If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov you can tell us about changes to your circumstances online. To do this, sign in to myGov and select My details. You can also tell us using either: the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
If you are registered as a jobseeker (in other words, signing-on), you should inform your local Intreo Centre or Social Welfare Branch Office of the date you are going to start work. This will ensure that you can get any payment due to you up to the date you start work.
On the My online claims page, select Make a claim to begin a new claim. If you're not making a new claim, you can select any of the following: Continue claim to continue a claim you've started. Cancel claim to cancel a claim and start again.
Financial help if you're between 22 and Age Pension age and looking for work.
Sign in to myGov. Select Payments and claims. Under Manage payments, select Cancel my current payment. Follow the prompts to submit your claim, then select Yes to confirm your update and cancel your payment.
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.
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.
What the cut-off points are. If your income in a fortnight goes over specific cut-off points, we won't pay you for that fortnight. Your cut-off point may be higher if you get the Pharmaceutical Allowance or Rent Assistance.
If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov, you can manage your repayments online. To do this, sign into myGov and select Money you owe. You can also use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
If we pay you too much you'll get a debt you need to pay back. If your Centrelink account is linked to myGov, sign in now to tell us about changes to your circumstances.
It replaces the “Jobactive” system that required the “mutual obligation” of applying for 20 jobs a month for payments to continue. You must now instead earn 100 points a month through a variety of activities, including applying for jobs, attending courses and even working.
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.
If you're working you can get a Working Credit. It increases how much you can earn before we start reducing your payments. We calculate it when you report your income. You don't need to do anything extra.
If you don't report and you're meant to, we won't pay you. You can report online up to 13 days after your reporting date. If you're more than 13 days late, you need to call us on your regular payment line.
Most unemployed people will have full-time mutual obligation requirements of at least 70 hours per fortnight. If you are working less than 70 hours per fortnight (casually or part-time) you will still have to look for full-time work or undertake other suitable activities.
If you get a penalty you'll: lose half of your fortnightly payment for the first penalty. lose all of your fortnightly payment for the second penalty. have your payment cancelled for at least 4 weeks for a third penalty.
It's impossible to know if Centrelink is investigating you. When they suspect you of defrauding them, investigations are launched discreetly. It's until when they decide to interview that you get to know you're being investigated. This interview is documented and used against you in Court.
If Centrelink suspect that you are claiming more social security benefits than you are entitled to they will investigate your situation. Centrelink may believe that you have not been honest with them because of routine data matching checks or due to getting a tip-off from a member of the public.
Contrary to popular belief, Centrelink does not in fact have access to your bank account and doesn't monitor it when working out your payment rate.
The Government announced on 1 February 2022 that an aged care workforce bonus of up to $800 will be paid to eligible aged care staff in Government subsidised home care and residential care.
Carer Supplement is an annual payment of $600 for each eligible payment you get. You'll get this on top of your regular payment.
A payment to help students with the cost of moving from regional or remote areas for tertiary study. The Tertiary Access Payment (TAP) is a one off payment of up to $5,000. It's to help eligible students with the cost of moving to study. This is for study after you've finished year 12 or equivalent.