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.
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.
If they lodged an intent to claim and then lodged their completed claim within 14 days, their payments could be backdated to the date they first made contact with Centrelink, i.e. when they lodged their intent to claim.
Hours you can work
If you get DSP, you can have paid work up to 29 hours a week. You can do this without losing your DSP payment providing you meet the income test. You must tell us if you or your partner have started work within 14 days. You must also tell us the details of that work.
Centrelink has very broad powers to demand information from any individual or organisation. 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.
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.
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. It can do this without your prior consent or knowledge. Centrelink's investigation is not limited to recent deposits.
You can request a Statement of Debt through your Centrelink online account through myGov. Use the request a document online guide if you need help. Your statement will show your debt information for up to 5 years.
The Carer Supplement is an annual payment of $600 which is attached to each Carer Allowance. The Supplement is paid in July each year.
On 1 February 2022, the Federal Government announced aged care workers would be eligible to receive a bonus payment of up to $800.
This payment is for those who start studying at any point in the year immediately after completing year 12 or equivalent. If you're eligible, you can only claim the Tertiary Access Payment from January 1 to December 31 in your first year of tertiary study.
Payment rates
If you're dependent, the parental means test will apply. If your parents or guardians earn too much, you won't be able to get a payment.
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.
Your Australian bank account statements are accessible to the ATO. The ATO is endowed with extensive legal authority, which allows it to access your personal bank information. Because of these capabilities, the ATO is able to get your Australian bank statements straight from your financial institution.
Savings affect some benefits and not others. You can have savings and still claim means-tested benefits. But you must stay within the saving limits set by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). An increase in savings can affect how much you receive in benefits.
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.
Typically, Centrelink will send you a letter every six months or so with their understanding of your assets and income clearly listed. If your current financial reality doesn't match Centrelink's understanding of it, it's your responsibility to correct your details.
There are no laws limiting the amount of cash you can keep at home. This makes sense as many businesses, especially retail stores, keep large amounts of money with them merely as floating cash.
Your home and the pension
If you are retired your major asset may be the home you live in. Centrelink does not count your home as an asset when calculating your pension if it is your 'principal place of residence' – any residence you occupy or in which you have an interest or the right to occupy.
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.
When you are released from prison you will receive a crisis payment. This is a one-off payment of approximately $280.
But even if there is a mistake, people must repay incorrect payments. If we find enough evidence of criminal behaviour, we may take further steps. We may refer cases to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions. This may lead to criminal charges and jail.
Centrelink: Call 136 150
Advance Lump Sum $1000 – check how much your benefit would reduce each fortnight to see if you can manage it.