How We Can Help

If you think you might be eligible for a part pension - but are not sure - we can look at your assets and income to assess your eligibility for an entitlement.

If you are unsure if you are receiving the maximum pension payment, we will happily assess your assets and income to make sure that you are getting everything that you are entitled to receive.

Ensuring you are receiving the right Rent Assistance and all the proper paperwork has been completed is another part of our service, including advice on claiming everything you are entitled to, especially if you are living in a retirement complex.

If you receive an overseas pension, we will ensure that the appropriate information is supplied to Centrelink and that it is being assessed correctly.

If you have ever had to make a phone call to Centrelink, you know that you may be in for a long wait – not to mention the annoying on-hold muzak! So we can make all the necessary contacts to Centrelink on your behalf - and you’ll never have to call them again.

Like telephone calls to Centrelink, this can be a long and frustrating process. But with our services it is very rare that you will ever need to visit a Human Services office again. Unfortunately, we can never say ‘never’ - but we can say that it will only be on very rare occasions.

It is not a perfect world and sometimes things go wrong. Payments are incorrect, information is misinterpreted or not updated, or any of a multitude of other things. We can go into battle on your behalf to correct any misunderstandings and get your pension payments back on track.

We will complete an initial review of your pension entitlement and then regularly review your situation to ensure that you are receiving the maximum benefit you are entitled to.

Systematically we will be in contact to check on changes to your financial balances and regularly update the information held on your file at Centrelink. Experience has shown that this is important as it ensures that your information is regularly updated – and Centrelink have a record of this process – so, in the event of any discrepancies, they can see a conscious attempt to keep your records up-to-date.

We can look after your income stream updates when withdrawals are made or as they are requested by Centrelink.

If you are receiving any sort of income, we can manage the fortnightly submissions to Centrelink so you can relax and not have to worry. We can also offer advice and assistance if the income is from being self-employed.

We monitor all your correspondence from Centrelink and will often have addressed any issues well before you are even aware of them.

We will review and discuss with you the value of your lifestyle assets – such as cars or caravans - on a regular basis and update your details when items are sold or purchased.

If you are considering Asset Gifting, it is worthwhile planning the process as the effect of gifting too much, or at the wrong time, can last for many years.

Centrelink require that they be notified of all overseas travel plans, so as part of our regular contact we always check if you are travelling overseas - and then notify Centrelink on your behalf.

If either member of a couple is hospitalised for a period greater than 14 days there are special considerations applied by Centrelink to your payments. You may, for example, be entitled to Illness Separation payments or a Carers Allowance once your partner is out of hospital. We will look after the Centrelink notifications and paperwork so you can concentrate on what can be a busy and stressful time.

Any changes to your living arrangements including marriage, moving in together or separation can have a dramatic effect on your pension payments. We can assist, advise and notify Centrelink on your behalf should your situation change.

The loss of a partner is a very difficult experience - and while Centrelink can be very compassionate and understanding at this time – it is probably the last thing you want to be thinking about. So we can notify Centrelink on your behalf and help you through the transition period while details such as the estate are being finalised.

If you are receiving a Centrelink Pension payment and you are worried about what happens if one of a couple dies, or if you wish to leave monies to other family members, then there are some things that can be done to ensure that the surviving partner is not disadvantaged.

It’s a sad fact of life that we will all need to avail ourselves of funeral services at some time. But quite often these are used to reduce assets, so it is important to understand how Funeral Bonds or pre-paid funeral expenses are assessed to ensure that the rules are followed and the right choices are made in your circumstances.

If your partner or someone you love is in your care you may be entitled to a Carer’s Allowance. We find a lot of clients are just too busy caring to find out, so we can advise if this allowance is applicable in your situation and assist in the process of applying for the benefit.

Although you may not be eligible for a Pension payment, you may still be eligible for the Commonwealth Senior’s Health Card. We can assist in the process of checking your eligibility and assisting with the paperwork.

If you have been in this very common but unfortunate situation, and find you are required to repay a debt to Centrelink, we can advise and assist through this process.