So confused. DF and I are changing roles & apparently payments

[AliBaby]

Last week DF called centrelink to find out what assistance we could get as he is basically not earning anything right now.
We are also changing roles and I am becoming full time at work and he will be the SAHD.
DD will still go to CC 2 days a week.

CURRENTLY we get some rent assistance, FTB A & B and CCB and CCR.

The person he spoke to has told him that we would be better off getting partnered parenting payment.

Centrelink sent out a whole heap of forms and wanted all my details (AND I MEAN EVERY DETAIL). Do I have to fill in this stupidform when they have ALL OF MY DETAILS already on file which are current andup to date? My income wont change until end of January so I dont want to update that yet.

Also what happens with CCR, CCB and the other payments? Are they all wiped if we get partnered parenting payment?

I would call up but I am so time poor at the moment during daylight hours.

Hoping BG or someone just as lovely can help.

I'm so confused and angry at DF as I just cant deal with this stuff at the moment yet I also want to understand as I know he isnt earning much money at all at the moment. (Mind you I am the one paying for everything!!!) Arrhhh the things we do.

[briggsy's girl]

ftba and b, ccb, ccr and rent assistance stay on your file under your name - they are a family payment and it is a BIG mistake to change them to the other party - end of year becomes messy

the parenting partnered is an additional support payment for low income families
it will mean that your OH is deemed primary carer of your kids (sounds like you're planning this) and you will get some extra funds to counter your lower incomes
if your income goes up, your ppp goes down
the first 780ish YOU earn doesn't impact HIS ppp, then the more you earn the less he gets, to about 1500 per fn before tax

while he is on PPP, your ftb a will go to maximum rate (it won't be income tested anymore), your child care will got to maximum rater, your rent assistance will go to maximum rate, and you'll have a health care card, irrespective of your income estimate (add-on's)

when you DO go back to work, you can have up to 6 fortnights in a row of your income being above that limit and him getting no ppp before you lose the "current" status and all the add-on's

the first 62 (from memory) that he earns doesn't impact payment, and then it starts to reduce payment



if your incomes are low, this would be my suggestion, especially seeing you are going back to work soon. this is what DH and I have done on my return to work - our pp cancels soon (christmas eve) but it's given us a bit of a boost to help through the hurdles and it's been a huge safety net cos our incomes were all over the place for a while

[e_p]

what BG said - and yes, unfortunately you DO need to fill in the Parenting Payment Partnered Partner Details form...should be purple with a yellow banner.

[AliBaby]

Thanks so much for your responses.

I have only just seen them.

BG- You are so wonderful how you explain everything. I think maybe the best thing for us to do is make an appointment to go into the CL office together as DF is not great at passing info on to me. I am glad to know I will stillget FTB and CCB and CCR to me.

So if I am going to earn over $1500 a f/n then he wont get any payment?

first 780ish YOU earn doesn't impact HIS ppp, then the more you earn the less he gets, to about 1500 per fn before tax

Also do they look at my salary over the entire financial year or just from when we apply?

Looking at this we should have applied months ago for Parenting payment as I have been earning under $1500 a f/n for the last year with DF not working or earning very little.

EP- Better get all my info out to fill in the forms! I hate forms but at least next week I am on holidays.

[e_p]

income for Parenting Payment is assessed fortnightly - what you've earned already in the financial year will not affect your entitlement. Your DP will need to attend an appointment at an office to have the claim assessed - if you've signed all of the paperwork, you don't need to attend but it's helpful if you do. You'll need to take 100 points of id for both of you, bank statements for all accounts, payslips for both of you, and that partner details form. If you're renting take your lease and if you have shares/properties/investments etc you will need to provide documents for those. Good luck!!!!

[Pretty Butterfly]

Just ignore me.. baby brain!!! lol

[Indadhanu]

Yep thats what happened to us beginning of this year, changed roles and I think a section of the amazon was deforested to deal with all of the paperwork we had to fill out!!!! As BG said, don't change the FTB or anything like that, because it's applied to the family so it doesn't matter about whose name it is in.

Then way it works out, any income you earn over $800 a FORTNIGHT reduces the parenting payment by $0.60 for each dollar your income is over $800. Up until about $1500 and then you aren't eligible for PPP. But you can still remain eligible for other payments because they all have different criteria. And he has to report each fortnight, rather than giving an estimate for the whole year.

Not sure what you mean Jodie, only one person in a couple can get Parenting Payment for a child. But if you or your partner are on another payment (and obviously eligible for a payment) and not earning, then your partner would get full PPP I think.


Good luck

[Pretty Butterfly]

Partner does not get a pension

For maximum payment, your income must be no more than $62 per fortnight, and your partner's income no more than $800 per fortnight.
Your income reduces your payment by 50 cents for each dollar between $62 and $250, and by 60 cents for each dollar above $250 per fortnight.
Your partner's income up to $800 per fortnight has no effect. Income over this limit reduces your payment by 60 cents for each extra dollar.
A part payment* may be payable if you meet all the following conditions:
your income is less than $800 per fortnight, and
your partner's income is less than $1,506.67 per fortnight, and
your combined income is less than $1,600.00 per fortnight.
* These figures may be higher if you are eligible for Pharmaceutical Allowance or Rent Assistance


Makes sense to me now too....

