Centrelink

As financial planners, we assist clients through many stages of life.  Unfortunately, one of these stages is helping clients determine how best to invest an inheritance following the passing of a loved one.  A discussion often had is how the inheritance may impact their existing Age Pension entitlement.   Receiving an inheritance may or may…

If you receive a payment from Centrelink, it is very important to keep Centrelink aware of your Income & Assets and update them within 14 days of any changes to your circumstances. Doing so ensures you get everything you’re entitled to.   We know that keeping Centrelink up to date can be rather confusing.  Accordingly, we…

Changes to the asset test thresholds and associated taper rate took effect on 1 January 2017. All Australians who receive an Age Pension and whose payment will change as a result have been notified by Centrelink of their new payment rate. If you receive a payment, now might be a good time to check what…

When it comes to applying for a Centrelink entitlement, most people are quickly overwhelmed with the length of the application process.  Various forms take time and effort, and the stress can often make it easy to forget that Centrelink requires additional details including some to confirm your identity.  It is only after they confirm your…

Earlier today, 25th May, 2016, Muirfield held a public seminar to educate Age Pensioners what the implications will be when Centrelink change the asset thresholds from January 2017. If you would like to review the presentation we have attached a copy here, otherwise, if you have further questions please do not hesitate to contact our office…

Beginning January 2017 a reduction to the current asset threshold for the Age Pension will be implemented.  For many, this will result in the loss of, or reduction to, Centrelink entitlements.  To help you understand the impact on your situation, we have broken down the changes below.   What are the changes? Centrelink determines your Age…

The complexity of Centrelink rules can be overwhelming.  As experts in this field, we regularly receive questions and ‘what if’ scenarios to assist clients to make sense of it all.  For your benefit, we have put together a list of the most frequently asked questions. What’s the maximum amount of Pension I can receive?   Single…

Upon turning Age Pension age, clients who have been in receipt of the Disability Support Pension (DSP) will be asked whether they would like to stay on DSP or transfer to the regular Age Pension. So what is the difference? Should you retain the DSP or move to Age Pension? We’ve broken down the differences and similarities between them to give you a hand deciding what’s best for you.