Centrelink - Thinks I am still overseas.

[mrfreeze]

Logged onto the Centrelink web site tonight to check on something and noticed I had a unread letter from 28 March.

It seems they are cancelling FTB payments as they believe I am still overseas - Spent 5 days in Fiji Jan/Feb this year.

Has anyone else had this happen?
I will give them a call in the morning, but I would of thought they would share details with Immigration etc. and know I am certainly back home.

 

[deejo77]

Government departments don't like talking to each other........when I take my parents overseas I send them in the first business day they are home to show the passport to them so that no payments are screwed up.......I am taking my son for the first time in August so thanks for this timely reminder to now do the same for my FTB!!!

 

[whatmeworry]

The supercomputers of each department do share certain details and Immigration does share details with centrelink every time you leave the country to prevent welfare fraud. Has happened to me before, but a call and or a visit should settle it out. Be warned, a call will take at least half an hour.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

The thing that first springs to mind when I hear FTB is 'fail to board'. :shock:

 

[Sprucegoose]

The supercomputers of each department do share certain details and Immigration does share details with centrelink every time you leave the country to prevent welfare fraud. Has happened to me before, but a call and or a visit should settle it out. Be warned, a call will take at least half an hour.

Very eager to record outbound and not match it with inbound though.

Very selective.

 

[Balwyn3103]

Since you're in a capital city, it may be easier to go into Immigration and ask for a movements record. This is a letter they sign that shows every time you entered and left Australia for the past 10 years or so. I needed it after an extended absence to prove I did not need private health insurance for my first year back.

 

[Reggie]

I needed it after an extended absence to prove I did not need private health insurance for my first year back.

I'll need to look into this. We are condiering moving overseas for a couple of years and wondered whether we would be penailsed with the surchage for not haveing the insurance on our return.

Mrs Reggie already pays a 2.5% surcharge / penalty, and I pay none. wonder if after an overseas stay, hers will reduce to zero?

 

[Mal]

Yep getting a departures arrivals record from immigration isn't too hard. And it makes good reading too.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using AustFreqFly

 

[Balwyn3103]

Apart from brief trips home, I was away for decades so easy (with the help of the movements record) to prove my absence and hence no duty to pay the surcharge in my first year back. Not sure how long you have to be absent for for the meter to be reset to zero.

 

[BAM1748]

Very eager to record outbound and not match it with inbound though.

Very selective.

Helps balance the budget doing it that way. :mrgreen:

 

[samh004]

Very eager to record outbound and not match it with inbound though.

Very selective.

I had the same issue, they didn’t think I’d got back from overseas, but with me being in the Centrelink office they just asked when I got back and that was it. No need to check anything, though I did have my passport(s) for them to browse through had they asked.

Yep getting a departures arrivals record from immigration isn't too hard. And it makes good reading too.

I got similar from Centrelink, showed which visas I was coming in on, but didn’t make a lot of sense as it was all numbers, and some seemed to match up when they shouldn’t have. I’m sure it made perfect sense to immigration.

 

[mrfreeze]

Dropped in to the Centrelink office on the way to work and was then put through by phone to someone who took care of it for me.
She said you need to inform them before you leave of your travel plans.

I did not know that, though I could of missed the information when reading various things on what I need to do in regards prescription medicine, duty free etc.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I'll need to look into this. We are condiering moving overseas for a couple of years and wondered whether we would be penailsed with the surchage for not haveing the insurance on our return.

Mrs Reggie already pays a 2.5% surcharge / penalty, and I pay none. wonder if after an overseas stay, hers will reduce to zero?

you can talk to your health insurance fund. they will allow you to suspend your membership when overseas. you then pick it up in the same spot when you get back.