Yahoo Finance Centrelink recipients given Crisis Payment extension
The Crisis Payment for National Health Emergency has been extended until September so those on Centrelink and ABSTUDY affected by COVID will still be able to access support.
The one-off payment is equal to a week’s pay at the maximum basic rate of your income support payment or ABSTUDY living allowance.
If you are eligible for an income support payment, ABSTUDY Living Allowance or are in severe financial hardship, you can access the crisis payment.
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You can receive a maximum of two crisis payments in a six-month period. However, you can only receive one payment per quarantine or self-isolation.
Those who are caring for someone with COVID can also claim the payment, but not if someone else has already received it to care for the same person.
Am I eligible?
To receive the payment you must be:
Eligible for Centrelink income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance
In severe financial hardship
In Australia when you claim
You must also either be:
Required to be in quarantine or self-isolation in Australia
Caring for someone required to be in quarantine or self-isolation in Australia
You must also contact Services Australia within 14 days of entering quarantine or self-isolation or caring for someone who is.
You can’t receive the crisis payment for lockdowns.
To get it, you must have started quarantine or self-isolation between July 1 and September 30 2022.
How to claim the crisis payment
To claim the crisis payment you will be required to provide evidence, including at least one of the following:
Text message or document confirming a PCR COVID-19 test
Text message or document showing the results of a PCR COVID-19 test
Text message or document showing you reported a positive RAT result as required in your state or territory
The PCR evidence must include the date and who did the test or issued the results. For example, the name of the medical or pathology centre.
If you’ve reported a positive RAT result, the RAT evidence must include the date of the positive result if provided by the state or territory authority.
You can claim the payment through your myGov account.
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