Latest news with #FamilyTaxBenefit
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Centrelink cash boost over 400,000 Aussies have weeks left to confirm: 'Get what's yours'
You wouldn't leave money sitting on your front porch, would you? Yet, that's effectively what thousands of families are doing by not confirming their income with Centrelink. More than 170,000 Australian families who get Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and 240,000 families who get Child Care Subsidy (CCS) risk missing out on getting cash back through top-up or arrears payments. That's simply because they haven't confirmed their income for the 2023-24 financial year. Whether you receive FTB, or CCS, or both — the message is the same — confirm your income by June 30 and get what's yours. Services Australia has sent reminders to families to confirm their income, but unfortunately many are yet to act. RELATED $1,831 Centrelink payment change coming within weeks: 'You'll get more' Coles and Woolworths checkout move that there's no coming back from: 'Will only accelerate' Aussie couple making $1,200 a day from job anyone can do: 'Went off like an explosion' You might have to repay some or all of the FTB you received in 2023-24 You'll lose any additional top-up, arrears or supplement payments And if you were planning to lodge a lump sum claim, it will be too late after June 30. Your CCS payments will stop Your CCS will reduce to 0 per cent from 7 July 2025, meaning you'll have to pay full child care fees. To confirm your 2023-24 family income, you (and your partner if you have one) need to lodge your 2023-24 tax return with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Or, if you don't need to lodge a tax return, you can confirm your family income by advising Services Australia that you're not required to lodge, using your Centrelink online account through myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink app. If you're using the app, select More from your home screen, then select Advise tax non-lodgement. Not sure if you need to lodge a tax return? If there's a reason you can't confirm your income, you should call the Services Australia Families line to discuss your options. Each year Services Australia compares a family's income estimate with their actual income at the end of each financial year (this is called balancing). Most families tend to overestimate their income, so they get a handy top up or supplement payment at the end of the financial year. For more information head to Service Australia's website. * Figures based on Services Australia data, April 30, in to access your portfolio
NZ Herald
05-05-2025
- NZ Herald
Mushroom poisoning trial: Erin Patterson's husband reveals text messages
'I'm sorry but I can't stop thinking about the comment that Don made on the phone … that Simon can 'reverse the single thing in his tax return',' she said. 'That is mind-boggling in its implication.' Erin Patterson went on to say she wasn't able to access the Family Tax Benefit due to the change, which was worth about AU$15,000 ($16,200) annually. 'We were basically lying to the government, telling them that we were a family with shared finances so they wouldn't make him pay child support,' she said. 'I would have been entitled to about 30k a year child support from Simon … but I didn't claim it because I foolishly trusted him to do right by me and the kids.' She went on to claim Simon wanted to be a 'bare minimum parent'. An hour later Don Patterson replied, apologising for possibly making a 'false representation' about Simon's position. The next day Erin Patterson responded, saying she understood her husband's parents did not want to get involved. 'I respect your position, but I will continue to put messages in here on matters which I think are significant,' she wrote. 'I would hope that you, as his parents, would be concerned that he was making the decisions that are in the best interests of his children, and not just operating from the place of being angry to that end.' Simon agreed with a suggestion by defence barrister Colin Mandy SC that the messages display Erin Patterson asking his parents to 'intercede on her behalf' and their reluctance to do so. Husband denies 'poison' comment claim Under cross-examination by Mandy, Simon Patterson denied he had once made a comment accusing his wife of poisoning his family. Mandy suggested the comment was made in her hospital room at Monash Hospital on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, after a discussion about Erin Patterson previously using a dehydrator. The pair and their two children had just discussed a day when Erin Patterson placed varying amounts of dried mushrooms in muffins and their young daughter, who did not like mushrooms, preferred the muffin with some mushrooms present, the court was told. 'Just after the conversation about the dehydrator, you said, 'Is that what you used to poison them?'' Mandy asked. Simon responded: 'I did not say that to Erin.' 'That's odd': Husband's claim Simon Patterson was quizzed by Mandy on whether Erin Patterson had asked how the lunch guests were fairing or had overheard his conversations on the issue. The questions came after Simon Patterson on Friday gave evidence that Erin Patterson 'never actually asked' after his family members' health, saying it 'intrigued me'. He confirmed he was very busy in the days after his family fell ill, constantly taking phone calls and wandering the halls of the hospital. Asked if it was possible that Erin Patterson did ask, Simon conceded it was 'possible but not likely' she did. 'I can't recall her asking that,' he said. 'It's a feeling I remember which was 'that's odd'.' When asked if his wife could have overheard his phone calls, Simon said 'possibly little bits'. Alleged mushroom killer's side gig: court He was also quizzed about Erin's civic engagement, noting she once helped his parents run the local town of Korumburra's community development association. Simon agreed his estranged wife also took over running the town's newsletter, the Burra Flyer, to give his parents a break when Simon's mother Gail had health issues. He would regularly take photos for the publication, he said. Erin Patterson, 50, is facing trial over the alleged death cap mushroom poisonings of Simon's parents, aunt and uncle at a lunch she hosted at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023. The mother of two has pleaded not guilty to three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder, arguing the presence of poisonous mushrooms in her beef wellington dish was not intentional and not deliberate. Outlining the state's case last week, Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC said it was alleged that Erin Patterson intended to kill the lunch guests after inviting them with the 'false claim' of discussing a cancer diagnosis. 'It is the prosecution case that the accused deliberately poisoned, with murderous intent, each … after inviting them for lunch on the pretence that she'd been diagnosed with cancer and needed advice about how to break it to the children,' she said. 'It is the prosecution case that the accused used the false claim that she had serious medical issues to ensure and to explain why the children would not be present at the lunch on July 29.' Simon's parents, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, died in hospital in the week after the gathering. Wilkinson's husband, Korumburra Baptist Church pastor Ian Wilkinson, fell gravely ill but recovered. Mandy told the jury Erin Patterson did not dispute that the four lunch guests consumed deadly death cap mushrooms at her Leongatha home. 'The defence case is that Erin Patterson did not deliberately serve poisoned food to her guests at that lunch,' he said. 'The defence case is that what happened was a tragedy, a terrible accident.' The trial, before Justice Christopher Beale, is expected to for up to six weeks.
