Budget

Getting started

Calculate how much money you have coming in by using any of these:

• pay slips
• bank statements
• Centrelink Deduction Statement.

Work out how much you’re spending. To do this, look at any of these:

• bills
• direct debits
• credit card statements
• receipts and shopping dockets
• costs for annual and one-off expenses, like insurance and car registration.

Use the simple money manager to do your budget.

You can then see if you have money left over. You could use this for your savings. Set savings goals. That way you’ll know how much you need to save on a regular basis to reach your goals.

Remember to review your budget often to make sure it’s still working for you. A change in your income or expenses can affect your budget.

Simple money manager

More services we offer

There are services to help you manage your money and set yourself up for success.

Centrepay

Centrepay is a free and voluntary service you can use to pay bills as regular deductions from your Centrelink payments.

Rent deduction Scheme

Our Rent Deduction Scheme is a convenient, secure and free service. It allows you to pay your state or territory housing authority rent through regular deductions from your Centrelink payments.

Centrelink Deduction Statements

Centrelink Deduction Statements help you track your deductions.

Weekly payment options

The weekly payment option can allow you to get your income support payment weekly. This can help you if you find it hard to budget a fortnightly payment.

Offset your payments

To help you manage your money, you can ask for your Family Tax Benefit or Carer Allowance payment to be offset. This means your Family Tax Benefit or Carer Allowance can be paid on a different week to your income support payment. You can call your regular payment line to find out if you're eligible.

Tips to build savings

We have tips to help you build savings.

Talk to someone

You can talk to our Financial Information Service (FIS). FIS gives free and confidential education that can inform you and help you with decisions on your financial matters.

FIS can support you with online information, tools and resources that can build your financial knowledge. They can also help you understand how tax, social security, wages and salary work together.

The National Debt Helpline offers free financial counselling. A financial counsellor gives free advice and support to people who are going through financial hardship.

Find a financial counsellor in your area on the National Debt Helpline website.