In this session, the presenter has looked at the different payment types available to parents, with a focus on issues clients are commonly presenting with.

Entitlements include Family Tax Benefit and parenting payments as well as Child Care Subsidy. Learn how to dispute the percentage of care for family tax benefit what this involves and what Centrelink entitlements single parents have.

The impact of Centrelink debts on people experiencing financial hardship cannot be overstated. Some of the most vulnerable people in our communities – reliant on social security payments to barely make ends meet, if at all – are pushed to their limit when Centrelink starts recovering an overpayment.
In this session recording presenters have given an overview of Centrelink debts, the circumstances in which they arise, and the options available for appealing or addressing an overpayment.

Financial counsellors regularly support clients who have had debts raised against them for alleged overpayments. However, in some situations, the debt may be incorrect, or the client may not have to repay it. In this session Eloise has explained about Centrelink debts, how they come about, and how to appeal them. During this session, presenter has also given a demonstration of SSRV’s website ‘Social Security Debt Help’ which is an online resource that helps people better understand Centrelink debts and their options.

If Centrelink decides that an individual is a member of a couple, this can impact their rate of income support payment and in some instances mean that they are not eligible for that payment at all.

In this session, we have looked at what Centrelink considers when assessing member of a couple status, and examine the changes to the Social Security Guide that were introduced in May 2023.