1. Purpose of the ONLINE EDITION

2. Structure of the ONLINE EDITION

3. Finding topics and terms – using the ONLINE EDITION

4. The “delivery” of Social Security payments – Centrelink and the departments

5. Keeping informed of changes

6. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Centrelink structure

3. The departments – FaCSIA, DEST and DEWR

4. Publications and sources of information and assistance

5. Useful links and resources

1. Interviewing clients

2. Talking to Centrelink

3. Hints about dealing with Centrelink officers

4. Appealing Centrelink decisions

5. Complaining about Centrelink decisions and officers

6. Useful links and resources

1. When to claim

2. How to claim

3. Methods of payment

4. Reviews of eligibility

5. Variation or loss of Social Security payments

6. Overpayments and debts

7. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Personal records

3. Who may and may not obtain information?

4. Informal methods of obtaining information

5. Formal methods of obtaining information

6. The Privacy Act

7. Other methods for obtaining information

8. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Notification of changes in circumstances

3. Reviews and investigations

4. Field investigations

5. Privacy

6. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. How to establish identity

3. Hints about handling problems

4. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Ordinary waiting period

3. Income maintenance period

4. Liquid assets test waiting period

5. Seasonal workers preclusion period

6. Interaction of waiting periods

7. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Payment to a bank account

3. Payment by cheque and Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card

4. Choosing a bank and account

5. “Income management”

6. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Hardship Advance Payment

3. Urgent payments

4. Advance payments

5. Special Employment Advance

6. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Residence: basic requirements

3. Residence requirements for Special Benefit

4 Residence requirements for Family Tax Benefit

5. Hints on handling problems

6. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. The Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting Period

3. Assurances of Support and Social Security bonds

4. Useful resources

1. Introduction

2. How to assess whether a person is a “member of a couple”

3. Assessing relationships: the factors

4. Exceptions to being treated as a “member of a couple”

5. Hints about handling problems

6. Useful resources

1. Introduction

2. Qualification and payment rate

3. Age of the student

4. Components of ABSTUDY

5. ABSTUDY supplements

6. Rate of payment

7. Income and assets tests

8. The Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme

9. Reviews and appeals

10. Claiming ABSTUDY

11. Useful links and resources

1. Overview of payments to students and young people

2. Definitions

3. Age

4. Residency

5. Activity Agreements

6. Students and Newstart Allowance

7. Rates of payment

8. Calculating the rate of payment

9. Age

10. Living circumstances

11. Income and assets tests

12. Keeping Centrelink informed

13. Useful links and resources

1. Overview

2. Qualification

3. Austudy Payment age

4. Residency

5. “Undertaking qualifying study”

6. Apprenticeships, traineeships or trainee apprenticeship students

7. Rate of Austudy Payment and the income and assets tests

8. Students and Newstart Allowance

9. Keeping Centrelink informed

10. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Qualification - general

3. Qualification –"principal carer" parents and people with a "partial capacity to work"

4. Being “unemployed”

5. Overview of the activity test

6 General requirement to seek and undertake “suitable work”

7. What is “suitable work” - special rules for "principal carer" parents

8. What is “suitable work” - special rules for people with a "partial capacity to work”

9. Specific job search requirements

10. Activity Agreements

11. “Mutual obligation” requirements and other activities

12. Exemptions from the activity test

13. When is Newstart or Youth Allowance not “payable”?

14. Forms, reviews and reporting requirements

15. Getting a job – leaving unemployment payments

16. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Parenting Payment qualification criteria for all parents

3. The “PP child” qualification criteria

4. Other qualification issues

5. Parenting Payment (single) – income and assets tests

6. Parenting Payment (partnered) – income tests and rent assistance

7. Parenting Payment – reviews and home visits

8. Participation requirements

9. Exemptions from participation requirements

10. Penalties for not complying with participation requirements

11. Useful resources

1. Introduction

2. How Centrelink decides to pay Special Benefit – qualification

3. Payment of Special Benefit – rate

4. Special Benefit for newly arrived residents

5. Full-time students

6. Special Benefit for children under 16

7. The activity test

8 Situations in which Special Benefit may not be payable to nominated visa holders

9. Useful resources

1. Introduction

2. The Job Network and what it offers

3. Gaining access to “Job Network” services

4. Intensive Support

6. Dealing with problems with “Job Network” agencies

7. Useful links and resources

1. Overview

2. The Personal Support Programme (PSP)

3. Disability Employment Network (DEN)

4 New Apprenticeships Access Programme (NAAP)

5 New Enterprise Incentive Scheme (NEIS)

6 Job Placement, Employment and Training (JPET)

7 Indigenous Employment Centres (IECs)

8 Vocational Rehabilitation

9. Language, Literacy and Numeracy Training (LLNT)

10. Job Capacity Accounts

11. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. “Participation failure”

