Do I need to tell Centrelink

Good afternoon everybody

I am planning to take a cruise to NZ and fly back - the total time away will be 12 days and my question is - is it necessary to inform Centrelink?

Thanks for your advice.

7 comments

From human services.gov.au (re Centrelink payments) at

http://mediahub.humanservices.gov.au/news/what-you-need-to-know-before-travelling-overseas-this-summer/

Centrelink payments

The rules for travelling outside Australia vary according to your payments or concession card.

For example, generally you can travel:

• Up to 28 days in a 12 month period if you receive Disability Support Pension
• Up to six weeks at a time if you are a Family Tax Benefit, Carer Payment or Carer Allowance customer
• Up to 19 weeks if you are a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder.

Age Pension recipients who travel overseas for six weeks or less will not experience any change to their payment.

Tell us about your travel

It’s important to let us know when you plan to travel overseas so we can assess if it may affect your payments.

The easiest way to do this is through your Centrelink online account on myGov. You’ll get a receipt confirming your travel details have been received. We’ll tell you if your travel affects your payments or concession cards and if we need any extra information. You can also do this by calling us on your regular payment line or visiting a service centre.

The immigration department will also notify us when you leave or enter Australia.

Thanks very much - I will advise them but it will not have any affect on my pension - the cruise is ten days and will spend two nights in Auckland before flying home

 

kind regards

 

peter

Have a good trip Peter :)

Went overseas for 2 weeks  recently and because I'm semi retired,  work 19hours per fortnight,  had to report my earnings in advance 

Hi, last year my family and I cruised from Singapore to Brisbane.  Being on a DSP, I did the right thing and provided Centrelink with all the details in a timely fashion.  However, they still stopped my payment because the Immigration Department only informed them that I had left Australia by plane to Singapore but not that I had returned to Brisbane via cruise ship.  Centrelink presumed I was still overseas and beyond my allowed 28 days.  It took a lot of effort on my part, and details from the cruise line for Centrelink to accept my inward travel arrangements.  Too, Centrelink's online portal then did not provide for this travel arrangement - don't know if it's changed now!.  It seems the communication between Centrelink and Immigration is flawed.

Interesting. I've been in and out of Aust the last 21 yrs and always rang them with details b4 and after. They could always tell me exact time and day of departure or reentry. So obviously connection somewhere. Last time I again left at short notice and didn't bother ringing as it's not compulsory anymore (I checked b4hand) and they had my details updated very quickly.  Maybe I've just been lucky. 

It is apparent that due to many mistakes made by certain staff in Centrelink that it is necessary to employ more qualified and more intelligent people because they are causing unnecessary stress and ANGUISH to very vulnerable people!

SOMETHING REALLY NEEDS TO BE IMPROVED!

Being on DSP yes 28days is allowed. More than 28days and centrelink suspend DSP cancel your concession card but send out a health card. When you enter the country your concession card is re issued and normally recieve in the post a week later. They say 28days per 12months because you earn 2+ days oer mth. Is you go overseas for a holiday within the 12months you get a percentage. Eg 6mths later you get 15days dsp before its suspended then restarts when you reenter the country.  This has happened to me. 

No point in informing Centrelink if one does not go for more than the restriction considering that the Immigration dept. and Human Services are liked via their database!

THAT IS ONLY logical so no reason for extra bureaucratic pen pushing and WASTING time and the taxpayers ' money!

Talking about WASTING time, I can't help noticing so many grossly obese staff at Centrelink and how slowly they walk around!

Maybe something needs to be done about that as well?

Slavery under another name,they know exactly when you leave and return ,there is no need to inform them I’m not a child I’m not a slave I earned my pension 53 years in the workforce ,says a lot for the governments of this country steal the pension fund then treat us like slaves,but it’s ok to give millions to country’s and import people who end up ON our worked for welfare system.pensioners discriminated everywhere they turn .absolutely filthy disgraceful governance from people that should have their taxpayer funded wage reduced to half because they have not produced anything of value to this country other than sell and rape it.

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