Latest news with #ServicesAustralia
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Centrelink's warning for thousands over cash boost set to be delivered in weeks
For those of you who don't celebrate it, the new financial year is upon us, running from 1 July to 30 June. We've ticked over from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026. That means it's time for Services Australia to check that families got the right amount of financial support over the past year, which is a process called balancing. Balancing happens after the financial year ends on 30 June. We compare your estimated income with your actual income. For many families, this check can mean a helpful top-up or supplement. Others might see no change, or in some cases, a debt to repay. It's important to know that Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and Child Care Subsidy (CCS) are balanced separately, and each one follows its own process. RELATED Centrelink issues ATO tax refund warning: 'Repay it' Common neighbour problem plaguing Aussie houses Centrelink issues ATO alert as Aussies submit their tax returns What families need to do For most families, we need you to confirm your income before we can balance your payments. You can do this by either lodging a tax return with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) or by telling us you don't need to lodge one. If you have a partner, they will need to lodge a tax return, or you will need to tell us they don't need to as well. If you or your partner are not required to lodge a tax return, you can confirm your income using your Express Plus Centrelink mobile app, or Centrelink online account through myGov. Just remember, if you get both payments, you'll still need to confirm your income to balance your CCS, even if you didn't need to do anything for your FTB balancing to long does it take? We start balancing FTB from July and CCS from mid-August. CCS balancing is later, as we need to get information from childcare providers before we can get started. After you lodge your tax return, the ATO will confirm your income for the financial year with us. This might not happen straight away. It can take up to 28 days for the ATO to give us this information. Don't ring to check on how it's going, you can track the progress of your balancing in your Express Plus Centrelink mobile app. You can also track your CCS balancing using your online account through myGov. What happens if I've separated from my partner? If you separated during the year, we can balance your FTB after you confirm your income. We'll use the income estimate provided for your ex-partner if they haven't lodged a tax return yet. You don't have to contact them. If you get CCS, we still need to confirm your ex-partner's income. You don't need to contact your ex-partner for these details. Call us on 136 150 to confirm this. 'Uh oh, I think I'm going to get a debt' Don't panic! We know things can change over the year. You'll get a letter explaining your balancing outcome either through your myGov inbox or in the mail. We'll let you know your options if you need to pay money back. If you owe Services Australia or the ATO any money, as part of the balancing process, we can recover debts from any FTB top-ups and supplements to reduce what you owe. We can do this even if you have a repayment arrangement in place. Please talk to us if you're experiencing financial hardship or worried about paying back a debt. We can work with you to set up a repayment plan for your circumstances. How to avoid a debt next year There are things you can do throughout the year to help get the right payments and reduce your chance of getting a debt at tax time. You should make sure your family income estimate and other details are always up to date, you can do this anytime things change during the year. You can use your online account to select the right FTB payment choice for your situation. You may choose to get all, part or none of your payment fortnightly. We'll then pay any other FTB you're entitled to when we balance your payments. Services Australia withholds 5% of your CCS to help reduce the likelihood of you getting an overpayment at the end of the financial year. You can increase this percentage through your online account to an amount that suits you. By doing this, you can boost your chances of getting a top-up when we balance your payments next tax time.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Centrelink issues ATO alert as Aussies submit their tax returns: 'Steal your money'
Services Australia has warned Australians to have their wits about them as they submit their tax returns. More than 15 million people lodge their financial information with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) after July 1, and it's the perfect time for scammers to pounce on unsuspecting Aussies. They often try to impersonate government bodies like myGov and Centrelink by sending out mass text messages and emails across the country. Services Australia said it can be dire if you let your guard down. "They pretend to be us so they can steal your personal information and money after you click a link or give them your details," it said. If they get access to your personal information, they can conduct identity fraud or log in to certain accounts like myGov and lodge fake tax returns on your behalf. RELATED ATO issues urgent tax return warning as Aussies risk losing over $1,500 Common neighbour problem plaguing Aussie houses Compensation sought for millions of Qantas customers How scammers are preying on Aussies during tax time Services Australia has noticed scammers have been trying to catch out certain Aussies with certain tactics this year. One is highlighting a one-time payment, tax rebate or other type of refund, as many will be hoping for a cost-of-living boost with their tax return. They also might try to convince you that there is a problem with your myGov account, tax return information, or that your account is about to be "frozen or suspended".These hackers will usually use urgent language in their messages to make you act quickly. Their correspondence to you will also typically include a link or URL, but Aussies have been urged to avoid this at all costs. "Don't click on the internet link," Services Australia said. "If you clicked on a suspicious link or gave personal information to a scammer, head to our website to find out what to do." The government body said it can help in the following ways if you've been hacked or scammed: offer support and advice about how to protect yourself and your personal information check your customer records for any suspicious activity make corrections to your records if needed add extra security measures to prevent unauthorised access. 150 per cent jump in scams as ATO adds better protection The ATO issued a similar warning about scammers ever since Aussies were able to submit their tax returns for the 2024-25 year. The tax office had seen a 150 per cent increase in impersonation scams over the last 12 months, with 90 per cent of these being conducted via email. 'This is the time of year when people are awaiting their tax returns or expecting to hear from the ATO, and scammers know it,' ATO assistant commissioner Rob Thomson said. The ATO has strengthened the security features on its app and Aussies can now monitor their accounts in real-time through alerts if changes have been made to their records. If certain details are changed without your permission, you can instantly lock down your account to ensure nothing else is affected. 'If you receive a notification and something doesn't feel right, lock your account immediately in our app, and verify and report the interaction on the ATO website or by calling 1800 467 033 during business hours to discuss any suspicious activity," Thomson in to access your portfolio
