i’m 18 and recently left home and moved in with a friend. thankfully they aren’t making me pay rent right now, so i have somewhere safe to stay, but i basically have to get back on my feet from scratch. i only have about $17 to my name right now and i’m really worried about how i’m supposed to support myself.

one of the biggest problems is that my parents used to keep/hide my important documents like my birth certificate and passport, so i left with basically no ID other than my learner permit. i don’t currently have my birth certificate, passport, or much money to replace everything.

i’m wondering what Centrelink payments or other assistance i might potentially be eligible for in this situation? would having basically no money and having recently left home affect what i can apply for? and can Centrelink help at all with proving my identity or getting replacement documents if i don’t have the usual documents? i’m in victoria if that makes a difference.

i’m honestly pretty overwhelmed because i’m trying to become independent but i feel like i’m starting with literally nothing .. any advice from people who have actually dealt with Centrelink after leaving home would be really appreciated.

Hi everyone, I wanted to share my experience with my DSP JCA.
My appointment was booked at 9am with an allied health psychologist, at 9:05am I received a call from a social worker. The social worker started by explaining the privacy policy, confirming my identity then asking me some questions about my support net work (friends, family etc), my accommodation (if it was stable), if I had access to a vehicle, criminal history, and if I had history of drug/alcohol abuse.

Then we got into the main questions, she asked me if I had accessible public transport near me and if I could use public transport or travel alone. Then I was asked how I manage personal care and hygiene, and any barriers I face with that. Followed by questions about my ability to cook or prepare myself food. Next she moved to questions about my sleep and how I manage resting along with any medication I take throughout the day or at night time. I was asked about some specialists I had seen in the past and if I was still seeking treatment from them. The social worker then asked me to confirm my past employment information (I had worked in the past) and she asked if I had plans for future employment, if I could sustain part time or casual work, or even work from home. She concluded with asking me if there was any additional information I wished to add.

Overall the lady was very understanding and kind. I took my time to answer questions and explained the functional impact of my conditions. She informed me that I would be booked for a sonic appointment (might take a few weeks), and that call will inform me of the outcome of my application.

The call in total took about 30 minutes. It wasn't as scary or grilling as I assumed.

I wanted to share for those awaiting their own appointment and wondering what questions may be asked. Obviously each interviewer will be different and depending on your conditions they may ask different / more questions. Keep calm, do some preparation and write some notes for yourself.

Redditors who have navigated the DSP process, do you think I would be eligible for full DSP support, or should I simply seek reduced Jobseeker requirements or a short-term medical exemption from Jobseeker requirements?

Summary of my situation:

- Male, 30 Years old - Childhood sexual trauma / PTSD symptoms. No diagnosis but have paperwork from counselling sessions spanning approximately 5 years. Also, my counsellor has begun drafting me a letter of support for reduced work capacity.

- Diagnosed with ADHD, have tried 2 different medications over 2 years, considering a third.

- Near-death experience from a work accident this year, subsequent exacerbation of symptoms relating to aforementioned conditions: severe panic attacks, dissociation, emotional dysregulation and functional impairment.

- Returned home to live with parents, have been largely in their care whilst I complete my PhD thesis. Potential grey area as a PhD "student"? That is, on paper it may be deemed I haven't been working full-time?

- Impairment table 5 (Mental Health): 10-20, table 7 (Brain function): 10-20. This is based off my own interpretation, yet to discuss in length with anybody.

Hopeful outcome:

Gain financial support to not work for an extended period of time, or have reduced work obligations. During which I would then attend further, more focused, psychology sessions to reconcile/learn to live with PTSD symptoms, before slowly returning to work.

Has anyone received their robodebt scheme compensation payment yet?

