Change of circumstances

What to tell us

You need to tell us if any of the following things change:

• your name
• your address
• the amount of rent you pay
• your or your partner’s income
• your child starts or stops full time secondary study from the day they turn 16
• you or your child are leaving the country, temporarily or to live somewhere else
• you or your partner don’t have to lodge a tax return.

How to tell us

If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov, sign in to tell us about most changes to your circumstances.

Sign in to myGov

You can also use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.

Read more about what you can do using self service.

If you don’t have access to a self service option, please call the families line.

There are some changes you can’t tell us using a self service option. You need to call the families line to tell us about changes to the following things:

• your relationship changes, for example if you become partnered or separated
• your child’s care arrangements - the amount of time a child is in your care changes or your child leaves your care
• your child dies
• your child is in a prison or juvenile justice centre as a result of a court order
• your child is leaving the country, temporarily or to live somewhere else alone.

Changing or correcting your name

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

When to tell us

You need to tell us about a change in your circumstances before your next Family Tax Benefit payment is due. If you don’t, we may pay you too much and you may have to pay back the money.

If you deliberately don’t tell us when your circumstances change, you could be committing fraud. Read more about how to avoid committing fraud.