madsad

Hello,

Can someone please tell me if i have to fill in Tax Return?

I dont work & i receive Family Tax Benefit A & B plus Rent Assistance.

Hubby has to do one but is going to an agent to sort his out as its our first time.

Hubby changed jobs a couple of months ago & his wage dropped $5000 although i contacted the Family Assistance office to make them aware of the change they said it would be better to leave hubby's wage estimate as it was.

As it turns out hubby has been promoted to Sales Office Manager & his wage is going up $5000 in a couple of weeks (back to the original amount before changing jobs)

Thanks,

Donna

ABCDiamond

From what you have said, it sounds like you don't need to do one yourself.

But this ATO page may help: http://www.ato.gov.au/individuals/co...1/002&st=&cy=1

luvit

Ring Family Assistance and just tell them you dont work, then ring the ATO also and tell them - I did not work for the first 12 months I lived here and thats all I did - but remember to watch hubbys earnings (always over-estimate) because its so easy to get into debt with Family Assistance. Another point is if you decide to seek work - do so as the tax year begins - I started work in the March as we had rec'd benefits for 9 months and had to pay some back - so be careful. Hope this helps

madsad

When you over estimate your hubbys earnings is your benefit paid accordingly to that estimate? would that mean i am due anything back from FA if they have underpaid me? if so when does this take place?

Thanks,

Donna.

jad n rich

Just add to that you have to do a new estimate of your income for centerlink for this tax year, last year he might only have had a few months income, this year the estimate will be on him working a full year, unless the income is very low rent assistance etc might no longer apply and if you get it they simply make you pay it back

jad n rich

The best way to claim is to cliam nothing! if your entitled to anything it is then paid to you at the end of the year.

From what I can work out, your income tax returns land on centerlinks computer pretty shortly after you lodge them, an adjustment is made according to what you are actually entitled to. Anything over paid is demanded back and if you didnt claim and were entitled you recieve a nice lump sum from the tax office. Dont forget to add overseas income, interest etc, australia has a very small population and its so easy for them to check.

ABCDiamond

Any under payment or overpayment is calculated by the tax office when the tax return is done, presumably on your husbands Tax Return. (I had to stop and think about this one)

Your income, whether zero or not, is also entered on to your partners tax return, with your Tax File number, and this will be cross linked to Centerlink, who will then recalculate the FTB payments, and arrange for any difference to be paid or collected.

ABCDiamond

In theory yes, but the ATO doesn't have that many staff, to do the job as well as the UK for example.

madsad

Thankyou all very much,the info given helped a great deal

Donna.

luvit

As Jad'n'Rich said - if you can afford it, collect at the end of the Financial year - put your new estimate in now and over estimate then they will owe you unless your circumstances change. If you should decide to work (Then usually Family Tax Benefit B stops) its best to stop all Tax benefits and balance up at the end of the year, after all its quite nice to get a bit back.

jad n rich

We decided to go that way after 3 job changes and a wild variety of hours, left us estimating monthly and still getting it wrong, we ended up among the 2 million aussies who pay back centerlink. By claiming at the end of the year, if we get a cheque at least we know its ours to spend.

ABCDiamond

I agree that for some people it may be best to claim at the end of the year, but to say 2 million have to pay some back seems excessive, as only about 2 million families actually get it.

The actual figures have been:
283,274 had overpayment's less than $500
105,584 had overpayment's from $500 to $1000
54,838 had overpayment's from $1000 to $1500
39,566 had overpayment's from $1500 to $2000
32,175 had overpayment's from $2000 to $3000
19,487 had overpayment's over $3,000
Totalling 534,924 with overpayment's

But this number is now reducing with the extra $600 per child "bonus" payable only at the end of the tax year, and used to cover most accidental overclaims.

hevs

This wasn't the case for us. We also had some money "owed" to us that i'd paid for in child care and the $600 per child from last year. My husband said this when he did his tax return, but they just refunded the under payment of part a or b (never can remember which blinkin way round it is without searching through the paper work) Anyway......

After many phone calls and chasing around being passed from pillar to post someone said "have you done your tax return" I explained that no because i wasn't working that i hadn't. She then said that if i did one this would trigger the rest of the part a (or b, whichever ) payment and the $600 thing AND the childcare underpayment.

Sure enough about a week later we had a couple of grand in our bank account

I was, but much better off for it

jad n rich

The figure of 2 million was printed in last years press.

I would very much doubt only 2 million families claim some sort of benefits, 7 MILLION healthcare cards alone were issued last year :scared: they cant all be OAP's. Family tax benefits are paid to most families, with 3 kids last time we were eligable it was not cutting out till we earnt around $100,000, so what % of families earn that then?

I dont really claim to be up on welfare payments, three in our family now work. However I do know from past experience, even the smallest of overpayments are picked up and reclaimed, and I am not complaining about that, just saying it pays to get it correct before you spend it.


Edit, just looked at one of those centerlink sites, with three kids we could be on part benfits up to $145,000 :scared: depending on their ages, god it pays to breed doesnt it Now I really doubt only 2 million familes get help. Plus if we earnt less than $33,000 we could also get rent assistance. Right I'm orf to breed a bit more and hand in my notice at work, Bye I'm going for twins $12,000 baby bonus here I come.

ABCDiamond

Neither of us really believe what we read in the press do we ?

We are only discussing FTB here, so yes, more will be claiming other benefits, unemployed, disabled etc etc all entitled to other benefits and the Health Care card.

The figures I have are what Centrelink have quoted. 2 million families claim FTB, that's 5.5 million of the population (about 27%) of the entire population.

And I agree with you fully, that people should get it correct before spending it, if at all possible. The government have helped in this by making the extra $600 available, to help in most cases of accidental overclaims. So that they do not have to repay anything, they just get a smaller "extra" payment.