What are the Centrelink payments? Is Centrelink giving a one-off payment?

The Centrelink Master Program, or more commonly known as Centrelink, is a Services Australia master program of the Australian Government.

The Centrelink payments deliver a range of government payments and services for retirees, the unemployed, families, carers, parents, people with disabilities, Indigenous Australians, students, apprentices and people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and provides services at times of major change.

Centrelink initially started as a government agency of the Department of Social Security under the trading name of the Commonwealth Services Delivery Agency in early 1997.

Following the passage of the Commonwealth Services Delivery Agency Act 1997, the Centrelink brand name came into effect in late 1997 and offices were established nationally to manage services to people in need of social security payments.

On 1 July 2011, Centrelink, together with Medicare Australia, was integrated into the Department of Human Services as a result of the Human Services Act, 2011 (Cth), with the department retaining the brand name as part of its set of master programs.

Is Centrelink giving a one-off payment?

There’s a $250 one-off payment for eligible customers by Centrelink to help mitigate the cost of living.

The Cost of Living Payment is a one-off payment.

It’s not taxable and you don’t need to report it as income for income support purposes and to access it,  you must be a Centrelink or Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) customer.