News for separated parents

The temporary pause on Centrelink debts is ending

7 December 2021

The debt pause is ending for people who were in lockdown. But if you owe money, you won’t need to repay it until July 2022.

We can help if family and domestic violence affects you

7 December 2021

The 16 days of activism campaign is a reminder we can help if you’re experiencing family and domestic violence.

Get your proof of COVID-19 vaccinations before you travel

3 December 2021

Before you travel within Australia or overseas, get your proof of COVID-19 vaccinations.

No interest loans to help buy essentials

3 December 2021

Christmas can be expensive. A No Interest Loan may help if you need to buy essential goods and services.

Tips for reporting employment income correctly

29 November 2021

Follow our tips to get the right amount of Centrelink payment, and get paid on time.

Did you get Child Care Subsidy (CCS) in 2019-20?

29 November 2021

We’re writing to families that haven’t confirmed their income and need to take action.

If you got Child Care Subsidy (CCS) in 2020-21 you need to confirm your income

29 November 2021

You need to confirm your family’s income so we can balance your payments.

COVID-19 vaccination reward text message scam

24 November 2021

If you get a message from the ‘Department of Health’ offering a COVID-19 vaccination benefit payment, don’t open the link.

Watch out for scams during tax time news item

Have you been affected by the lockdown in the Northern Territory?

17 November 2021

You may get COVID-19 Disaster Payment for Katherine, Robinson River and surrounding homelands if you’ve lost income.

What’s changing on our website

16 November 2021

We’re improving our Services Australia website to make it easier for you to find what you need.

Did you know we can deduct tax from your taxable Centrelink payment?

11 November 2021

If you get payments from us, you can set up a tax deduction to help you avoid a tax debt.

Public holiday closures, reporting and payment arrangements

10 November 2021

We’re closed for Christmas and New Year. We want to help you plan so you still get paid.

Stop scams by speaking up

8 November 2021

It’s Scams Awareness Week. Help protect people against scams by talking about them.

Can you get COVID-19 Disaster Payment for the Northern Territory?

8 November 2021

There’s support available if you’re affected by the COVID-19 lockdown in Katherine.

Class action settlement payments and your eligibility

5 November 2021

We’re writing to class action group members about their debt category and if they’re eligible for a settlement payment.

Is your child going back to child care?

5 November 2021

You need to take action now if your child isn’t going back to care now the NSW, Victoria and ACT lockdowns have ended.

Claim ABSTUDY for 2022 now

4 November 2021

Submit an ABSTUDY claim before December to make sure your child is ready to start school on time.

COVID-19 Disaster Payment will soon end for Victoria

31 October 2021

COVID-19 Disaster Payment will reduce and then end as Victoria has reached the 80% full vaccination rate.

Special circumstances and Parental Leave Pay and Dad and Partner Pay work test

29 October 2021

You may now meet the Parental Leave Pay and Dad and Partner Pay work test if you’re affected by special circumstances.

There are changes to the COVID-19 Disaster Payment

21 October 2021

How the 70% and 80% fully vaccinated rate will affect the COVID-19 Disaster Payment.

New SMS for Centrepay deductions

19 October 2021

We’ve introduced a helpful SMS feature for Centrepay customers who use electronic messaging.

Introducing the International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate

19 October 2021

It’s a secure record of your vaccinations for when you travel overseas.

You may get COVID-19 Disaster Payment if you’re in Tasmania

19 October 2021

There’s support available if you’re affected by the COVID-19 lockdown in Tasmania.

Man at home pensively using laptop computer.

COVID-19 Disaster Payment will soon end for ACT and NSW

18 October 2021

The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and New South Wales (NSW) has reached the 80% full vaccination rate.

Changes to Child Care Subsidy and removal of the annual cap

13 October 2021

Higher Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and removal of the annual cap is starting earlier.

How to save your COVID-19 vaccination proof offline for easy access

12 October 2021

There are 2 ways to save your proof offline. You can save it in your Express Plus Medicare app or your digital wallet for easy access.

Directors fees affect your Centrelink payment

8 October 2021

You must report directors fees as employment income when you receive them, even if you reinvest them into your business.

Are you getting COVID-19 Disaster Payments for ACT or NSW?

8 October 2021

Your automatic COVID-19 Disaster Payments have stopped because ACT and NSW has reached 70% full vaccination rates.

Is your child finishing high school this year?

6 October 2021

Find out how this affects your Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and what you need to do to prepare.

Understanding your Child Care Subsidy balancing outcome

30 September 2021

When we’ve balanced your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) we’ll write to you to let you know the outcome.

Understanding your Family Tax Benefit balancing outcome

28 September 2021

There are three possible outcomes when we balance your Family Tax Benefit (FTB) payments.

