Centrelink may agree to contact your previous employer to check your details. It's also ok for your previous employer to include the information Centrelink needs in a letter on company letterhead instead of on the separation certificate form.
How it works. As you probably know, Centrelink need to know your income and assets details to work out your benefit payments. So if your circumstances change – perhaps you receive a lump sum payment or your relationship status changes, you need to let Centrelink know.
If you don't tell us, it may affect your payment. You may need to pay back money we've paid you. If you're dishonest in order to get a payment, you're committing welfare fraud. Read more about how to avoid committing fraud.
If you quit your job, Centrelink may decide you are 'voluntarily unemployed' and you may have to wait eight weeks before you get paid. You won't have to wait though if Centrelink decides the work was unsuitable or that quitting your job was reasonable in the circumstances.
calling 133 276 (13 EARN).
If your earnings have been reported incorrectly for a few fortnights, you can tell Centrelink and they will amend your records. If you have been overpaid, Centrelink will recover the overpaid amount from you.
The Work Bonus income bank is useful for pensioners who wish to work, particularly those who undertake intermittent or occasional work. Note: from 1 December 2022 to 31 December 2023, a one-off, temporary credit of $4,000 applies to Work Bonus income bank balances.
The liquid assets waiting period is between 1 and 13 weeks. This waiting period may apply if you or your partner have stopped work and got leave or redundancy payments.
Once Centrelink has suspected a person has committed a Centrelink fraud, in conjunction with the Australian Federal Police (AFP), they may first invite the person for an interview or go to their house for investigation. Alternatively, they will launch an investigation into the matter without notice to the person.
If you have defrauded Centrelink, you may be charged under section 134.2 – obtaining a financial advantage by deception. If you are found guilty, the maximum penalty is 10 years imprisonment. You may instead, or also, receive a fine between $10,000 and $100,000 and be made to repay the benefit to Centrelink.
You can request a Statement of Debt for any 5 year period going back to 1998. You can make more than one request.
Centrelink has very wide powers to thoroughly investigate deposits that have been made into your account. For example, it has the power to obtain your information from other government agencies as well as accessing information from banks, building societies and credit union accounts.
We pass approximately 100,000 records to Centrelink each week. Around 12% of these are found to be Centrelink clients. ATO data is provided under table item 1 in table 1 in section 355-65 of Schedule 1 to the Taxation Administration Act 1953 (TAA).
Many people believe Centrelink has access to your bank account and will take it into consideration for your payment rate. This isn't true. Centrelink can't access your bank accounts to determine up to date figures. They're basing your assessment on the last amount you gave them.
If you lost your job (or if you resigned after being asked to resign) and your employer writes on your separation certificate you lost your job due to misconduct, then you will usually have to wait eight weeks before Centrelink pays you.
If a job seeker voluntarily leaves a job or refuses to accept a suitable job, they may be subject to financial penalties or have to wait for a period of time until payment is payable.
On 1 February 2022, the Federal Government announced aged care workers would be eligible to receive a bonus payment of up to $800.
The Tertiary Access Payment is a payment of $3,000 or $5,000. How much you can get depends on where your family home is located. Complete the following steps to claim the Tertiary Access Payment from us.
The Carer Supplement is an annual payment of $600 which is attached to each Carer Allowance. The Supplement is paid in July each year.
How Centrelink knows your assets without you telling them. Centrelink has multiple data-sharing agreements with government organisations like the ATO, Medicare, PayG and more. This helps them to maintain a view of your assets, and in certain circumstances they may apply additional scrutiny to individuals.
For your Special Benefit claim you must provide bank statements for the last 3 months for all accounts you have. This includes any overseas accounts. If you have a partner, we'll also require bank statements for all accounts held by them. You'll also need to confirm your identity and provide a tax file number.