Employer FAQs

As an employer who does business with us, your assistance in helping us pay our customers correctly is invaluable. As a possible employer of our customers, we may send letters asking you for your employees' wage and employment details. This information will help to ensure our customers get the full payment they are entitled to receive.

• Why does Centrelink ask employers to provide wage and employment details?
• Do I have to provide information about my employees?
• Why does Centrelink need information on customers?
• If I am asked to supply this information does it mean my employee is receiving payments to which they are not entitled?
• If I supply payslips can the employee provide their own wage information?
• Can Centrelink get wage information from the Australian Taxation Office?
• Why has someone named me as their employer when they don't work for me?
• Centrelink's Business Hotline
• What Centrelink is doing to help customers avoid debt
• How Centrelink assists customers to declare their earnings
• How do I find out more?

Why does Centrelink ask employers to provide wage and employment details?

We need to to ensure that people receiving income support are entitled to their payments and that they are paid on time. Our customers have to declare any employment income for themselves and their partner. Sometimes we need to verify the information with employers, landlords and other authorities.

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Do I have to provide information about my employees?

The Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 requires employers to provide details of their employees earnings details when we ask for them. We do not pay employers for this information.

Why does Centrelink need information on customers?

We regularly review our customers' payments to make sure they are being paid correctly. We match data and work together with the Australian Taxation Office and other government departments to ensure the right person receives the right payment. The information you provide us will assist in the data-matching process.

If I am asked to supply this information does it mean my employee is receiving payments to which they are not entitled?

We provide income support to many different people in the community. Some people who are working are entitled to payments and others are entitled to payments if their partner is working. A request for wage and employment details can apply either to the person receiving payments or the partner of a person receiving payments.

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If I supply payslips can the employee provide their own wage information?

We encourage customers to provide their payslips for review purposes and in most cases the information on the payslip is adequate. However, if we need additional information, we will contact the employer to ask for it.

Can Centrelink get wage information from the Australian Taxation Office?

We need exact information about the wages our customers get each pay period to ensure the right income support is being paid. The Australian Taxation Office can only provide wage information for each financial year.

Why has someone named me as their employer when they don't work for me?

This can happen for a number of reasons. It is possible that a potential employee could have completed a Withholdings Declaration and a Tax File Declaration which were sent to the Australian Taxation Office even though they did not work for you. We would have retrieved the information through a data match. Other possibilities could include a mismatch or the employee being known by another name. Should this happen please note it on your response to us.

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Centrelink's Business Hotline

For more information refer to the Centrelink Business Hotline page.

What Centrelink is doing to help customers avoid debt

One of the main causes of debt for our customers is incorrectly reported income. Verifying earnings at the earliest possible time helps prevent customers incurring a debt. We have reviewed our wage verification process, which will reduce the need to contact the employer directly.

How Centrelink assists customers to declare their earnings

• encouraging customers to provide payslips as proof of earnings
• changing a customer's Centrelink payday to coincide with their work payday
• providing customers and employers with information about declaring earnings
• encouraging customers to complete an Income Record Form
• encouraging customers to keep payslips in a special purpose envelope.

How do I find out more?

• Less Paperwork for Employers brochure
• Employers Frequently Ask factsheet