Help for your submitted claim

Review your claim
Your declaration
Employment Services Provider
Employment Separation Certificate
Changes to your circumstances
Information about your submitted claim
Your claim answers
Mailing forms to you
Proof of Birth
Proof of Immunisation or exemption
Proof of Taxable Income
Proof of Fringe Benefits
Proof of Foreign Income
Proof of Tax Exempt Foreign Income
Proof of Reportable Superannuation Contribution Paid
Proof of Total Net Investment Losses
Proof of Net Rental Property Losses
Proof of Income from Tax Free Pensions and Benefits
Proof of Maintenance expenditure (we deduct 100% of this amount from your estimate)
Evidence of Work Test
Proof of Australian citizenship
Current Australian Visa
Proof of Income for Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
Evidence of all taxable and non taxable income
Top-up payment

Review your claim

It is important to ensure that the information you provide to Centrelink on your claim is complete and accurate. Your answers to the questions we have asked in your Online Claim are displayed back to you so that you can check them.

Review all of your answers to the questions that Centrelink has asked before continuing with your claim. If you need to go back to a question to change your answer, you can use the navigation links within each of the claim pages.

Centrelink collects the information you provide in your answers to perform its functions in administering the Social Security Law, the Student Assistance Act 1973, the Employment Services Act 1994, the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999.

The information that you provide on this claim will be used to decide your eligibility for a payment and/or your suitability for other services, and where relevant, eligibility for third parties (for example, other family members). Certain information may be used to detect or prevent fraud.

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Your declaration

Centrelink will begin the process of assessing your entitlement to the claimed payment/concession card once your declaration is accepted and you submit your claim.

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Employment Services Provider

Employment Services Providers:

offer tailored services and programs to help job seekers in their transition to employment. By participating in these programs and services, job seekers have the opportunity to improve their employment prospects by gaining qualifications and/or skills and improving their job search;
offer job seekers a range of tailored services, according to their individual circumstances. A job seeker registering for services, will be referred to one provider who will deliver or broker all appropriate services during the customer's entire period of registration as a jobseeker;
are able to refer job seekers to a range of programs funded by Commonwealth, State and Territory governments. Providers may refer to these as 'complementary employment and training programs'.

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Employment Separation Certificate

Your previous employer will need to provide Centrelink with an Employment Separation Certificate. This certificate verifies important employment details, such as reason for separation and leave and redundancy payments. You will need to advise your employer to provide this information to Centrelink if they have not already done so. Your previous employer can contact Centrelink to provide this information over the phone, or fill out a form. Information on how to contact Centrelink or download this form can be found on the servicesaustralia.gov.au website.

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Changes to your circumstances

If you need to change details of your claim after you have submitted it, please Contact Us. You do not need to complete another claim.

After you claim a payment or concession card, you must tell Centrelink within 14 days of any event or change in circumstances that could affect your Centrelink entitlements or payments. You must also advise of a death within 28 days.

You must also tell Centrelink within 14 days if your partner (including a defacto partner) has any events or changes in their circumstances as they may affect your Centrelink entitlements or payments.

If you are claiming Youth Allowance and considered to be dependent, you must also tell Centrelink of any changes of any events or change in your parent(s)/Guardian(s)(and their partner) circumstances as they may also affect your Centrelink entitlements or payments.

Important note:

If you don't tell Centrelink about these changes you could have a debt. If you have a debt you may have to pay all or some of the money back.

To advise Centrelink of any changes, please Contact Us.

Changes to your study or work

You must tell Centrelink if:

you stop being a full-time student or concessional workload student
you stop being a full-time Australian Apprentice (apprentice or traineeship)
you start paid work or any form of profession, trade, business or self-employment
you leave a training course before it ends, or are absent for any period
you start doing unpaid voluntary work
you are sick or injured and cannot look for work or continue study or your Australian Apprenticeship (apprenticeship or traineeship)
you apply for, or vary, your enrolment at school, college or university or other technical institution.

Changes to your personal circumstances.