Korea Herald
6 days ago
- Business
- Korea Herald
Forrester Announces Full Conference Agenda For CX Summit APAC 2025
The event will help CX, B2C marketing, and digital leaders align brand and customer experiences to drive retention and foster long-term loyalty. SYDNEY, July 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Forrester (Nasdaq: FORR) today announced the full conference agenda for CX Summit APAC 2025, which will take place in Sydney and digitally on August 18, 2025. Today's customers continue to demand seamless, consistent, and personalized experiences across every touchpoint. To meet these rising expectations and deliver exceptional experiences, leaders must drive meaningful engagement throughout the entire customer lifecycle. With this year's event theme, "The Total Experience: Your Brand, Their Journey," CX Summit APAC 2025 will offer the insights and actionable tools that CX, B2C marketing, and digital leaders need to build a comprehensive strategy that enhances customer experience and loyalty while boosting revenue and brand reputation. Featuring top Forrester analysts and industry leaders from Services Australia, Google, CIMB Group, and Aware Super, noteworthy keynote sessions on the agenda include: "Aligning brand and customer experience is crucial for businesses to create a seamless, cohesive experience for their customers, which in turn fosters stronger loyalty, higher customer lifetime value, and increased revenue over time," said Dane Anderson, SVP of international research and product at Forrester. "CX Summit APAC 2025 will equip attendees with the capabilities, tools, and frameworks they need to deliver unified experiences that drive customer engagement and retention." In-person attendees will also get access to special programs that provide more tailored opportunities to network and share experiences, including the Executive Leadership Exchange, an invitation-only program for senior leaders; the Forrester Women's Leadership Program, focused on empowering women in leadership roles; and an interactive, hands-on workshop on how to drive customer-obsessed decisions. In addition, CX Summit APAC will honor the recipient of Forrester's 2025 Customer-Obsessed Enterprise Award, which recognizes companies that drive business success by putting customers at the center of their leadership strategy and operations.
9 News
14-07-2025
- Politics
- 9 News
New questions to be included on next month's Census Test
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here New questions on sexual orientation and gender will be included on a Census test sent to thousands of Aussies. Australia's next Census will be held in 2026, but the Census test will take place next month for some areas. The ABS said it will include the planned questions to collect information on sexual orientation and gender from over 16s. Australia's next Census will be held in 2026, but the Census Test will take place next month for some areas. (The Age) Census bosses say they will also update the question on sex to collect 'sex recorded at birth', and update response categories. The household and family section questions will be updated "to introduce non-gendered terms to be more inclusive," it said. "The ABS will ask two questions to collect data on the new topic," the ABS said. "These questions will be included in a large-scale Census Test due to take place in August 2025. "The ABS will consider test outcomes and will make minor refinements to the question designs if required." Around 60,000 households have been chosen to take part in the test. They are in Rockhampton, Gladstone and Yeppoon in Queensland, Melbourne in Victoria, Perth, Albany and the Wheatbelt region in Western Australia and Coonamble and Gilgandra New South Wales. Census General Manager, Jenny Telford, said the test is an essential part of the ABS' preparations to ensure the 2026 Census runs smoothly. "We are testing our collection processes and IT systems to ensure our processes work well and that the form captures the right information, in the right way," Telford said. The ABS is also partnering with Services Australia to test a new option to access the Census through myGov online. "You can complete your form as soon as you receive your instructions if you know who will be home on Census Test night, Tuesday 5 August 2025," Telford said. LGBTIQ+ advocates have called on the government to include questions about sexuality in the 2026 Census. CONTACT US
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Centrelink issues ATO tax refund warning: ‘Repay it'
Australian taxpayers waiting for tax refunds to hit their bank accounts have been warned about one reason it might be lower than expected. Services Australia has reminded Aussies that it can use your tax refund to repay any debts owed to it. Services Australia, which is the body in charge of Centrelink, is legally obligated to recover money that's owed to it. That means it will sometimes use your tax refund to reduce the amount you owe. 'If you have a debt with us at tax time, we may use your tax refund to repay it,' Services Australia said. 'We may do this if you're not actively making repayments towards your debt or you don't have a repayment arrangement in place.' RELATED Centrelink alert for 240,000 Aussie families as some see popular payment stopped ATO tax return warning for 2 million Aussies over dangerous act Warning for working from home Aussies over common practice Services Australia said it could use your tax refund to repay your debt at tax time if you receive a Family Tax Benefit or Child Care Subsidy, you're a former customer and not making any repayments on your debt, or you have an overdue Child Support debt. It will avoid recovering debts with tax return refunds if your debt repayments have been paused due to a disaster or emergency event, or a pending formal review. Services Australia said it will check for overpayments or existing Centrelink debts when it balances your Family Tax Benefit and Child Care Subsidy. Services Australia starts balancing Family Tax Benefit in July and Child Care Subsidy in mid-August. It will then recover any overpayments or existing debts you owe before paying you any top ups, Family Tax Benefit supplements or lump sums. For people who owe child support, or have been overpaid child support, it will use a tax refund to pay any outstanding amounts directly. It has urged parents who would experience hardship to contact it on the Child Support enquiry line before they lodge their tax returns. Former Centrelink recipients who haven't made an arrangement to repay their debt will be sent a letter if money is taken from their tax refund. It will also appear on your Notice of Assessment from the ATO as a 'Credit Offset to Centrelink'. You can find out more about repaying money owed to Centrelink in to access your portfolio
