:
Assignment of Benefit for Bulk Bill claim
Assignment type - post-assignment
Is the assignor the patient - yes/no (circle)
I assign my right to benefits to the health professional who rendered the services.
Name:
Date:
Signature:
Privacy Notice: Services Australia collects and handles your personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988, for the purpose of assessing entitlement to, and administration of, payments and services.
This matches the wording used in the standard Medicare AoB form.
Step three: print and get a signature
Print the invoice and have the patient sign it before you submit the claim via Tyro Health. Keep the signed copy on file for at least two years and provide a copy to the patient if they ask for one.
Here's a short video on how this process looks:
Telehealth services: email agreement
If you conduct telehealth consultations, Services Australia currently recognises a documented email exchange as a valid AoB wherein the patient's reply to a specific email counts as their agreement. You can read about the requirements at Services Australia.