Change of circumstances

We need to know about changes that could reduce, increase or stop your Special Benefit payment.

If you don’t tell us when these changes happen, you may be doing the wrong thing.

You need to tell us if there are changes to any of these details:

How and when to tell us

The easiest way to tell us about changes is through our self service options.

You need to do both of the following:

  • tell us within 14 days of the change
  • make sure your details are up to date in myGov.

It’s never too late to report a change.

If you change or correct your name

It’s important to tell us if you change your legal name.

To change or correct your legal name, we’ll need:

  • an original document issued by a state or territory Births, Deaths and Marriages registry
  • your consent to verify the document.

You need to bring your document to a service centre so we can update our records.

If you don’t tell us

If you don’t tell us about changes in your life, we may pay you too much. If this happens you’ll have to pay the money back, plus a fee.

If you deliberately don't tell us about changes, we could charge you with fraud.

Read how to avoid fraud.

Page last updated: 21 December 2022.