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Centrelink warning: Don’t lodge your tax return yet

A person filing out a tax return and people standing outside a Centrelink office.
Centrelink recipients should hold off filing their tax return until mid-July. (Source: Getty)

Services Australia has warned Centrelink recipients to hold off on filing their tax returns until mid-July.

Services Australia said it was better to wait for all your information to pre-fill in myTax before lodging your tax return.

“If you wait, your Centrelink payment summary details will pre-fill in ATO myTax,” Services Australia said.

“Waiting for pre-fill helps you get your tax return right.”

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If you don’t wait, and your 2021/22 Centrelink payment summary details change, you may need to amend your tax return.

You can check the pre-fill of your Centrelink payment summary details and other pre-fill information you might need for your tax return on the ATO website.

Services Australia said it would send you a letter if there was a change.

The change will also update in ATO myTax from mid-July. If your change doesn’t update, it’s wrong, or you need help to amend it, contact the ATO.

Disaster payments are taxable income

Services Australia also reminded welfare recipients to let the ATO know if you had received a Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment (PLDP).

These payments count as taxable income and won’t show up on payment summaries.

These payments will need to be reported to the ATO separately as part of your income tax return.

You will be able to work out how much PLDP you received by checking the letter via the Centrelink portal accessed via myGov, or the hard copy letter received in the post.

Services Australia has also advised that if you received Family Tax Benefit or Child Care Subsidy, you must include PLDP in your family income estimate as taxable income.

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