What you must tell Centrelink

You must tell Centrelink the following within 14 days (28 days if residing outside Australia)

Income

When you have income, when it starts, stops, recommences, or varies. Examples of income sources that needs to be reported are employment, business, pensions, annuities, rent, lump sun payments, regular gifts or allowances, fringe benefits and salary sacrifice.

Financial Investments

Financial Investments attract deemed income. You are required to advise Centrelink if there is a change of $2,000 or more to the value of your financial investments. This includes shares, managed investments, bank accounts, and loans.

Other Assets

If the value of your assessable assets change by $1,000 or more. Changes include buying, receiving, selling or giving away assets. Assets include investments, real estate, personal property, any interest in any property, trust or company, home equity conversion loans, money/loans owed and any other right interest in any other asset.

Gifted Assets

When you give away any assets (including cash or investment) or sell any assets for less than market value.

Address Changes

if you change your residential or postal address.

Rent Assistance

If you get rent assistance, you must tell Centrelink if you stop paying rent or the amount of rent changes, you start or stop sharing your accommodation.

Household Circumstances

If you marry, are in or commence a registered or de facto relationship (either opposite or same sex), reconcile with a former partner or start living with someone as their partner, separate from your partner or your partner passes away.

Catch all

You must advise Centrelink if you are sent to prison or charged with an offence and are in custody on remand.

You must advise Centrelink if you are admitted to an institution.

You must advise Centrelink if you sell, rent out or dispose of the home you live in, move into or out of a nursing home, hostel or retirement village, leave you home forever or for more than 12 months or your Australian residency status changes.

You must advise Centrelink if you close, change or can no longer use the account your payments are sent to.

You must advise Centrelink if you travel outside of Australia for more than 6 weeks.

Compensation

You must tell Centrelink within seven days if you will receive, have received or are likely to receive compensation.

There is more, of course, but this covers most things.