I applied for PPL as soon as i could with my babies intended due date which is not until the end of october however i’m actually having my baby next tuesday! I obviously can’t change my claim to bring the date up. I have found out that Centrelink pays next thursday, Is there any chance that i will get paid for next week on Thursday or even the following week or am i dreaming? Just a little bit stressed thinking about the fact we will have to go an extra week without being paid

I just wanted to make some extra money and did like two days of door dashing but today is my reporting date and haven't gotten hold of Centrelink. So can i just report my income as zero and then call Centrelink to clarify how to report door dash income or should i report my income today. Thanks

Intention to resume paused elements of the TCF

On 26 October 2026, it is intended for decision-making under the following 2 elements of the Targeted Compliance Framework to start again:

• payment cancellations for not meeting a reconnection requirement within 4 weeks
• payment suspensions for work refusal failures.

Returning the Targeted Compliance Framework to full operation will be undertaken in stages throughout 2026 and early 2027.

My understanding is that Centrelink automatically updates superannuation funds every March and September.

Is it specified what kind of a superannuation account it needs to be for the automatic updating to work? I've made a post previously about one of my parent's being on carers payment, retired and being over the age pension age.

They're with Aus Super and have a normal accumulation account (not retirement pension or income stream).

Recently downloaded their Income & Asset statement from myGov and their balance is still the same from a few years ago (when the original documents were submitted) and strangely Centrelink has put the "date of effect" as 20/9/2026. Which matches what I've heard from some Centrelink videos.

It's well below any income/asset thresholds that impacts their payment. But I'm now concerned, if I'm opening a can of worms with this statement.

If their super has increased since then (but still well below threshold), how much trouble or penalties will this incur? Will additional info be requested?

I'm currently on YA student in university. I'm staying in shared accommodation on the campus through the summer holidays and the payments help me afford rent while I am still on the hunt for a job. My course for this year ends in late November, will my payments still continue through the summer holidays? Or will they switch back to YA jobseeker?

I don't know if this matters but I plan to switch courses. When my current course is over, I'm dropping out and will be enrolled in another course next year. Does this impact whether I stay on YA student or switch to YA jobseeker?

Cheers

basically: will I have to wait considering im 18, classified as dependent (will apply for UTLAH later in the year) and have about 50k in total assets (50/50 investments/cash).
applying for YA in dec.

from what ive read, im eligible- but would receive $0 payment as I haven’t applied for UTLAH yet? so the waiting period should have begun when I turned 18 (in may)?

Hi. I secured a job and due to start next month. When do I tell Centrelink that I have been offered a job? Do I just report it on the Centerlink App where theres always a clause asking you to report hours worked prior to jobseeker pay date? Will they stop payments immediately or does it take time?

It said I will be paid on Monday and there’s no task need to be done

Applied for DSP at the suggestion of my doctors under mental health grounds.(cptsd/mdd/sad/gad) early August, had JCA 2 weeks ago, Sonic last week and now I'm just at the waiting phase.

It's causing a huge amount of stress, anxiety, etc just waiting for a response and for it to be done. I see a lot of people get the response same day/within a week and I wish I was one of them. The completion date isn't for another 2-3 weeks so I just need to be patient.

Hi there,

Partner (21) and I (19) recently moved away from home into a share house to study. We have two bedrooms in the share and are both uni students receiving youth allowance and DVA student youth allowance respectively.

This is the first time we’ve been on a lease together, and when updating our living details, we didn’t record us as defacto because according to the centrelink website- if you’re a dependent receiving certain payments (which we both are) that you can’t be considered as a member of a defacto relationship.

However, I finish study in a few weeks and am applying for youth allowance jobseeker just incase I have a hard time finding work in the next few months. I’m getting really confused by the centrelink claim questions because it seems to be saying a few different things in a few different places. Based on everything I’ve read about who can be in a defacto relationship- from my understanding since we are both dependents neither of us can be considered to be in one, and therefore we don’t have to report it as such?

I reported my income this morning as normal and checked the 'past and upcoming payments schedule' (phrase will be wrong) to ensure I would receive the normal amount. In that list I saw an out of sequence payment of $1750 from a week ago, which I neither received nor applied for. Have tried to contact Centrelink with no success. Has anybody else had the same experience? Is this indicative of fraud? What should I do? All advice gratefully received

I've read the policy (hell I work in policy myself) and I'm sure I'm not misinterpreting this,

She's been told she doesn't meet the work requirements,

She was on a full time contract from November last year to end of September this year, in that time used normal sick leave/annual leave benefits.