You must tell Centrelink if:

you marry, or reconcile with your separated partner or start living with someone as their partner
you stop living with your partner, or your partner dies
you change your address, telephone etc details
you have a dependent child who dies
you have an immediate family member who dies
you move into or out of long term care such as a nursing home or hostel
you have given birth
you have a child under 16 years of age enter your care and control
you have a dependent child under 16 years and the child:
- leaves home
- is granted a pension, benefit or allowance, or
- leaves Australia
you (or any of your dependent children) are charged with an offence and are:
- in custody on remand,
- in a psychiatric institution or
- in prison

Austudy only:

you have a dependent child aged 16 years and less than 21 years who is not a full-time student, or less than 25 years who is a full-time student:
- who becomes independent, or
- you cease to receive Family Tax Benefit for them, or
- is granted a pension, benefit or allowance, or
- stops being a full-time student, or
- starts work or has increased income, or
- leaves Australia, or
- applies for and gets an education allowance from a Commonwealth department

Youth Allowance only:

you have a sibling (brother or sister) aged 16 years and less than 25 years:
- who becomes independent, or
- who is granted a pension, benefit or allowance, or
- and your parents cease to receive Family Tax Benefit for them, or
- who stops being a full-time student, or
- who starts work or has increased income, or
- leaves Australia, or
- applies for and gets an education allowance from a Commonwealth department, or
you return home or started living with your parent(s)/guardian(s), or
your assessment is based on estimated parental income and actual income details become known, or
Your assessment is based on parental income and your parental income for the financial year following the base tax year exceeds your parental income for the base tax year by more than 25%.

Family Assistance payments only:

your child starts or leaves school
your child's income changes or is likely to be $11,233 or more
your child is granted a pension, benefit or allowance
the shared-care arrangements for your child change
you are not required to lodge an Income Tax Return

Baby Bonus

your child leaves your care

Age Pension only:

You must tell Centrelink if there are any changes to your or your partner's circumstances that could affect your payment rate such as:

changes to income and assets from any source
changes to work hours, commencing or stopping work
change of address or rent details, or you start or stop sharing with someone
change of partner or family details
changes to custody arrangements
if you claim or receive compensation
you or your dependent child/ren leaving Australia temporarily or permanently.

Essential Medical Equipment Payment only:

After lodgement of this claim, you (and/or the person with medical needs) have an obligation to inform us within 14 days of any changes to your circumstances.

For example (but not limited to), you (and/or the person with medical needs):

change in address
no longer require the medical equipment or medically required heating/cooling
no longer contribute to the payment of the household energy account
enter into an aged care residence, residential rehabilitation centre, hospital, medical facility, detention centre or prison
no longer live in Australia
no longer live with the person with medical needs.

Important: If you don't tell Centrelink about any changes, you may have to pay back some or all of your payment.

Commonwealth Seniors Health Card only:

You must tell Centrelink if there are any changes to you or your partner's circumstances that could affect your entitlement to a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card such as:

your income exceeds the income limit for Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
the details of your Seniors Supplement bank account change
you are granted an income support payment from the Department of Veterans' Affairs
you leave Australia temporarily, including for holidays, or permanently

Holidaying or moving overseas

You must tell Centrelink if you go on holidays overseas or move overseas. This is to ensure you are aware of whether you are entitled to payments while overseas. You must Contact Us at least 6 weeks or as soon as possible before departing. You should also Contact Us on return to Australia.

Rent Assistance

You must tell Centrelink if:

you receive Rent Assistance and you stop paying rent, or the amount of rent you pay changes, or you start or cease sharing accommodation
you start to pay rent to a State, Territory or Commonwealth Housing Authority
you receive Rent Assistance and you move in with your parent(s) or guardian(s)(Youth Allowance only)
you return home or started living with your parent(s)/guardian(s) (Youth Allowance only).

Changes to your financial situation

You must tell Centrelink if you:

start or stop receiving income or income changes
get a new investment or change your existing investment(s) or your investment(s) matures (investments include insurance bonds, friendly society investments, public unit trusts, shares, credit unions or other financial institutions)
make a withdrawal from a deferred annuity, approved deposit fund or superannuation fund investment
have assets that increase above the allowable levels, (if you have not been told of the allowable levels please Contact Us)
receive or cease to receive a pension, benefit or allowance (other than Family Tax Benefit) by Centrelink, or any payment from the Department of Veterans' Affairs, or the Department of Education, Science and Training, or a similar type of payment from an overseas source
receive (or cease to receive) a payment under the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme
receive a compensation payment

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Information about your submitted claim

Your Claim Number can be used as a reference when contacting Centrelink about your claim.

