Steps to claim Special Benefit
1. Get ready to claim
The easiest way to claim is online.
To do this, you’ll need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. If you have a correspondence nominee or someone to act for you, they can claim online for you, but they’ll need to have their own account.
If you don’t have a myGov or Centrelink online account you’ll need to set them up.
2. Get your documents ready to claim
During your claim, we’ll ask you to give us some documents to support your claim. These depend on your situation and the questions we need to ask you.
Check that you have the right supporting documents ready to go with your claim. We can’t process your claim until we have all the required documents.
3. Make your claim
If you can claim online
If your Centrelink account is linked to myGov you can apply online.
To do this:
- Sign in to myGov.
- Select Make a claim or view claim status, then Make a claim.
- Under Other payments select Get started.
- Select Apply for Special Benefit then follow the prompts to complete your claim.
If you can’t claim online
You can call us on the Centrelink Employment Services line.
If you prefer to speak to someone in your own language, call the Centrelink Multilingual phone service and ask to speak to an interpreter.
If you’re a non-resident parent or guardian claiming on behalf of an Australian citizen or permanent resident child, you must fill in and return the Claim for Special Benefit for a child form.
Make sure you attach all the supporting documents we ask for. This may include some other related forms you may need to complete.
4. Track your claim
After you submit your claim online, you’ll get a receipt. It’ll tell you:
- you submitted your claim
- the ID number of your claim
- a link you need to track its progress.
To track the progress of your claim online, sign in to myGov and select Make a claim or view claim status.
You can also use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
We’ll let you know the result of your application. We’ll send a message to your myGov Inbox or Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
If you don’t get electronic letters, we’ll send you a letter in the mail.
If we need more details, we’ll ask you for them.
If you think we’ve made a mistake you can ask us to review our decision.
Contact numbers available on this page.
Centrelink employment services line
Use this line if you need help with JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance for job seekers, Assurance of support for visa applicants, Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or to talk with a social worker.
Centrelink multilingual phone service
Use this line to talk with a skilled bilingual Centrelink service officer.
There are other ways you may want to contact us.