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
• 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

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

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 help you track your deductions.

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.

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