Centrelink Special Benefit Help

Are you dealing with serious financial issues? If you are out of money and out of time to pay for essential needs such as your rent, groceries or utility bills there is still a last ditch possibility to help you through this rough patch. Beyond all the other non-profit programs and charities that could help in these situations and besides your normal government benefit claims, the Centrelink Special Benefit claim can often help when all else fails.

Read more to find out how you can apply and if you are eligible.

Severe Hardship
One of the largest portions of the eligibility for the Special Benefit is showing a severe hardship. This could mean that you will not be able to support yourself or your dependants because you are simply out of money to pay for basic living expenses. This could include not being able to put food on the table for your family, an inability to pay for transportation to a part time job, unable to meet your rent obligations or unable to prevent utility shut off notices because of an inability to pay the bill.

What also must be shown is that you have nowhere else to turn in a reasonable manner and amount of time to come up with the funds to cover these bills. The specific requirements to prove severe hardship is that your fortnightly income is less than the maximum fortnightly rate of the benefit, that your readily available funds are less than the allowable limit and there is no other reasonable course of action for you to take.

There is an income test that reduces the Special Benefit by $1 for every $1 of income you receive.

 
Eligibility
Besides asset and income tests, you must also pass the residency requirements to get the Centrelink Special Benefit. You must be living in Australia, physically present the day you submit your claim form and hold at least 1 of several visa subclasses related to your living situation. You must also meet these residency requirements during the entire period you receive the Special Benefit.

Besides residency, income there is also an asset test that states the maximum allowable limit of assets that you will be able to hold. These assets include real property, debts owing to you and any assets you hold outside of Australia.

Payment and Waiting Period
Your Special Benefit payment amount depends on your personal circumstances but usually is the same rate as the Youth Allowance from $233.60 to $559.20 fortnightly or the Newstart Allowance that ranges from $468.80 to $561.80 fortnightly. If you receive subsidized housing allowances, other forms of income or other forms of support your payment may be reduced accordingly.

Depending on your personal situations, these payments may require a waiting period in order to confirm your personal details. These waiting periods are found here. However, in certain circumstances if you show severe hardship showing an express need for a payment earlier this can often be arranged. These waiting periods are waived for Australian citizens returning from abroad, if you are a migrant arriving under a refugee or humanitarian program or hold a temporary protection visa.

It is a system of support as a last resort for those that have tried every other means of support and are still in dire need of financial assistance to subsist.