$600 per child payment

Hey everyone! I am soooooo hoping you can help me.... This is the first full year that I have been on any sort of Centrelink benefit. I have a 14 month old son. I am worried that I have UNDERestimated :redface: Oh it's HORRIBLE!! When we got DP group certificate it was just over 2 grand higher than our estimate with Centrelink! My estimate however was 4 grand under. HOWEVER - With DP deductions it brought his taxable income to 1 grand under what we estimated. My question is - do Centrelink only get the figure after deductions are taken off? Because if that is the case I am hoping that I dont have a debt and get the $600 & $300 odd per child/family (Only heard about that payment 1 month ago). What do you think? Am I likely to have a debt? I hope I am making sense. I am so confused myself! :wall: I just have no idea how this all works! We have both lodged our tax return and I called Centrelink and told them so they would balance the accounts.

So do you think I will have a debt and not get the $600 odd bonus??

I guess it is just a waiting game now! And I am not good at waiting games! LOL

Mandiii, sound like you have over-estimated.

Taxable income is after deductions, so if yours is $4k under your estimate and you DHs is $1k under estimate, your combined family income is then $5k under estimate meaning you should have no ftb a debt. If you recieve ftb b, with both being under estimate means you should have no ftb b debt either.

thank you to the very kind and patient belly belly members who tirelessly answer all these questions.

big organisations ARE confusing, if you don't work within them.

i know everytime i try to ring Family Assistance Office or Centrelink, the SECOND i am no longer on hold, my toddler gets loud, wants my attention badly, no matter how many activities i have set up for her etc. it's so hard to think straight when she wants me and NOTHING ELSE, right at the crucial moment, i get to speak to a helpful human being at the end of the phone.

so belly belly Centrelink/FAO experts, thank you so much for what you do.

mwah!:dance:

Gigi - one thing i do as a consultant is always take into account that FAO is for FAMILY assistance and most customers will have a baby/toddler/child in the background. it's part of the mindset i have - i make sure they put their child first cos it's easier to wait a minute while they get a drink/biscuit/put on ABCkids for them, than to expect the parent to go through it all again in 10 minutes. i know most of the people i work with are much the same. kids can't simply be expected to shush cos mum's on the phone! i do suggest to new mummy's to make sure they have back up or baby is freshly fed and sleeping before they do their first contact as they are a loooong call.

i love that this thread has so much info in it - if it helps even a couple of parents know what is going on without having to sit on hold for ages, it's a huge thing!

mandiii - as Inertia mentioned, FTB is only based on your actual TAXABLE income (so after deductions) - unless you have a net rental property loss (which complicates everything lol). if you've managed to get your partners income under your estimate you should be fine, and may even get a top up as well as your supplements, depending on what your income estimate was. i would suggest though - have a good look at this years income estimate - if you were close last year, it might be worth bumping them up a little this year to make sure you don't get over paid this year

So...(I get confused about this EVERY year :p) do I need to call the FAO AND the ATO, or only the FAO?

to advise you dont need to do a tax return??

if you are registered for online services for fao you can do it online. i believ you need to call ato. you DO need to notify both seperately though

Thanks Beeg. I called FAO, and advised of non lodgement there, and I called ATO and they said I need to fill out a form. I found it here.

i notified the FAO of me not needing to lodge a tax return, but it never occurred to me to contact the Tax Office. Does something bad happen if you don't?

you need to notify ato of any year that you don't need to lodge a tax return - otherwise their system is always waiting to find out what is happening, and after a period of time you may start being chased for information. its' pretty straight forward to do. it just finalises all tax related info for the year - i guess the way they see it is that they can't officially finalise your partners details til they have yours (due to medicare levy and things like that)

I went with my DH to do our Tax and they advised me that I did not need to do mine, took my forms (centrelink and veteran affairs group certificates) and they also listed my income on DH's return.

Do I still need to call the FAO to advise them that I do not need to lodge or would it be all under control as the ATO have the information recorded?

Still phone Centrelink so they can update your file as a non-lodger. That way when Centrelink receives the data fron ATO, any FTB/supplements that you're owed can be paid.

Does anyone know if this payment is sometimes paid throughout the year in little bits included in ur usual payment. I have only just seen this and never actually advised centrelink that i didnt need to do a tax return, so I just did this online but I think i may have been asked if i wanted to get htis throughout the year so not sure if i'm eligible?

the supplement is only ever paid at the end of the financial year. it's a portion of your FTB that is held over as a safety net in case you underestimate your income and have to pay money back. the average overpayment was worked out to be approx $600 per child a few years ago, so that's how they came up with that figure. there is no way to have it paid in increments throguh the year though.

Thanks Jodi :D.

Hi All,

I'm pretty sure the answer is in one of these replies, but we just got our tax return. For the $600 child rebate, is this automatically paid or do I have to apply for it and what is the max family income that they will pay to?

I do not receive and family tax allowance.

Thanks in advance!

i you dont receive pymts contact FAO 136150 to see if you're active or need to do a lump sum claim

THanks Briggsy's

Rang just then. Damn I hate the voice recognition crap!!!

thanks once again!

hi guys just a question, i did my tax return and got my tax refund back but havent receieved the $600 for my daughter as yet, just wondering if anyone knows why.
als

has your partner done his tax? information has to be received from both partners, not just one

Hi there, I am looking for info for my daughter. She is 18 and has a son turning 1 tomororw. Both her and her fiance did their tax returns and got back their tax refunds but Tash is yet to recieve her $600. Is she eligible? Does she have to apply for it seperately?
She checked her centrelink info online today and is getting a refund of just over $1000 but none of the things listed for payment was the $600. It was backdated rent assisstance and FTB A and B but each thing listed was under $300 and not the $600.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
Judy

I always find it best to contact family assistance and let them know that you have had your tax completed so they can do the cross-matching otherwise it just seems to get held up longer as they have to wait till the ATO sends them the information I think.

the backdated payments are the reconcilliatin amounts. your dd wont get the full 600 as her child wasnt born until after july 1 - she will get a pro rata amount