f4fred

Hi BE Mates,

Well, forgive me if posted this to a wrong forum but I had no better choice. I shifted permanently to Melbourne and have obtained a rental flat situated at <snip>. Its an expensive one (at least for me; Au$ 420 per week). I was thinking if I was eligible for any centerlink payment. Any guidance / advice would be appreciated. My brief situation is given below:

1 - I validated my visa in Oct 2012 and moved back in around two weeks.
2 - Currently I have no job as its just few days I moved in permanently.
3 - I have one 4 year kid and we are expecting our next kid in this april.
4 - Currently I am living on my savings only that are vanishing quickly as Landlord asked for 3 months advance rent due to my unemployment and also Au$ 1820 RTBA Bond.
5 - I have never applied for any centerlink payment.

Please advise.

Thanks,

Fred, F.

old.sparkles

Hi Fred,

I'm not up on benefits but if you may be able to claim family tax and child benefits. Have a look here - http://www.humanservices.gov.au/cust...from=theme-bar

Jilliebee

If you are eligible for,the above mentioned benefits, then you may also be able to claim rent assistance too. Ring up Centrelink or pop into a local office and speak to someone x

Dennis The Menace

When we went to Centrelink to register for Medicare Card they told us if we were renting we were entitled to some rent assistance, I told them I thought we weren't entitled to anything for 2 years, They called me later that evening and told me to bring in my rental contract we got rental assistance more than half of our rent. In hind sight I wish we had continued to rent

Mike at Taree

AFAIK, child payments and rent assistance, ask a Kiwi

paulry

You are likely to be eligible for some help including child and housing payments and a Medicare concession card. Go and see them at Centrelink.

f4fred

Thanks Everyone!

I saw somewhere on Centerlink website that one could claim family tax benefit if they remained outside the Australia less than three years. Actually, I had validated my visa and and went back within few days and then came permanently after around 14 months, so I wanted to claim allowable benefits for past 14 month, if any.

I booked and appointed with nearby Centerlink office and met an officer there but she was not aware about the correction legal position on this.

Does any one know?

Please help.

Regards,
Fred, F.

Pollyana

I may be misreading your question, but are you actually saying that although you had only spent a few days in the country before leaving again, you now want to make a backdated claim for the 14 months that you were living somewhere else?

TimbersBack

I hope its true, that way i can claim unemployment benefit for last 10 years from DHSS.

paulry

Well if he's legally entitled to it why shouldn't he have it?

goldchoccycoin

When considering your claim Centrelink will consider if you were previously LIVING in Australia prior to your arrival recently. They define living as -

"Living in Australia
You are living in Australia if Australia is your usual place of residence. That is, Australia is where you make your home.

When we are deciding whether you are living in Australia we will look at:

the nature of your accommodation, and
the nature and extent of your family relationships in Australia, and
the nature and extent of your employment, business or financial ties with Australia, and
the frequency and duration of your travel outside Australia, and
any other matter we think is relevant"

I would imagine (IMO) that a 2 week validation trip is not living in Australia and you will be unlikely to claim the 14 months of Family Tax Benefit.

http://www.humanservices.gov.au/cust...e-descriptions and
http://www.humanservices.gov.au/cust...-part-a-part-b

Alfresco

Whatever you do don't let them over pay you. You'll start getting calls from a debt collection agency.

paulry

That was my experience too.

Alfresco

Yep, so bizarre.

Pollyana

And that is why legally he shouldn't have it.

Morally, well.......everyone will have apersonal view on that, mine is that I could not honestly expect a country in which I had never lived, and to which I had neer contributed anything whatsoever, to pay me welfare/social security whatever you call it. I even spent my first few years in Aus feeling guilty for just using Medicare a couple of times until I had paid a reasonable amount of tax and contributed something to the place.

Still, each to their own.