Extra coronavirus (COVID-19) support if you get Child Care Subsidy

28 September 2021

You may be eligible for more Child Care Subsidy absences.

Your child care service may choose to waive the gap fee

28 September 2021

This may apply to you if you get Child Care Subsidy and you’re in a Coronavirus (COVID-19) hotspot area.

Changes to Parental Leave Pay and Dad and Partner Pay work test

23 September 2021

You can now include periods you got the COVID-19 Disaster Payment in the work test.

Does our trial website make it easier for you to find what you need?

22 September 2021

We want to make it easier for you to find what you need on our website. To do this, we’re trialling a version of our site with a new structure and design.

Check your Child Care Subsidy balancing status online

22 September 2021

Use your Express Plus Centrelink mobile app or Centrelink online account to check your Child Care Subsidy balancing status.

Create a myGov account and link Medicare to get proof of COVID-19 vaccinations

16 September 2021

If you haven’t already, create a myGov account and link Medicare. Then you can access your proof of vaccination online if you need it.

Maintaining Child Care Subsidy in the COVID-19 lockdown

16 September 2021

We’re continuing to pay Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for families that normally use child care in Greater Sydney.

Do you need to show proof of your COVID-19 vaccinations?

7 September 2021

It’s easy to find the best way to get proof of your vaccinations using our COVID-19 tool. Your proof is free.

Update your family income estimate

3 September 2021

Update your estimate so you get the right amount of Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and Child Care Subsidy (CCS).

We’re starting to balance Child Care Subsidy

25 August 2021

All families will need to confirm their income before we can start the Child Care Subsidy (CCS) balancing process.

What to do if you have a Child Care Subsidy debt for 2018-19

6 August 2021

Confirm your family’s income for 2018-19 so we can reassess your Child Care Subsidy (CCS) debt.

My Task options added to Centrelink online account

5 August 2021

We’ve added options to our menus to help make finding tasks in your Centrelink online account easier.

Change to the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app home screen

3 August 2021

When you update the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app to the latest version and sign in, you’ll see it’s had a facelift.

What to do if you missed the 2019-20 Child Care Subsidy deadline

3 August 2021

If you got Child Care Subsidy (CCS) in the 2019-20 financial year, the deadline to confirm your income was 30 June 2021.

Debt repayments have been paused during lockdown

3 August 2021

We’re pausing Centrelink debt raising and new debt recovery in locked down Local Government Areas.

Add proof of your COVID-19 vaccinations to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay

2 August 2021

You can now add your COVID-19 digital certificate to your Apple Wallet or Google Pay on your device for easy storage.

Balancing for Child Care Subsidy is approaching

28 July 2021

We’ll start balancing Child Care Subsidy (CCS) for 2020-21 from mid-August.

Have your say in the AIFS survey

21 July 2021

If you have a family law parenting order, the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) wants to hear from you.

Check your Family Tax Benefit balancing status using our mobile app

21 July 2021

You can use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app to check the balancing status of your Family Tax Benefit (FTB).

We’re starting to balance Family Tax Benefit

5 July 2021

Before we can balance your Family Tax Benefit (FTB), you may need to confirm your income.

Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment for the Northern Territory

2 July 2021

The Australian Government has announced support if you live in the Northern Territory and can't earn income.

We’ve extended support for people affected by recent floods

1 July 2021

The Australian Government has declared 5 additional Local Government Areas for the Victorian storms and floods.

Beware of scams that promise a tax refund or bonus

24 June 2021

It’s tax time, and that means scammers may target Services Australia customers.

Centrelink payment summaries will be available from early July

23 June 2021

Your Centrelink payment summary shows payments you got from us this financial year. You might need it for your tax return.

Support for people affected by the Victorian storms and floods

18 June 2021

We have payments to help you if you’ve been directly affected by the Victorian storms and floods in June 2021.

If you get Parenting Payment, you can volunteer for ParentsNext

17 June 2021

If you’re getting Parenting Payment but don’t have to take part in ParentsNext, you can volunteer to participate in the program.

What you need to do so we can balance your Family Tax Benefit (FTB)

15 June 2021

Find out what you need to do so we can balance your FTB payments as quickly as possible.

We have help available if you’re raising a family

10 June 2021

Here’s what you need to know about claiming family payments from us.

Woman sitting outside her home with tablet computer.

Balancing for Family Tax Benefit is approaching

3 June 2021

There’s a few things you can do online now to get ready.

Beware of a new myGov identity scam

13 May 2021

Fake emails claiming they’re from myGov tell you to open a link to confirm your identity. Don’t open the link.

If your family income has changed, make sure you let us know

19 April 2021

You must report income for family payments and income support payments in different ways.

Our RSS service alerts you to updates to this page. You can connect to our RSS feeds with your favourite RSS reader.

Subscribe to News for Separated parents

Printed link references