How to claim
Complete the following steps to claim Carer Payment. Before you start, check if you can get it.
1: Carer Payment – guide to claim
We’ll guide you through the claim process.
Before you start your claim for Carer Payment, check if you’re eligible.
3: You can track your Carer Payment claim
You may need to provide supporting documents to progress your claim.
To track your claim you can use either your:
We’ll let you know the result of your claim. We'll send a letter to your myGov Inbox.
If you don’t get electronic letters, we’ll send you a letter in the mail.
If you think we’ve made a mistake you can ask us to review our decision.
We can help if you’re in crisis or need special help while we process your claim
5: Do you have a Nominee arrangement in place?
To claim on someone else’s behalf you must be authorised.
The person you’re claiming for must nominate you to be their Centrelink Correspondence Nominee.
6: Adding a Nominee arrangement
You need to have an arrangement in place to claim on someone else’s behalf.
The person you’re claiming for will need to start the process. Read about how to add a Nominee arrangement using your online account.
8: You can claim by phone or in person
If you can’t claim online, you can either:
- call us on the Disability, Sickness and Carers line
- go to a service centre.
You don’t need to go to a service centre to make a claim. If you're feeling unwell, or need to isolate yourself at home, please don't visit our service centres.
10: Do you have a Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN)?
If you don’t have one or can’t remember your CRN, select No.
11: Create a myGov account and link Centrelink to claim
To claim a payment you need a myGov account linked to Centrelink. If you don’t have a myGov account, it’s easy to create one.
Follow these steps.
- Go to myGov and select Create an account.
- Read the Terms of use. If you agree to the terms, select I agree.
- Enter your email address, then confirm this address using a code we email to you.
Your myGov account must use a unique email address. You can’t use the same email for another myGov account. - Enter your mobile number, if you have one. If you enter a number you’ll get a code sent to it each time you sign in to your myGov account.
- Create a password and 3 secret questions and enter answers.
- You’ve created your myGov account, select Continue to myGov.
To link Centrelink you’ll need your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN).
12: Link Centrelink with your CRN and make your claim
To claim a payment you need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. When you have a CRN we can create a Centrelink online account for you and link it to your myGov.
Follow these steps to link to Centrelink and make a claim.
- In myGov, select Continue from the Government support for Coronavirus banner.
- Select I have a CRN and follow the prompts to link Centrelink to your myGov account.
- Select Centrelink from your linked services to go to your Centrelink online account.
- Select Make a claim or view claim status from your homepage.
- Select Get Started from the Carers menu.
- Select Carer Payment.
- Answer the Eligibility check questions first.
- Start your claim and answer the questions about your situation.
- Review and confirm your claim.
We’ll tell you if you need to do anything else to complete your claim. We may ask you for supporting documents to submit your claim.
13: Create a myGov account and prove your identity to link to Centrelink
To claim a payment you need a myGov account linked to Centrelink. If you don’t have a myGov account, it’s easy to create one.
Follow these steps.
- Go to myGov and select Create an account.
- Read the Terms of use. If you agree to the terms, select I agree.
- Enter your email address, then confirm this address using a code we email to you.
Your myGov account must use a unique email address. You can’t use the same email for another myGov account. - Enter your mobile number, if you have one. If you enter a number you’ll get a code sent to it each time you sign in to your myGov account.
- Create a password and 3 secret questions and enter answers.
- You’ve created your myGov account, select Continue to myGov.
To link Centrelink you need a Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN). You can get a CRN online by proving your identity through myGov and entering some details about you. We’ll check if you already have a CRN or create one and link Centrelink to your myGov account.
14: Prove your identity to link Centrelink
Follow these steps.
- In myGov, select Continue from the Government support for Coronavirus banner.
- Then select I need a CRN.
- Follow the prompts to enter your identity details.
- Enter information from your Medicare card.
- Enter some personal details and we’ll check them against our records.
- We’ll create a Centrelink online account and link to your myGov account.
You’ll need identity details from 1 of these documents:
- current Australian passport
- Australian birth certificate
- Australian citizenship certificate
- Australian visa.
You’ll also need identity details from 1 of these documents:
- Australian driver licence
- ImmiCard issued by the Department of Home Affairs
- Australian Citizenship by Descent Certificate.
If you can’t prove your identity online to get a CRN, call us on the Disability, Sickness and Carers line.
