I am a smart person yet I cannot work out how to claim the child care rebate

Heck, I even work for the Federal Government! I'll definitely be giving my feedback to Macklin's office!

How to claim the child care rebate is completely eluding me. I have looked on the FAO and Centrelink website and there is no simple guide for me.

Mitchell and I both have Centrelink CRN's and I have registed for Centrelink online services. I get emailed statements from his child care centre. I know I am not eligible for CCB but am eligible for CCR.

If anyone who is clearly more intelligent and superior to me can enlighten me as to how it work as and how I go about claiming it that would be fabulous.

Ta,
Fiona

OK you are so not alone in this. You can probably emigrate to a range of countries without having to complete as much paperwork as you do for this .... First you need to claim for the Child Care Benefit - even if you are not eligible for it. Yep, you read that right. Once you fill out that 90 page form, they will send you a letter saying you are rated to receive 0% CCB, then you can apply for the CCR, another 90 page form which will bore you to tears of frustration and bewilderment with its complexity. Then if you have any back pay to claim, there is a further form to fill out at the end of the financial year, which is yet another 90 pages of the ins and outs of a duck's backside, with all sorts of totally irrelevant information I am sure you are dying to share with Centrelink. I was able to get all the forms from a FAO office after explaining in minute detail what I wanted to do. however I am still trying to regain the will to live after filling them out. :wall: I did all the forms in hard copy, so I am not sure about the online versions, someone else can probably fill you in. And yes, I have two degrees and it nearly drove me insane.
Hope that helps

Thanks for that. Reading your reply is leaving me with an overwhelming desire to scratch my eyes out. I will probably find that more enjoyable.

Do I have to do to that every quarter? oh my...

No only once for each form - CCB, CCTR and the back pay form. After you have done it once it just keeps going. But as you can see I am still scarred and I did it a year ago (and the back pay form is continuing to languish on the dining room table unfinished).

i never filled any forms out... done it all over the phone. but that was almost 4 years ago... maybe its changed?

ehehhe thanks for the laugh girls.

I dont even know how i got the claim but i dont recall it being that hard (they probably changed it because it was too easy and not cryptic enough). My friend had problems and in the end she claimed for the wrong thing hheheh

I too had a giggle reading your posts.

I'm just claiming it at the end of the financial year. It might not be any simpler but at least I don't have to worry about under/overestimating our income.

You can claim over the phone.... I just did it.

No forms, the lady just put in the verbal claim.....goodluck

Playing messenger for BG again... :)

:

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for CCR, you have to claim CCB - you have to meet the CCB eligibility (residence etc) for CCB to qualify for CCR. if you ONLY want to claim CCR, you can tick that on the application OR you can opt for any fee reduction to be paid at the end of the year, OR you can get CCB to reduce fees. If you are doing either of the first two options, you won't need to provide an income estimate - for the third, you will.
put in a claim for CCB, it automatically registers you for CCR. if your income estimate is too high for CCB OR you have decided not to claim til end of year, you will get a letter stating you are entitled to CCB at 0%. to qualify for CCR you must qualify for CCB AND meet the work/study/training test.

to claim:
if you are active on the system for FTB (claiming payment OR active but at a zero rate each fortnight) - you can do it over the phone or online
if you are NOT active on the system for FTB - you can do your claim online or paper claim

online is easier - if you answer a question where it requires more info, it tells you! paper claim is long, and you have to wade through it yourself

if you are claiming for a period more than 28 days in the past, you will need to do a lump sum claim at the end of the year as well as making yourself current on the system for NOW. the lump sum claim can again be done online or paper claim.

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I just made my claim over the phone. Very easy, and the woman was exceptionally helpful and patient (even though I asked about a million really stupid questions).

So I have to claim for something I know I'm not eligible for in order to claim something that I am. Honestly. I love my Government but sometimes....

I will do it online at some point in a galaxy far, far away. May the force be with me.

You still have to meet the other criteria for ccb to be eligible for ccr hence one application process. There is no point having everyone that qualifies for both having to do two claims. It would be like telling every new parent that they have to fill in essentially the exact same form twicewhen a baby arrives - once for babybonus once for ftb. Just because you are not going to claim one payment doesn't mean the claim process should be separated. The processing for centerlink and child care centers is exactly the same for both payments