Centrelink may require additional information to complete the assessment of your claim.

You may be requested to:

download, complete and provide forms that collect detailed information about questions you have answered in your claim and
gather and provide documentation to verify information you have provided in your claim. Centrelink will only ask you to provide information that is relevant to your circumstances.

Certified copies

Centrelink can accept copies of an original verification document (excluding proof of identity documents) if it is certified as a true copy by a Justice of the Peace (JP).

Please note that Centrelink cannot accept copies of identity documentation under any circumstances.

Prove your residency or birth

Centrelink can accept the following documents as proof of residency or birth in Australia.

Proof of birth in Australia:

Australian Birth Certificate
Australian Passport

Proof of arrival in Australia (if born overseas):

Citizenship Certificate
Australian Visa
Document of Identity issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Certificate of Evidence of Resident Status
Certificate of Identity issued by the Department of Immigration and Border Protection

For further information on these documents please see Proving Your Identity to Centrelink Factsheet.

Your claim answers

Your answers to the questions we have asked in your online claim can be viewed after you have submitted your claim to Centrelink.

Your answers are used to determine:

what additional information Centrelink needs you to provide to us so that your claim can be assessed and
your eligibility to the claimed payment/concession card

Mailing forms to you

You can ask Centrelink to mail the required forms to you if you are unable or do not wish to download and print them yourself.

Centrelink will mail a covering letter and all of the required forms for your claim if you request this service.

Please note that mailed forms can be subject to delays that Centrelink has no control over. If you ask Centrelink to mail your forms you still need to complete and return them by the due date.

Detailed information

You will be asked to provide detailed information about your circumstances. You may be required to refer to recent documents you have received, or you may need to contact your financial advisor/accountant, for example, recent bank statements or payslips.

Verification documents

You may be asked to provide further verification documents to support your claim such as statements to confirm investment types and/or account balances. Please remember that we need to see original documents (not photocopies). If you cannot get all of the documentation straight away, please Contact Us.

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Proof of Birth

For newborn children, Australian hospitals and midwives provide you with the Doctor/Midwife - Proof of Birth declaration.

Originals of the following documents are also acceptable as proof of birth:

Doctor/Midwife - Proof of Birth declaration
Birth certificate
Certified extract of a birth certificate
Passport
Naturalisation papers
Immigration papers
Adoption papers

If you or another person have previously provided these details for this child, you do not need to give these again. You may contact us to confirm that the details have been provided.

If you are claiming Paid Parental Leave and you provide proof of the birth or adoption (and for a birth, declare you have taken action to register the birth) within 28 days of this child's birth or entry into your care, your Parental Leave Pay can start on the day you choose. Your first payment will be backdated to your Paid Parental Leave period start date. The start date will not be the first date your payment occurs.

If you are claiming Dad and Partner Pay, and you or your partner are not claiming Parental Leave Pay or family assistance, then you can provide a completed form containing the Doctor/Midwife - Proof of Birth declaration or provide a birth certificate.

Please Note: If the child was born overseas the documents supplied must be either the originals or copies sighted and certified by an Australian Embassy, Consulate or High Commission. They don't need to be translated into English.

The documents listed below are acceptable as proof of birth for children born overseas:

Birth certificate issued by the government of the country in which the child was born
Australian Citizenship by descent certificate
Child's passport (Australian or otherwise)

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Proof of immunisation or exemption

Proof of your child's immunisation status or exemption can be one of the following:

Your child's Medicare card number which is matched with the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register to confirm your child's immunisation status
An Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register
An Immunisation History form completed by your doctor or other recognised immunisation provider
A letter from your doctor or recognised immunisation provider stating that your child is up to date with immunisation or is on a catch-up program stating when the next vaccination is due
A letter from a doctor explaining that your child has a natural immunity to a disease or a vaccine is temporarily unavailable
A Medical Contraindication from a doctor or immunisation provider
A Conscientious Objection form from a doctor or immunisation provider
A letter from an official of the Church of Christ Scientist stating you and/or your partner are practising members of this church

Note: Your child's Personal Health Record is NOT acceptable proof of immunisation for Child Care Benefit purposes.

For more information go to www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/immunisation.

Please Note: If you are outside Australia you should contact Centrelink to discuss what Proof of immunisation or exemption is acceptable and the most appropriate way to provide that evidence to Centrelink.

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