Your income and assets may affect most payments. When you have a partner, their income and assets may also affect your payment.
Being in a de facto relationship can have an effect on what payments you can get and your payment rate. There's no minimum time period for a relationship to be de facto. There are different relationship rules for ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Youth Allowance and Disability Support Pension.
For Centrelink purposes you are considered to be a member of a couple if you and your partner are living together, or usually live together, and are: married; or. in a registered relationship; or. in a de facto relationship.
We'll tell them in the claim if they can do this. If they can, you'll need to confirm your relationship status with us. We'll tell you when your partner has made a claim for you. If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov you can review the details they've given us and confirm your relationship status online.
What happens if I don't tell Centrelink that I am a member of a couple? If you are receiving Centrelink payments based solely on your income and assets, and later Centrelink decides that you are a member of a couple, your payment may be cancelled and you may receive a debt.
There is no set number of nights which mean that the DWP will see you as living together. So, if your partner stays over a few nights a week, that doesn't mean you should be counted as a couple when it comes to benefits – it depends on lots of other factors.
You can earn up to $2,318 per fortnight before you lose the pension as a single person, or up to $3,544 per fortnight as a couple, combined, before you lose the Age Pension, entirely. If you are working, an additional $300 per fortnight, per person, on top of these amounts can be earned before you lose the pension.
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.
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.
You may be able to tell us online when you break up or separate from your partner. This will depend on the type of payment you get. If you can't tell us online, use the separation details form to let us know. You don't need your ex-partner to complete their part of the separation form.
Dad and Partner Pay is currently $812.45 per week before tax. It's based on the weekly rate of the national minimum wage. Complete the following steps to claim Dad and Partner Pay. Before you start, check if you can get it.
And don't forget that couples must be in a committed relationship and live together. The pension considers both partners' income and assets when determining eligibility and payment rates.
Partner Allowance is a non-activity tested payment paid at the JobSeeker Payment rate. Partner Allowance recipients also receive Energy Supplement and may be eligible for other supplementary payments.
If you break up or separate, you'll need to tell us within 14 days. Read about how to tell us when you're separating. You may also need to change your address or contact information. If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov you can update your details online.
A de facto relationship is when you and your partner have a relationship and live together as a couple but are not married.
Couples who are not married can apply to register a relationship in NSW. The relationships register provides legal recognition for a couple.
One common type of fraud is providing false information, such as a fake name or address, to obtain Centrelink payments. Another type is undeclared income, where individuals fail to declare all of their income to Centrelink to receive additional benefits.
We check your bank account information is up to date. We do this to check we paid you the right payment and amount in the past.
You can request a Statement of Debt for any 5 year period going back to 1998. You can make more than one request.
For example, they can require your bank or your employer to give details of your financial transactions, or any other personal details that are relevant to your Centrelink entitlements. They also routinely match their records with other organisations including the tax office. This is called data matching.
If you lie to Centrelink about your circumstances, you may receive benefits that you would otherwise not be entitled to. Courts view Centrelink fraud very seriously and if found guilty you could face a sentence of imprisonment and will be required to repay the debt to Centrelink.
Reporting your income
Every 2 weeks you must report employment income you and your partner were paid in the last 14 days. You'll need to report your income even if it's $0. If you don't report every 2 weeks, your payment will stop. We'll tell you which dates you must report on and when your income reporting will start.
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.
Yes you can still apply. If your partner is still working then his or her income will be included in the income test for a couple so it could affect the amount you are eligible to receive.
You can get it even if your partner works or if you have savings. The calculator will work out if you are entitled to contribution-based JSA. Income-based JSA is payable if you have not paid enough Class 1 National Insurance contributions, were self-employed or when your contribution-based JSA stops.