Just wondering BG, if you dont change the other payments to your partners name, like FTB etc, how do you say that hubby is primary carer and can get this payment?
Is it as simple as saying "He is the primary carer now" to C/L?? I couldnt find anything on it....

[AliBaby]

Thanks girls I cant believe we have been missing out on about $400 a fortnight for a good 6 months! Should have got our acts together sooner. Next year I am certain I am going to be earning too much a fortnight as I will be working full time. We will still go in next week and see if they can go through everything and see what we are eligible for.

Again, thank you so much for your help

Leash- agree about a small forest disappearing. Its sitting on our dining room table now!!!

[butterfly_warrior]

I don't know about the primary carer thing, but our FTB has always been in DH's name since Sam was born, even though I was the one who stayed home with him for the first year and then again from when he was 18 months old. Now that I have a DSP, we also get rent assistance - which comes in with DH's FTB payments. We're eligible for it because I have the DSP, but it just tacks on to what DH was already getting.

We've never had to deal with PP, so our case is a little bit different, though.

BW

[Indadhanu]

It doesn't matter who the carer is when it comes to FTB etc. because it is FAMILY tax benefit, so it just goes on the income, not WHO is earning the income. If you were both earning an income that comes into it but it just says something like "primary income earner" and "secondary income earner", so it doesn't matter who earns what income or whose name it is getting the FTB payments.

[briggsy's girl]

FTB isn't paid to the primary carer - it's paid to the family, so can be in either name (and is best kept in one name for the life of claiming - swapping and changing is right painful)

PB, the info you've given is not correct for this circumstance
you've provided the information that applies if BOTH parties are on income support, one of those parties being on a pension (aged pension, carer pension, disability pension) - they income is treated differently in these circumstances (due to the theory that pension customers have less ability to earn money so the income is split as if earned by both parties, and the impact is different. basically if your partner is on one of these payments, you can earn more before they lose the entire payment.

[Pretty Butterfly]

I know the FTB etc dont matter, but couldn't any guy say he is the "primary carer" and get PPP instead of the dole then, and just sit at home?

A friend does FDC, so is at home all day with their kids, and partner is on the full dole ....can he say he's the primary carer now, and get PPP for the kids, instead of the dole?

Seems something would be in place so this doesnt happen, otherwise dads all over the country on the dole would be on PPP instead!!! LOL

( I dont mean this for Alibaby's case, she is out working and a parent needs to be at home, but my friends kids count in her numbers, so they are "with" her anyway )

[Pretty Butterfly]

Again, just skip over this one!!!

[briggsy's girl]

if that's what they want to do, then they can. it is not up to a consultant (or the government) to define the primary carer of a child. if someone states they are the primary carer, who are we to argue. the reality of the situation is that, if someone has the mentality that they WANT to bludge, whether they're on newstart (the dole) or parenting, they're going to do it. the people who want to screw the system are already well and truly doing it. they know the loopholes. they're the ones more likely to say they're seperated under one roof, while still living in a marriage like relationship and continuing to have more kids with their (ex) partner.

primary carer status is up to the family. Seven days a fortnight, and overnight EVERY night, i am my DD's primary carer. but for c'link, DH is listed as primary carer. not because we're trying to dupe the system, he would get exactly the same on newstart, but because he was linked to a job network member, while on newstart, that couldn't help him with the problems with his eyes, couldn't get a referral to an appropriate provider who COULD because they were booked up for months in advance, so we switched him to PPP when i went back to work, so that he didn't have to waste time attending pointless appointments. for all intents and purposes i am deemed her primary carer (she still BF's at least four or five times a day/overnight and i don't express so i HAVE to be around), but the government have DH listed as primary carer at this point in time. in 10 days he goes of parenting payment based on my income, and then it goes back to just FTB and no one gives a fig who her primary carer is again lol

[briggsy's girl]

The rest was copied from the C/L site??

Now I am confused then!!!

you need to find the information for parenting payment when partner is not receiving payment or is on an ALLOWANCE (newstart etc) as opposed to a pension

will see what i can find

[briggsy's girl]

ok, this link should help more (this is part of the information book we receive at work and what we use to calculate entitlement)

(my apologies PB - i swear your post said "partner is on a pension") - the numbers in your previous post are correct! SORRY

the link in this post is all the basic information you should need though. if you're unsure of eligibility based on your circumstances you can run an estimator (centrelink rates only, not FAO rates) and it will help you work out what you'd get


i need sleep - not reading things properly today! sorry!

[Pretty Butterfly]

WOW, I didnt know that that was the case, I assumed it wouldnt work!! (the PPP thing with partners getting it instead of the dole)

When Ad was on newstart it was a NIGHTMARE..... he was VERY activly looking for work, but was being harrased to go to "mock" interviews, and learn how to make a resume, and learn how to dress etc... all of which took time away from actually looking for work... ( and are things he def knows how to do for chrits sake, He wore a shirt and tie everyday and dealt with ov/s customers daily!) They made him get a fork lift licence, when he works in computers...
He wasted mountains of time with guys who had NO intentions in getting a job, and wasting Ads valuable time... Wish we had known this then, it would of made life a LOT easier!!!

eta...hehehe, no worries, ill still fix them up!!