15: How to claim after you create your myGov account and link to Centrelink
Once you’ve signed into myGov and linked Centrelink, follow these steps:
- Select Centrelink.
- Select Make a claim or view claim status from your homepage.
- Select Get started from the Carers menu.
- Select Carer Payment.
- Answer the Eligibility check questions first.
- Start your claim and answer the questions about your situation.
- Review and confirm your claim.
We’ll tell you if you need to do anything else to complete your claim. We may ask you for supporting documents to submit your claim.
16: Is your myGov account linked to Centrelink?
You need to link your myGov account to Centrelink to make your claim.
17: Do you have a Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN)?
If you don’t have one or can’t remember your CRN, select No.18: Sign in to myGov and prove your identity to link Centrelink
To claim a payment you need a Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) and a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. You can get a CRN online by proving your identity through myGov and entering some details about you. We’ll check if you already have a CRN or create one, and link Centrelink to your myGov account.
Follow these steps:
- Sign in to myGov.
- Select Continue from the Government support for Coronavirus banner. Then select I need a CRN.
- Follow the prompts to enter your identity details.
- Enter information from your Medicare card.
- Enter some personal details and we’ll check them against our records.
- We’ll create a Centrelink online account and link to your myGov account.
You’ll need identity details from 1 of these documents:
- current Australian passport
- Australian birth certificate
- Australian citizenship certificate
- Australian visa.
You’ll also need identity details from 1 of these documents:
- Australian driver licence
- ImmiCard issued by the Department of Home Affairs
- Australian Citizenship by Descent Certificate.
If you can’t prove your identity online to get a CRN, you can call us on the Disability, Sickness and Carers line.
19: How to claim after linking Centrelink to your myGov
Once you’ve signed into myGov and linked Centrelink, follow these steps:
- Select Centrelink.
- Select Make a claim or view claim status from your homepage.
- Select Get started from the Carers menu.
- Select Carer Payment.
- Answer the Eligibility check questions first.
- Start your claim and answer the questions about your situation.
- Review and confirm your claim.
We’ll tell you if you need to do anything else to complete your claim. We may ask you to complete other forms and provide supporting documents to submit your claim.
20: Sign in to myGov and make a claim in Centrelink
Follow these steps:
- Sign in to myGov and go to Centrelink.
- Select Make a claim or view claim status from your homepage.
- Select Get started from the Carer menu.
- Select Carer Payment.
- Answer the Eligibility check questions first.
- Start your claim and answer the questions about your situation.
- Review and confirm your claim.
We’ll tell you if you need to do anything else to complete your claim. We may ask you to complete other forms and provide supporting documents to submit your claim.
21: Sign into myGov and link to Centrelink with your CRN to claim
To claim a payment you need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. When you have a CRN we can create a Centrelink online account for you and link it to your myGov.
Follow these steps:
- Sign in to myGov then select Continue from the Government support for Coronavirus banner.
- Select I have a CRN and follow the prompts to link Centrelink to your myGov account.
- Select Centrelink from your linked services.
- Select Make a claim or view claim status from your homepage.
- Select Get Started from the Carer menu.
- Select Carer Payment.
- Answer the Eligibility check questions first.
- Start your claim and answer the questions about your situation.
- Review and confirm your claim.
We’ll tell you if you need to do anything else to complete your claim. We may ask you to complete other forms and provide supporting documents to submit your claim.
22: After you claim by phone
We'll contact you if we need more details.
We'll send you a letter to let you know your claim outcome. If your claim is successful, we’ll let you know:
- when you’ll get your first payment
- how much you’ll get.
To track your claim you can use either:
If you don’t agree with our decision call the Disability, Sickness and Carers line.
If you still don’t agree, you can ask us to review our decision.
23: After you claim online
After you submit your claim online, you’ll get a receipt telling you:
- the ID number of your claim
- the date we estimate your claim will be complete.
To track your claim you can use either:
If you don’t agree with our decision call the Disability, Sickness and Carers line. If you still don’t agree, you can ask us to review our decision.
Your options and obligations for Carer Payment.
Page last updated: 22 December 2020
This information was printed 15 April 2021 from https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/carer-payment/how-claim. It may not include all of the relevant information on this topic. Please consider any relevant site notices at https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/individuals/site-notices when using this material.