$800 on top of the $1000 wtf?!

[Neenee Jellybeanie]

Whaaaaaat the?! So I called centrelink because aparently I've been randomly selected to be interviewed to check that my details are the same . . . a month after the last "random" check up. It was actually quite funny.

me: why am I having two random check ups?
centrelink guy: the first one wasn't a random check up, it was a service check up
me: what's the difference?
him: the name

*silence*

me: so i have to do it?
him: yeah . . . because its random
me: well, what if this happens every month. Am I going to have to go through this entire process every month?
him: well it's random, so chances are you won't be selected for a long time after this
me: but I was already selected twice in a month
him: oh



Anyway, he asked if i was required to lodge a tax return, which I'm not because I didn't earn any money this year. And it turns out, I'm randomly getting another 800 bucks on top of the 1000 i'm already getting as some kind of tax refund?! Even though I elected to have my FTB paid fortnightly He said something about how part of it is withheld?

I'm still dumbfounded! Tell you what though, looks like I'll be buying a car this year after all!

[~Raven~]

I'm sure that is an amount that's called a reconcilliation. They withhold it JIC you have an overpayment and they take any money owing from that first if you have a debt. No debt and you get it all paid to you.
Noice hey!

[visitor1]

Oh what a nice bonus!

[Nai]

Hey I'd do 2 surveys in a month if it meant I got $800 Seriously though that's great if you can get your car now.

[mrsmac]

I'd do a lot of things to get an extra $800 !!!!LOL

[briggsy's girl]

Raven is right - it's the reconcialliation amount that people get after they do their taxes. given you don't need to do a tax return, the person updated the system to reflect that it no longer has to wait for the ATO to tell it your details anymore. there is a whole thread about the $600 per child payment - it might make more sense if you read that one...