Not sure where to start..

[Jakabella]

Hey All,

I am just trying to get my head around if infact I will be eligable for any payments form CentreLink?
I will stopping work for at least 6 months - and I have saved up all my A/L so I can have it payed 1/2 per week so we have some money coming in weekly (so 7 weeks a/l @ part pay for 14 weeks) My husband will still be working full time.
So my question being after I have had the baby will there be any payments that I might be eligable to recieve? If so what are they called and is there info on the c/link web site?I know I have 3 months to go but I like to have things sorted out in advance!

Cheers
Kate

[Aphrael]

Go into Centrelink and ask, that's the best way to figure out if your legible to get anything.

I honestly cant remember if I got any money while I was on M/L (I quit my job after a yr of being on M/L and haven't worked since 2005).

Cheers,

Beck

[~clover~]

You might still be elegable for Family Tax Benefit.
Give them a ring on 136150
or go to centrelink.gov.au
You should be able to find out the cut off amounts for all the different payments & also if you are able to get Rent Assistance, Telecommunications Allowance, Pharmaceuticals Allowance or any Parenting Payment at all.
You might even be able to have a Health Care Card & use the PBS.

[Jakabella]

Thanks Ladies! I will get on the web and see what I can figer out!

[Lulu]

For the love of god, dont go into an office unless you have to! The website has a terrific estimator and the phone chicks are good too.

[Jakabella]

Thanks LuLu! Yeah Ill try not to go to a office - ill check out the website and might call the help line number!

[briggsy's girl]

For the love of god, dont go into an office unless you have to! The website has a terrific estimator and the phone chicks are good too.

ditto! offices are understaffed severely so steer clear unless it's urgent! you'll be sent to the free phone in the waiting room and told to call fao!

basic payments:
baby bonus: $5000 lump sum before jan 1 - not income/assets tested
ftb a - payable on combined income estimate of self and partner for full financial year
ftb b - paid based on income of lower income earner (primary income earner must be under $150k). part payment up until lower income earner has income of around $20k (sliding scale)


rent assistance - based on income and rent paid

telephone and pharmaceutical allowances - not paid with ftb - only with certain income support payments

income support (newstart/parenting payment) - only available to very low income families - we're talking less than $1400 pre-tax income per fortnight cutting out as a max threshold (each payment is different)

hth

bg

[Jakabella]

Thanks BG!!

[satya]

I can tell you it doesn't pay to save up your leave and use it while on mat leave. I had 7 weeks annual leave, 8 weeks long service leave and 6 weeks mat leave therefore I get around $20-$30 a fortnight. If I hadn't used all this leave we would've got about $250 or so a fortnight.

[Jakabella]

Thanks Satya
I have been doing some reserch (while in bed with migrain!) and I am seeing that we are not going to get much - it appears even without my a/l in the mix that my DH makes to much (not enuff for new bub and morgage and bills!!) so we will be getting about $50 a f/n. We will do the income test and see what they say I guess.