3. Participation penalties

4. “Repeated and more serious participation failures” - eight week no payment period

5 When does an eight week no payment period start and finish

6. Transitional arrangements for people who were breached prior to July 2006

7. Appealing against payment suspension decisions and “payment pending review”

8. Financial case management

9. Other “penalties” and non-payment periods

10. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Overview of qualification

3. Mobility Allowance

4. Useful resources

1. Introduction

2. Qualification for Sickness Allowance

3. Qualification for Newstart Allowance (incapacitated) and Youth Allowance (incapacitated)

4. When and how to claim

5. Assessment and reviews by Centrelink

6. Activity Agreements for people with a medical incapacity

7. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. “Impairment” and “continuing inability to work”

3. Claiming Disability Support Pension

4 Getting Disability Support Pension while working

5. Useful resources

1. Introduction

2. Carer Payment (adult)

3. Carer Payment (child)

4. Carer Allowance (adult)

5. Carer Allowance (child)

6. Other services for Carers

7. Reviews of entitlement

8. Useful resources

1. Introduction

2. Qualification for Age Pension

3. Other entitlements

4. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Qualification for Pension Bonus Scheme

3. “Accruing members”

4. Amount of the “Pension Bonus Scheme”

5. Useful links and resources

1. Overview

2. Qualification

3. Claiming

4. Bereavement Allowance and other income support payments

5. Rate of Bereavement Allowance

6. Payment of Bereavement Allowance while overseas

7. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Widow Allowance

3. Mature Age Allowance

4. Partner Allowance

5. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Widow B Pension

3. Wife Pension

4. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Family Tax Benefit

3. Family Tax Benefit A

4. Family Tax Benefit B

5. Income and Family Tax Benefit

6. Shared payment of Family Tax Benefit

7. Income tests

8. Claiming and payment of Family Tax Benefit

9. Payment choices for Family Tax Benefit

10. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Qualification for Child Care Benefit

3. Qualification for Grandparent Child Care Benefit

4. Qualification for Special Child Care Benefit

5. “Approved care”

6. “Registered care”

7. Child Care Benefit – hours per week and activity requirements

8. Payment of Child Care Benefit

9. Rate of payment and the income and assets tests

10 Child Care Tax Rebate (CCTR)

11. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction and scope of chapter

2. Baby Bonus

3. Maternity Immunisation Allowance

4. Double Orphan Pension

5. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Seeking maintenance through the Child Support Scheme

3. How does maintenance affect Social Security payments?

4. Hints about handling problems

5. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Pensioner Concession Card

3. Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

4. Health Care Card

7. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Crisis Payment

3. Bereavement payments

4. Employment Entry Payment

5. Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP)

6. Exceptional Circumstances Relief Payment (drought relief)

7. Mobility Allowance

8. Remote Area Allowance

9. Telephone Allowance

10. Pharmaceutical Allowance

11. Utilities Allowance

12. Seniors Concession Allowance

13. Pensioner Education Supplement

14. Language, Literacy and Numeracy Supplement

15. Pension Loan Scheme

16. 2007 “one off” payments to carers and older Australians

17. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. How to get Rent Assistance

3. Payments which have a Rent Assistance component

4. How is Rent Assistance calculated and paid?

5. Rent Assistance while overseas and other renting situations

6. When Rent Assistance is not payable

7. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction and overview

2. What is regarded as income?

3. Income from employment and self-employment

4. Income from investment: “deeming”

5. Income from property

6. The treatment of superannuation

7. Disposal (“deprivation”) of income

8. When is taxable income for a tax year relevant?

9. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Notifying changes in income

3. Age Pension: effect of changes in earned income

4. Allowances and pensions for people of workforce age: effect of changes in income

5. “Working credit” system

6. Family Tax Benefit: effect of changes in income

7. Hints about handling problems

8. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. What is an asset?

3. Retirement villages and granny flats

4. Disposal (deprivation) of assets

5. “Hardship rules”

6. Hints about handling problems

7. Useful links and resources

1. Introduction

2. Periodic compensation

3. Lump sum compensation

4. Disregarding compensation

5. Handling problems

6. Useful resources

1. Introduction and overview