I've applied for single parent and family tax benefit but also separated under the same roof. It has so far been 2 months and everytime I ask Centrelink about it they just say I'll have just to wait because it gets sent to a different department for approval. How long did everyone else wait until they start receiving payments ? I need to move out but this house with my kids but I can't until I have some sort of money coming in.
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In all honesty I waited 2 weeks but this was back nearly 4 years ago. I was crying, even though we were under the same roof and he didn't want to leave he didn't like giving me money. So he'd give me enough money to pay the rent, internet and buy food. But only basics. You need to make sure the people you put down as references to the break up are answering their phones and make sure you put all the answers in there clearly and made it sound worse than it was. I was scared he'd try and kill me in my sleep while we were still under the same room. Or that I'd find him dead or our children would. If you can avoid being separated under the one roof I highly recommend it. Your payments will likely be processed quicker. You also need to make sure he's telling the truth or answering his phone when they call him to confirm the split too. If people don't answer their phones it takes a lot longer.
Contact the complaints department they get things moving faster than the regular phone numbers.
Thank you I will do that if I hear nothing in the next week only because I talked to a guy at Centrelink today who put an urgent request through to the people who are meant to be assessing my claim telling them all the details as it was a domestic violence relationship and still is as long as I'm under this roof with him and I and the kids need to be out of here as soon as possible