Getting help during coronavirus (COVID-19) - If you need a payment

The Australian Government has announced support for people affected by COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in Southern Tasmania. Please don’t call or visit us. More information will be available soon.

1: Before you start – payment guide

This guide can help by suggesting payments that might apply in your situation. Once you find a payment you should carefully read the eligibility rules and instructions on how to claim.

2: Have you been affected by restrictions due to a lockdown, hotspot or period of restricted movement?

3: You may be eligible for COVID-19 Disaster Payment

If you’ve lost work hours and income because of a COVID-19 lockdown, hotspot or period of restricted movement, you may be eligible for COVID-19 Disaster Payment.

If you need longer term help, we have other payments available. Read more about Payments and Services.

4: Have you been told to self-isolate or quarantine?

5: You may be eligible for Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment

You may be eligible for Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment.

Read more about Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment.

If you need longer term help, we have other payments available. Read more about Payments and Services.

6: Are you an Australian Citizen?

7: Payments for visa holders

If you’re living in Australia with an eligible visa we have a range of help to support you.

8: Are you aged under 66 years and 6 months?

9: You may be eligible for Age Pension

The main income support payment for people who have reached Age Pension age.

10: Are you the main carer of a young child?

If you're single this is a child under 8.

If you're partnered this is a child under 6.

11: You may be eligible for Parenting Payment

The main income support payment while you’re a young child’s main carer.

If you’re partnered and care for a child younger than 6, you may also be eligible for JobSeeker Payment. This will depend your partner’s income.

12: Are you studying, a trainee or an apprentice?

13: You may be eligible for ABSTUDY, Austudy, or Youth Allowance.

These are the main payments for students.

If you’re 24 or younger and a full time student or apprentice, you may be eligible for Youth Allowance for students and apprentices.

If you’re 25 or older and a full time student or apprentice, you may be eligible for Austudy.

If you’re an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student or apprentice, you may be eligible for ABSTUDY.

14: Are you aged 22 or over?

15: You may be eligible for JobSeeker Payment

Financial help if you’re between 22 and Age Pension age and looking for work. It’s also for when you’re sick or injured and can’t do your usual work or study for a short time.

16: You may be eligible for Youth Allowance

Financial help if you’re 21 or younger and looking for work, or temporarily unable to work.

Read more about Youth Allowance for job seekers.

Read more about payments and services for job seekers.

How to get a payment

Find out how to check what you can get, claim and manage a payment if you aren’t getting one already.

1. Check what you can get
If you’re affected by COVID-19, the payment you may be able to get depends on your situation. The eligibility rules are different for each payment.

If you’re in a COVID-19 hotspot, lockdown or period of restricted movement

You may be able to get the COVID-19 Disaster Payment if:
- you live in, work from or have visited a Commonwealth-declared COVID-19 hotspot
- you live in, work from or have visited a location subject to a state or territory restricted movement order
- you had paid employment and because you were in the COVID-19 hotspot or are subject to restricted movement, you can’t attend work
- you don’t have any appropriate paid leave entitlements
- you aren’t getting Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment, Dad and Partner Pay or Parental Leave Pay
- you aren’t getting a state based pandemic payment.
Check your eligibility for COVID-19 Disaster Payment.

If you’ve been told to quarantine or isolate or are caring for someone with COVID-19

You may be able to get the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment if you can’t work and either:
- a state or territory health official has told you to isolate or quarantine because you’re a close contact of a confirmed case or have COVID-19
- you’re caring for someone with COVID-19.
You can’t get this payment if you’re getting an income support payment.

If you need longer term financial help

If you need longer term financial help, you may be able to get a payment such as:
If you’re eligible for a payment from us and are in severe financial hardship

If you’re eligible for a payment from us and are in severe financial hardship, you may be able to get either:
- Crisis Payment, if you’ve experienced an extreme circumstance
- Crisis Payment for National Health Emergency (COVID-19), if you have to self-isolate or quarantine or are caring for someone in isolation.
If you’re caring for a child

If you’re caring for a child, you may also be able to claim Family Tax Benefit.

If you live in, or your child attends child care in a Commonwealth-declared COVID-19 hotspot, you can get extra allowable absences.

You can only access these absences if an area is declared a COVID-19 hotspot for more than 7 days.

Your child care service may also choose to waive the gap fee. Read more about using absences in an emergency event.

You can include the COVID-19 Disaster Payment and JobKeeper Payment in the work test for Parental Leave Pay and Dad and Partner Pay.

If you aren’t eligible for any other income support payment

You may get Special Benefit if you meet the eligibility criteria and you can’t get other income support payments from us.
2. Prove your identity and link Centrelink to myGov

To start your online claim, you need to link Centrelink to your myGov account.

If you haven’t claimed a payment from us before, you’ll have to prove your identity. You can do this online using myGov. You’ll need to enter some personal details and details from acceptable identity documents.

If you’ve claimed a payment from us before, you can use your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) to link Centrelink to myGov. If it’s already linked, you won’t need to do this. If you don’t know your CRN, you’ll need to prove your identity online using myGov.
3. Make a claim

The easiest way to claim most payments is online, but some payments have specific rules. Before you start, check the information for the payment you want to claim.

Depending on what payment you’re claiming, you may need to visit a service centre to complete our identity requirements. This may be before or after you submit your claim. We’ll let you know if you need to do this.

Read more about how to claim online.
4. Report your income and manage your payment

Some payments have income reporting requirements. In this case, your payment will stop if you don’t report your income each fortnight. You may also have other commitments you need to manage. This may include job search activities and letting us know about any changes to your circumstances. Check what applies to the payment you’re claiming.