Australia's immigration department will tell us when you leave. They will also tell us when you return. To get your payment or concession card while outside Australia, you must continue to meet the qualification rules at all times.
If you're leaving Australia to travel or live in another country, you need to tell us. Travelling outside of Australia may affect your payments. You can only add your travel details one trip at a time.
If you leave Australia to live in another country, your payment will stop when you depart. If your travel is short term, your payment will stop when you depart, unless you're travelling for an approved reason. You may get JobSeeker Payment because of a residence exemption available to some New Zealand citizens.
If you or your children's travel is short term, you'll normally still get your payment for up to 6 weeks. This includes if your child is studying outside Australia. After 6 weeks, your Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A and Part B will stop.
Departure Prohibition Orders
If you're not repaying your debt at a suitable rate, we may issue a Departure Prohibition Order. It'll stop you from leaving Australia until you either: pay your debt in full. enter into an acceptable payment arrangement.
Under a DPO, officials from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection will not let you leave the country by air or vessel until the debt has been paid in full, a lump sum payment is made on the debt or a repayment plan has been arranged with Centrelink.
It's impossible to know if Centrelink is investigating you. When they suspect you of defrauding them, investigations are launched discreetly. It's until when they decide to interview that you get to know you're being investigated. This interview is documented and used against you in Court.
The full amount of age pension that a person is eligible for is payable while overseas for 26 weeks. However, once overseas for longer than 26 weeks, the amount of age pension payable to a person is dependent upon the person's length of residency in Australia.
Australian pensioners can stay up to 6 weeks overseas and receive their Australian pension normally before their return to Australia. If travelling for longer than 6 weeks, you'll need to let Services Australia know, and your pension payments may be affected. At least 5 of these 10 years must be in a row.
Travel for three months or longer
The Statutory Declaration must state you are making an application for travel exemption on the basis that you intend to be absent from Australia for more than three months. Evidence may include: confirmed flight itinerary, with return date of at least three months after departure date.
If you have been charged with Centrelink fraud, you may be liable to large fines, imprisonment, and a criminal record, which would make it very difficult for you to find employment in the future. If you have been charged with Centrelink fraud, you should seek advice from a qualified criminal defence lawyer immediately.
If you're an Australian citizen and you have serious concerns about your welfare or that of another Australian overseas, contact your local Australian Embassy, High Commission or Consulate, or call our 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre on: 1300 555 135 within Australia. +61 2 6261 3305 from anywhere in the world.
You may get JobSeeker Payment for up to 6 weeks if you're travelling outside Australia for one of these approved reasons: to attend an acute family crisis - for example, to visit a family member who's critically ill. for specific humanitarian reasons - for example, to adopt a child or attend custody proceedings.
If you go abroad, you can continue to get Universal Credit for one month. You must: be eligible for Universal Credit when you're going abroad. remain eligible for it while you're abroad.
You will need to tell us: • the gross amount you or your partner were paid (before tax or other deductions) • the hours you or your partner worked • If you return your form for a period longer than 2 weeks you need to tell us as soon as you start work (this may change the day you return your form).
Payments while overseas
If your payments can continue while you're outside Australia and you intend to be away for: less than 12 months, we'll continue to pay you every 2 weeks into your Australian bank account. more than 12 months, we'll pay you every 4 weeks into your Australian or overseas bank account.
Income and assets tests
These tests measure your income (how much money you get) and the value of your assets (what you own, for example, any investment properties). If your income or assets are above certain limits, your pension payment will be reduced, or you may not be eligible at all.
Generally speaking, if your overseas holiday is less than six weeks, your pension rates remain unchanged. However, if you prolong to more than six weeks, meaning that you're away for almost two months, the government will reduce your Pension Supplement to the basic rate and your Energy Supplement will stop.
According to the Federal Department of Social Services, there are estimated to be about 90,000 Australians who live overseas whilst still receiving their Age Pension entitlements.
The whole single age pension paid overseas is currently $25,038, lower than that paid to residents, as you only get the basic pension supplement of $681.40 a year and lose the energy supplement of $366.60.
If Centrelink suspect that you are claiming more social security benefits than you are entitled to they will investigate your situation. Centrelink may believe that you have not been honest with them because of routine data matching checks or due to getting a tip-off from a member of the public.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has been able to do so, by utilising data matching technology since mid-2016 to detect discrepancies in payments, and the Coalition said that has increased the number of yearly welfare checks by half a million since it has been in office.
While it's true that Centrelink doesn't have direct access to your bank account information, there are consequences for deliberately not telling Centrelink about changes in your circumstances.