Can't recall exact amount but got a fair whack of it back with both boys because both times we'd reached the medicare safety net when the time came to pay the fee. If you're close to the threshold, could you pay sometime this week before you get to Jan 1?
ETA - mine were born before changes to medicare. Think last time our fee was around $1800 and we got back over 80pc. We were only out of pocket a few hundred. Sorry, prob not much help to you now that things have changed.