Hi guys
I need some help with a situation in regard to what to expect etc etc..
18 months ago centrelink requested payslips dating between 2017-2021 with reason being that my reporting hadn't matched my husbands income and to expect a debt I had those uploaded within the first 7 days of the request.
Fast forward 18 months I have not heard a thing and I'm now at the point where my adhd, ocd and ptsd is making so many situations regarding this I.e -jail for fraud. I have contact centrelink several times for updates etc but have not turned up much.
That period of time was quite the upheaval for my family after being made homeless, home-schooling during covid and being pregnant with out 4th and while I am aware looking back I probably wasn't paying as much attention as I should have been I also know for a fact I wasn't being deceitful on purpose. Life is better now, we're settled and both working but I feel like there is a black doomsday cloud hanging over and I'm waiting for the rug to be pulled. I don't know how to cope or what to do.. I'm just wondering if anyone has any experience with protocol and next actions etc etc thankyou.
I'm not looking to run from this situation, if I've messed up I just want to fix it but I'm so scared
5 Replies
Check your emails, the ones on myGov messages - if the adjustment ends up being a small amount they will just write it off and email you and case closed.
Check your myGov account. But you are not going to jail.
The worst case is you’ll get a debt that you can pay off through a payment plan.
Don’t stress, if they wanted to find you for the money they would. It’s probably not as bad as you think. They would have chased you by now and you have done what they asked. Just make sure when you ring each time, you get a receipt number or ask them or check if they received the forms. I’d say it’s closer and you didn’t owe much money. They would be taking it out of your payments if you owed and you’d have a debt showing on your my gov in Centrelink, under repayments. I think you have dodged it here. Forget it and move on once you know they have your forms or you get a receipt number for it. It should be in your history if you uploaded it. As long as it’s there and they have it then don’t worry. They would have stopped your payments for you to contact them.
It’s nothing to worry about that was along time ago. They would have made you start paying any debts back by now and can take your family tax. If this hasn’t happened then you wouldn’t owe anything.
You poor thing, that kind of stuff messes with you.
Knowing centrelink, if you owed them a heap of money, you would have heard about it long ago.
But for ease of mind, if I were you, I would go in there.
Sitting face to face with a person, that's the only way to get this stuff sorted and clear your mind.
Good luck and let us know how you go x