More Centerlink confusion...help please

The other day I was told by Centerlink that after I have my baby it will take at least 28 days for PPL to be processed. Which means I will have a min of 6 weeks with no money. So naturally I am panicking.
Last night I was talking to a friend who just had her baby and I asked her how long it took for her PPL to start. She replied "1-2 weeks" :o I asked how, because I was told different. She said she just filled in the online submission forms and when there is options for payment she chose to receive from her employer and then CL reimburses the employer. Too easy. I asked if you had to get an OK from employer or something first and she said "no, I just submitted the forms, didn't even talk to my employer" WTF?

Why am I being told 28 days? Why are so many other ladies on BB also having to wait up to 10 weeks? Why, when there is this option? Why didn't the lady on the phone from CL mention anything about this option when I told her of my uncertainty about no wage for 28+ days???????


I am just so confused right now. And I am on hold to CL, have been for 30 odd minutes so far. My temporary phone call back pin expired because I had a 10 hour shift yesterday and didn't have time to call.

Can someone please help..... :(

Must be quick - but i think some employers will commence payments straight away, others will not commence until they receive the $ from centrelink which I guess could take that 6 weeks.
Depends on how your payroll department has this structured.

Centrelink have certain timeframes for granting new claims and it's 28days for PPL. Basically they say that to cover their butt, if they are flat out and have a backlog it can take the full 28days, sometimes it can be quicker. Really depends on the workload but they aim to get it done within 28 days.

Thanks ladies, I just spoke to a guy from CL, it seems the woman I spoke to 2 days ago is an idiot. He said max 21 days for processing, thank goodness! Hopefully my employer will pay me from when I leave and just wait till CL reimburse him. The woman also said my phone call back pin would expire in 3 days WRONG it's 24 hours. No wonder it wouldn't work.

Anyway I'm much happier to know it probably won't be 6 weeks of no money :)

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Must be quick - but i think some employers will commence payments straight away, others will not commence until they receive the $ from centrelink which I guess could take that 6 weeks.
Depends on how your payroll department has this structured.

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Yeah this. It's not clink that paid her that quickly. Some employers pay knowing they have the funds coming. Others won't. The advice you were given is right. Assume AT LEAST 28 days for clink to process ( realistically at the moment 6+ weeks is more realistic) then your employer has to accept the payments and then payments be sent to them for delivery. If they accept today but they needed funds tomorrow to fit the next pay cycle it won't be ready til next pay cycle as it takes a couple of days to get from fao to employer.

As you were advised in the other thread, start saving now. Don't assume because your baby is due on x date you will have ppl paid immediately from that date. There are many things that can delay your funds being received. Assume you will have a significant period of time you need to budget without the funds.

This sort of delay has been the case for well over 12 months so I would assume the timing will be similar in six months when you birth your bub. My suggestion is to make some serious cuts in spending now so that you're used to it before bub arrived, and you won't struggle so much without the payments. And the savings will help with baby items or savings for that first couple of months.

This is doable. You just have to make some changes in budget and lifestyle. Wich is going to have to happen with bub anyway.

Thanks BG, I am definitely still saving! I spoke to my boss's 2IC today and he said whatever is going to benefit me regarding CL they will be happy to do. So I'm assuming they will pay me from when I leave and wait for the reimbursement. (I hope :pray:)

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Thanks ladies, I just spoke to a guy from CL, it seems the woman I spoke to 2 days ago is an idiot. He said max 21 days for processing, thank goodness! Hopefully my employer will pay me from when I leave and just wait till CL reimburse him. The woman also said my phone call back pin would expire in 3 days WRONG it's 24 hours. No wonder it wouldn't work.

Anyway I'm much happier to know it probably won't be 6 weeks of no money :)

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I would assume the people you are talking to don't work in processing teams... I sit with a processing team and this is not the case. Don't bank on any given time. You are better off assuming a long delay and being pleasantly surprised if its sooner than that than banking on less than six weeks with no moolah. No one can promise you a time frame until after your baby is born AND all the required paperwork is received AND its processed AND your employer has accepted payment AND they tell you it will hit your account next pay day. Far too many variables for anyone at fao to promise you any time frame, and for you to reply on current time frames for something in six months isn't a smart move anyway. Another disaster period like black Saturday or cyclone like the one that hit qld couple of years ago, or a heap of births, or end of financial year will all change processing times.

My EDD is July 8th, EOFY! My boss is pretty fair, but I am saving as well. PPL is only minimum wage anyway so it's still going to be tight. I already have a little bit of savings and I just started a direct debit of $150 a week into another savings account I have. So hopefully by the time baby comes there will be $3000 in there.

I did everything online tasha, it was all complete. I took the proof of birth in a few weeks ago when my son was born and the lady said to me the current processing time is 35 days. The money then gets paid to my employer and my employer pays monthly so I have to wait for them to pay it to me PITA!!!!

Oh that sucks :( Can you talk to your employer and see if they will cover it until CL pays them?