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

[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]

Again, just skip over this one!!!

[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

[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 )

[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

[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!!