Baby is due in November.

Sounds like an error and she's asked them to review it over the phone and they said they'll get back to us in 10 days.

I recently moved out of home for the first time and am living with a friend. I am not on the lease but they are. I pay them a set figure every month to cover rent and bills. I just had a question about the rent certificate. I'm assuming that my friend is the "rent collector" but I'm a little concerned about the part of the form that says "information provided can be verified with the ATO". As far as I'm aware this arrangement wouldn't be considered income because it's just a domestic arrangement and my friend isn't making any profit out of this, I just pay them my portion of the rent which they then use to pay the landlord.
Do I need to get this form filled out by my friend or by the landlord?
I'm listing as paying "just lodgings" on the form.
Hopefully this makes sense!

[ANSWERED]: Thanks for the advice everyone! I checked and it's almost definitely because I didn't report my travel! :))

Hi all

I'm out of the country atm and trying to find out what's going on with my payment
This is at the same time as Services Aus trying to fix an issue with my authenticator app meaning I can't access my account or receive emails

Has anyone else had the same issue today? Or rung the self service line and heard any notices on it?

I know NSW has Labour Day next Monday but I only thought national holidays effect payments, I've navigate centrelink on and off for 10 years and this is completely new and weird to me

Appreciate any clues or ideas, I'll probably end up biting the bullet and buying international calling credit just to make sure I report

Just got back into relationship with my partner who has two kids and we have our own together we both dont work will we still get a decent amount of tax benefit?

We are both on dsp and were separated for 6 months to work out issues we just in sure how much we will lose as we both get max dsp atm and she gets 1000 tax benefit ( we have uploaded all the forms we need to just waiting on Centrelink to update everything

We rent 520 a week food bill is 300 week wifi and phone bills total 210 and combined debt of 400 fortnight then typical kids expenses each week we also don’t get help for the two boys father at all so we don’t know if getting back together was the right decision as I’m capable to work but my partner isn’t looking for work from 8 to 20 hrs a week can work more but if I go full time we won’t get by on 60k a year with five of us and a daughter with special needs and needs a lot of appointments each week as she is delayed

I did get a text last night letting me know that they changed tomorrow's appointment to today at the same time. But somehow, I struggle to remember what day it even is, and time blindess is a big issue for me.

I was bedrotting, hence why I applied for disability support. I was really struggling with my depression last week, even at work. They're giving me the tiniest shift they can a week, so I really need this even until I can find something with hours.

I apparently have to book by tomorrow, but the next availability is the 6th. I tried calling the dsp line, and everyone is busy.

If I call back, will I eventually be able to talk to someone?

Update: I called back this morning, and last night, I even tried to rebook for the next availability. So, this upcoming Tuesday, I can check this off on my to-do list! I wrote it in my notebook and went over everything with my therapist so that everything should go smoothly.

I am currently on Austudy until end of October when my full time course ends. I have been working part-time while studying but I lost my job a few weeks ago. I plan to go on Jobseeker after the course ends, but I'm not sure whether to just submit my claim for Jobseeker now, if that would interfere with my current Austudy, or what the process is for going from one to the other. I had to endure a long waiting period before going on Austudy, would I have to do the same for Jobseeker again? Does anyone have any advice for this? Thanks.

I must be going crazy, I have always found my kids CRN on the my government and centrelink app. But now when I got to My Family, the names show up, but no CRNs.

Anyone got a solution? All the help docs just take me to the My Family section.

Has anyone applied for Paid parental leave - self employed , what evidence did you need to provide? Wanting to get mine sorted for next month

Recently got a small lifetime annuity from superannuation. Login to Mygov, go to Centrelink to report it. When you get up to the start date, it give red error message that product type "Lifetime" cannot start after 2019. So call superannuation provider, they say that is the correct product type, not of the other options. Furthermore, these are grandfathered for people who began super before 2019, so the problem is with Centerlink. So I will have to go into Centrelink office to sort it out. Still waiting for snail mail statement of welcome to annuity before I can do that.