Household Stimulus Package
Important Information
The majority of Household Stimulus Package payments were made in March 2009. In most cases, to receive a bonus you must have been eligible for a qualifying Centrelink payment on 3 February 2009. If you were eligible for a bonus, it would have been automatically paid into your bank account.
On this page
On 3 February 2009, the Australian Government announced the Household Stimulus Package to provide widespread assistance to low and middle-income households. The Household Stimulus Package included one-off bonus payments for some Centrelink customers, including families, students and farmers. Bonus payments are non-taxable and are not considered income for social security purposes.
Eligibility at a glance
Note: Eligibility for all bonus payments is based on your entitlement on 3 February 2009.
| Payment | Who will get it? | How much? | When will it be paid? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back to School Bonus | Recipients of Family Tax Benefit Part A with a child aged 4-18 years old (inclusive) | $950 per eligible child |
If you received your FTB payment fortnightly as of 3 February 2009, this was paid between 11 and 20 March 2009.
If you get your FTB payment annually:
|
| Recipients of Carer Payment or Disability Support Pension who on 3 February 2009 were aged less than 19 years old | $950 | This was paid between 11 to 20 March 2009 |
*Note: You must lodge your claim for Family Tax Benefit for the 2008-09 financial year with the Family Assistance Office, and lodge your income tax return(s) with the Australian Taxation Office, by 30 June 2011.
Payment in detail
Further details about each of the Household Stimulus Package payments are provided on the following pages:
Payment of the Household Stimulus Package
If you are eligible for a bonus payment, it will be automatically paid into your bank account.
The majority of these payments were made from 11 to 20 March 2009. If you claim your Family Tax Benefit annually as a lump sum and you are eligible for the bonus, you will receive this automatically provided your Family Tax Benefit claim and your income tax return(s) for 2008-09 are lodged by 30 June 2011.
If you become eligible for a bonus payment when your Family Tax Benefit for 2008-09 is reconciled, you will receive your bonus automatically provided your tax return(s) for 2008-09 are lodged by 30 June 2011.
To find out about eligibility for these bonus payments view the Eligibility at a glance section on this page.
Note: The Tax Bonus for Working Australians was delivered by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Please refer to ATO website or contact the ATO on 1300 686 636 for further details.
[ return to top ]
Hoax email warning
Centrelink has received reports of hoax emails in relation to the Household Stimulus Package. Centrelink and the Australian Federal Police are investigating.
If you receive an email claiming to be from Centrelink that suggests you need to provide bank details to receive a bonus payment, do not respond.
Centrelink already has the information it needs to process bonus payments to eligible customers and will never ask people to provide personal information via email.
If you receive an email about the bonus payments that you believe to be a hoax you can call Centrelink on 1800 050 004.
More information
- Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Australia - Media Releases
- Tax Bonus for Working Australians - will be paid by the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) from April 2009.
[ return to top ]