Yahoo Finance Centrelink warning: Only 3 DAYS to update details
Those part of the Income Compliance class action who are eligible for a settlement payment - in the wake of the infamous Centrelink ‘robodebt scheme’ - need to register their bank account details by Friday, 11 February 2022.
Services Australia has said while most people have registered, those who don’t provide the necessary details may miss out on their payment altogether.
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“If we don’t have your payment details, you’ll miss out on a settlement payment,” Services Australia said.
“If you get a Centrelink payment, or got a refund, your settlement payment will be paid to the same account. You have until 14 March, 2022 to change where your payment goes, if you want to.”
You only need to register if you:
Don’t get a Centrelink payment
Didn’t give Services Australia your bank account details for a refund of your Income Compliance debts
Those who were eligible for the class action should have received a letter from Services Australia by November last year.
The letter should have explained whether your debts were eligible for a settlement payment based on the category.
Services Australia said it would start calculating what payments were due to each individual during the first half of 2022.
Aussies should expect to get another letter explaining how much money they would receive, but were warned some may be let down.
“Most people will not get large amounts of money as part of the settlement,” Services Australia said.
“If you think your debts are in the wrong category, ask us for a review. You can also ask for a review if we haven’t included a debt you think should be eligible.”
About 380,000 people are estimated to be affected by the ‘robodebt’ scandal, which saw the Government unlawfully raise $1.73 billion in debts based on a flawed income-averaging metric.
The scheme, dubbed punitive, illegal and poorly designed, ended in 2019.
Gordon Legal brought a class action against Services Australia in 2019.
Under the $1.2 billion settlement, victims will have $400 million in unlawful debts wiped, while another $720 million will be repaid.
Additionally, the Government will pay out $112 million in compensation.
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