If Centrelink Was a Unit, We’ve Tried to Break Down the Syllabus For You

*cries while trying to call Centrelink*

This article is part of our series 'What You Wish You Knew as a Student'. You might find in-article games where you could play to win. To read more articles from this series and find more games, head here. 

While studying can be fun, unless you’ve got unlimited funds, it can be expensive to be a student.

And the only thing that might be harder than trying to make money as a student, is to understand how to get access to any Centrelink payments you might be eligible for.

We’ve scoured the official gov website (aka Services Australia) to try put all the relevant Centrelink info together for students. Think of this as your cheat sheet to figuring out if you could be getting paid while you study, and how to make it happen.

However, if anything isn’t clear or you need more info, head to the official Services Aus relevant webpages 😉

Week One: An intro to MyGov.

If you think you might be eligible for some payments from Centrelink, you’ll want to link your MyGov account with Centrelink.

(ICYMI it’s probably also best to link your MyGov account with the ATO if you haven’t done this already.)

There are loads of different Centrelink payments but the ones you could be eligible for as a student could be:

• ABSTUDY
• Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme
• Austudy
• Pensioner Education Supplement
• Tertiary Access Payment
• Youth Allowance for students and apprentices

The main thing you’ll need to link the two is a ‘Customer Reference Number’ (CRN) which helps Services Australia identify your Centrelink record.

But dw because this is not a separate process! If you are in the process of linking Centrelink to your MyGov account, it will prompt you to get started with either a Digital ID or Centrelink identity verification.

Week Two: Which payment could I be eligible for?

It can be difficult to figure out which Centrelink payment is best for you. Lucky for you our team have put together a flow chart to show you what you could be eligible for depending on your personal circumstances.

But also you should check out the Services Australia page on Centrelink payments for more help.

Week Three: What ID might Centrelink need?

Since they are giving you money, they won’t just give you a payment until you prove your identity.

They’ll need different ID documents depending on what payment you’re receiving. But they usually need more than one form of identification.

One is usually a birth certificate, Australian citizenship certificate, passport or visa. And the other could be a driver’s licence or ImmiCard.

(But you can check how to do that here.)

Week Four: Reporting your income.

It’s all well and good to be getting a Centrelink payment but if you don’t report the income you’re getting from a job (even if it’s a casual one), you might not get the right amount from Centrelink.

Or worse your payments may be suddenly stopped. You need to report income from things like a job, an investment and/or a gift or allowance. And any income your partner receives.

Depending on what Centrelink payment you’re on, you’ll need to make sure you report your income before or on reporting dates.

There is scheduled and unscheduled reporting. The first is when Services Australia tell you when you need to report your income (hint: it’s normally every 14 days). And unscheduled reporting is when you let Services Australia know when and if your income changes within a 14-day period.

You can report your income via MyGov or through the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.

Bonus content: what red flags could cancel your payments.

TBH there seems to be a lot of ways that could get potential Centrelink payments cancelled.

One is if you don’t keep your details up to date. AKA if there’s a change in your employment status, income estimate and contact details.

For some payments, there are obligations you might need to meet. For a Jobseeker Payment or Youth Allowance for job seekers, there is a mutual obligation requirement. And if you don’t do these, penalties may apply such as having your payment suspended or receiving a demerit.

Essentially, it’s important to just communicate any relevant changes in your life to Centrelink.

Navigating the world of Centrelink can be hard. So, we’ve tried to do our best to break down this content for you!

But if you’re ever unsure it’s best to check out Services Australia for more info. Good luck 👊