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Employers FAQs:As an employer who does business with Centrelink your assistance in helping us pay our customers correctly is invaluable. As a possible employer of Centrelink customers you may receive letters asking you to provide wage and employment details for your employees. The information you provide will help to ensure Centrelink customers receive the full payment to which they are entitled.
Why does Centrelink ask employers to provide wage and employment details?Centrelink is expected to ensure that people receiving income support are entitled to their payments and that they are paid on time. Centrelink customers have to declare any earnings from employment for themselves and their partner. It is sometimes necessary for Centrelink to verify the information with employers, landlords and other authorities. [ return to top ] Do I have to provide information about my employees?The Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 requires employers to provide details of their employees earnings when requested by Centrelink. Centrelink does not pay employers for this information.
Why does Centrelink need information on customers?Centrelink regularly reviews the payments made to customers to ensure correct payments are being made. Centrelink matches data and works in partnership with the Australian Taxation Office and other government departments to ensure the right person receives the right payment. The information you provide to Centrelink 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?Centrelink provides income support to many different people throughout 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 either apply to the person receiving payments or a partner of the person receiving payments. [ return to top ] If I supply payslips can the employee provide their own wage information?Centrelink is encouraging customers to provide their payslips for review purposes and in most cases the information on the payslip is adequate. However, if Centrelink requires additional information Centrelink will write to the employer requesting this.
Can Centrelink get wage information from the Australian Taxation Office?Centrelink needs exact information about wages received by its customers 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. Centrelink 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. [ return to top ] Centrelink's Business HotlineFor more information about Centrelink's Business Hotline, you can:
What Centrelink is doing to help customers avoid debtIncorrect declaration of income is one of the main causes of debt for Centrelink customers. Verifying earnings at the earliest possible time will help prevent customers incurring a debt. Centrelink has reviewed its wage verification process which will reduce the need to contact the employer directly.
Ways that Centrelink is assisting customers to declare their earnings
[ return to top ] How do I find out more?To find more information, you can download the following factsheets: Did you find what you were looking for? You can also try the A-Z list, quick links, search, site help or send us feedback on how to make this a better website. |
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