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Centrelink payment warning over looming deadline: 'Don't miss out'
Services Australia has issued a warning to mums and dads who received the Family Tax Benefit (FTB) last financial year. Recipients have until June 30 to submit their income for the year, and they've been given a nudge to get their details ready. If you submit your income to Centrelink, it can entitle you to additional cash and other supplements. However, if you fail to report, you could be left with no extra support, or worse. "Don't miss out," Services Australia said. $3,300 Centrelink change that would leave thousands of pensioners worse off: 'Pile on more pain' Homebuyers warned over 'magical phrase' used by agents to increase prices Rent tactic allows Aussie to buy $435,000 property with tiny deposit: 'Ground-breaking' "If you didn't confirm your family income, you may have missed out on top-ups and supplements. "You may also get a debt and have to repay the amount you got during the financial year."The FTB is given to parents for each eligible child, and that amount is determined by your adjusted taxable income, income test, your child's age, and the number of children you have. The base rate for FTB Part A is $71.26 for each child per fortnight, and the maximum depends on how old the child is, but goes up to $288.82 every two weeks. You can also receive the FTB as a lump sum. The payment runs from the start to the end of the financial year. But just before you receive your final payment, Services Australia will "balance" your account. "This is so we can check we paid you the right amount of Family Tax Benefit and Child Care Subsidy. We balance these separately," it said. Submitting your income by June 30 will give the government body all the information it needs to ensure this balance is properly carried out. This is where you could receive top-ups or supplements if the numbers are a bit off. There are two ways you can report your income to Services Australia: Lodge a tax return with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) With your Centrelink online account through myGov or the Centrelink app The ATO will pass on your income details to Centrelink, and it will use that information to balance your FTB. But even if the ATO extends your lodgement date for your tax return, it doesn't change the June 30 deadline for reporting your income for the FTB. Services Australia will also need your partner to submit their income if they were with you during the 2023-24 financial year.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
$100 cash boost available for thousands of Aussie parents: 'Apply now'
Parents in New South Wales have been urged to jump on the state government's kids voucher program. The Active and Creative Kids voucher system is available to be used to pay for sports, recreational, or cultural activities. Mums, dads, and guardians can get two $50 vouchers per year per child as long as they're receiving Centrelink's Family Tax Benefit. The state government has revealed that there's a way you can nab another voucher by applying right now. "If you're eligible but didn't claim the previous voucher from 2024, you can apply for two $50 Active and Creative Kids vouchers," it said. "This means you'll have a total of $100 to spend with an approved activity provider." Aussie state's major cost-of-living win as cash boost surges: 'Record uptake' Rare $1 coin worth up to $350: 'Lucky to find one' Calls for $2 billion cash boost to Centrelink rent assistance as pensioners go without meals: 'To get worse' The NSW government issues these vouchers twice a year. The second coupon from 2024 needs to be used by July 14 this year, while the first from 2025 doesn't have to be used until December 31. Both of those are available to apply for now. Applications for the second 2025 voucher will open on July 15 and can be used over the following 12 months. Each coupon can only be used once and have to go to to a registered activity provider, which you can find here. If you have two up your sleeve, you can use them at the same time. But you can't split the $50 split between more than one provider and it can't be redeemed for cash, gift vouchers or credit notes. Only one person can apply for the vouchers for a child, but if you have multiple children then you can include them in the same application rather than make separate ones for each kid. The applicant has to be receiving the following Centrelink payments in the current or previous financial year: Family Tax Benefit Part A Family Tax Benefit Part B Both Family Tax Benefit Part A and Family Tax Benefit Part B The child also has to be a NSW resident and between the ages of 4.5 and 18 years old. You'll need to set up a MyServiceNSW account and the application can be found in that portal. You might be required to present two identity documents, your Centrelink Customer Reference Number, and the Medicare card details for your child. Each state and territory has its own sports and activity vouchers with different eligibility criteria applied. Here's an overview of what's currently available: NSW: Active and Creative Kids voucher - 2 x $50 per child VIC: Get Active Kids voucher - 1 x $200 per child QLD: FairPlay voucher - 1 x $150 per child SA: Sports voucher - 2 x $100 per child WA: KidSport voucher - 1 x $500 per child NT: Sport voucher - 2 x $100 per child TAS: Ticket to Play - 2 x $100
