discobay

My wife has had a hard time adjusting living here and has gone back to the UK for a few months. During this time I am having to rely on after-school care and Centrelink are able to pay 50% of the fees. Worst case scenario is that she will be away for more than a few months. Do I tell Centrelink that as soon as I know or would it be better (for me) to tell them that now? What I mean is will Centrelink provide more assistance or will they penalise me (for whatever reason)?

oz miller man

tell centerlink now, best to be straight up with them
we have always found them very helpfull and i would imagine you would get more help if you were classed as a single parent for a bit

i know they pay about 90% of our sons day care with me been a full time student and my partner working part time

discobay

So it sounds like I may be better off (financially) if I were to declare myself a single parent. Thanks for the feedback.