Call earlier in the morning when there may be shorter wait times. Take advantage of self-service options for many a range of activities, such as checking on child care rebates, updating payment information or study details, and requesting advance payments.
If you need to speak with a service officer, you will need to phone during office hours which are between 8am and 8pm Monday to Friday.
We're available: 8 am to 8 pm local time.
They actually really give a stuff about the people that come through the door and meet their needs." Jongen says while wait times for services vary, customers are best to avoid periods of high caller volume – Monday mornings, Friday afternoons, and daily lunchtime periods.
Call 136 240 to: check payment information, such as past and future payments.
Centrelink Customer Service Phone Number +61 130 016 9468, Email, Help Center.
If the queue is clogged, an apology is issued again and the phone automatically hangs up. If a person calls again from the same phone number, Centrelink's intelligence system will identify them as a repeat-caller, acknowledge their attempts at contacting again and hang up once more.
The federal government has hired 1,500 extra contractors to help Centrelink's call centre reduce waiting times and cope with the 1m calls it received each day.
15 hours class contact
Explanation: As full-time study is a minimum of 20 contact hours per week, a student needs to do only 15 contact hours per week, that is, 75% of a full-time workload, to qualify as a full-time student under Austudy.
You may need to wait one week for your payments to start. We call this an ordinary waiting period. In some circumstances, this waiting period can be waived.
For more information or to book an appointment, you can contact the Service Australia's Aged Care Line on 1800 227 475 or Centrelink's Older Australians Line on 132 300 between 8am-5pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).
Centrelink will investigate if they suspect you have received unentitled payments. Once Centrelink decide to investigate, Centrelink can require your bank or employer to disclose your financial details relevant to Centrelink purposes. This process can take week to months.
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.
This call back system holds your place in the queue, and then they call you back, saving you time and expense. You may be offered the place in queue option if your call wait time is more than 5 minutes when you call Centrelink between 8AM and 3PM, Monday to Friday.
Expect to wait an average of 24 minutes and 18 seconds to speak to someone. According to Services Australia this was the average time it took to get through as of December 31, 2022. That means some callers will get through in less time but some will be on hold considerably longer.
HJ: Like most other organisations and companies our busiest times are first thing on a Monday morning. Yes. And during the lunchtime rush, we're no different there to banks and other organisations.
Saturday to Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm.
You can have paid work up to 29 hours per week. You can do this without losing your Disability Support Pension payment providing you still 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.
These payments are intended to alleviate financial stress and ensure that individuals can meet their basic needs. However, it's important to note that there's a limit of two urgent payments within a 12-month period.
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.
The processing time for Centrelink claims can vary. In general, it may take up to 13 weeks to process your claim. However, if you provide all the required information and supporting documents, it can speed up the processing time.
If you have been charged with Centrelink fraud, you may be liable to large fines, imprisonment, and a criminal record, which would make it very difficult for you to find employment in the future. If you have been charged with Centrelink fraud, you should seek advice from a qualified criminal defence lawyer immediately.
People with disability, illness or injury, and their carers can call 132 717. It's for enquiries about Centrelink payments and services. It's available 8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.