Crisis and special help
Payments
Avoid a Centrelink debt
There are many things that can affect your payment. Avoid a debt by letting us know when your situation changes.
Services and programs
- Accommodation, renting and homelessness issues
- Financial Information Service
- Personal/family counselling service
- Services and programs - general
- Services for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness
- Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centres
- Special Disability Trusts
- Facing retrenchment or redundancy
- Early Release of Superannuation
For more information refer to services and programs for carers.
Local community organisations
Centrelink Social workers and Customer Service Officers can give you information or referrals to local community organisations who may be able to help you.
Assistance in an emergency
Centrelink can support you in a crisis or an emergency such as a natural disaster (e.g. fire, flood) with:
To find out more, refer to emergency assistance.
Claiming
In focus
Combining caring and working
Have your Centrelink details securely provided or confirmed directly to another organisation. To find out more about applying for concessions or services, refer to the Centrelink Confirmation eServices page.
Assistance is available for people who have been out of the workforce for 2 years or more because of their caring responsibilities.
Related information
Publications
- Needing help in a crisis? booklet
- Crisis Payment for People in extreme circumstances factsheet
- Hardship information factsheet
- Family assistance - The what, why and how booklet
- Crisis Payment for Humanitarian Entrants factsheet
- Crisis Payment for released prisoners brochure
- Special Benefit Payment Rates factsheet
- More publications if you are in a crisis or need special help
Contacts us
For a list of the convenient ways that you can contact Centrelink, refer to the Contact us page.