Maternity Leave and centrelink payments

[mummabear90]

Hi,
So I'm due on the 20th of December and have just been told I can take all my holiday pay (4 weeks) and then be entitled to 12 months of unpaid maternity leave.
My belly is becoming enormous and I'm working 40 hours a week as a manager at Maccas. It's becoming exhausting.
I went into centrelink today to find out what benefits I would be able to receive and was told after 20 minutes of waiting in line that I am best of phoning, so i used the phone service there. After 10 minutes on hold I was told online would be the best way to go. :freakingout: I think I was too stressed out to make sense of what it said.
I was wondering if anybody reading this could help me out. I was hoping to find out the earliest I could take off work, and what payments I'd be entitled to. I am partnered, but he only works as a casual at Coles.
Thanks for any help!

[foreverclucky]

from my understanding you wont get anything from centerlink until you have had the baby,
Depending on how long you wanted to have off after the baby is born you can talk your maternity leave whenever you like, but normally you finish work about 4 weeks before EDD.
Maybe try talking to your boss and start cutting down your hours,
Maybe also go to the doctor and get a letter from your doctor that they recommend that your hours be cut back?
Here are some online info from centrelink,
you might be entitled to a concession card once you have had the baby
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/forms/claim_forms_lic.htm

baby bonus ( you can fill out and send off at 28 weeks then the rest of the forms AFTER baby is born)
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/forms/claim_forms_baby_bonus.htm

Parenting payment if you are eligible
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/forms/claim_forms_pp.htm

Family tax benefit A and B
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/forms/claim_forms_ftb.htm

IF you are immunisaing your children you wil get paid for it, you will get half the payment when they are 2 and the rest when they get thier last shot at 4
http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/forms/claim_forms_mia.htm

Hope this info helps

[mariansm]

Hi mummabear, I'm Marian, I work for Centrelink. Those are some handy links from littlemonkys above, just thought I'd add some info.

There are several Centrelink payments available for families, including Parenting Payment and Family Tax Benefit. The Family Assistance website is a handy starting point; http://familyassist.gov.au/payments/ (http://familyassist.gov.au/payments/)

You should check out the online estimator here; http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/individuals/online_estimators.htm (http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/individuals/online_estimators.htm), you can enter your family's circumstances and it will give you an idea of what you might be entitled to.

The Paid Parental Leave and the Baby Bonus schemes assist with the cost of having a baby and taking time off work. The Paid Parental Leave scheme allows eligible working parents to get 18 weeks of government funded Parental Leave Pay at the rate of the National Minimum Wage (currently $589.40 before tax). The Baby Bonus is currently $5,437 per eligible child and is paid in 13 fortnightly instalments.

Parental Leave Pay and Baby Bonus can't be paid for the same child. If you meet the eligibility criteria for both payments, you can choose which payment is the best financial decision for your family. The Baby Bonus is not taxable. You can lodge a claim online 3 months before your due date, but your claim can't be finalised until after your child is born and you have formally registered the birth. There's more info about the claim process on the Centrelink website here;http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/forms/claim_forms_baby_bonus.htm#identity (http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/forms/claim_forms_baby_bonus.htm%5Clidentity)

If you're medically unable to work in the months leading up to your due date, you might want to see if there is a suitable payment from Centrelink to cover you until the baby is born. There's more info about relevant payments and their qualifications here; http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/individuals/iid_index.htm (http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/individuals/iid_index.htm)

All the best.

[kw123]

If your doctor says you can't perform your current role but could do modified duties and/or reduced hours I'm pretty sure Maccas would have to agree. They can't make you work if a doctor says you arent able to....

[mummabear90]

Thank you all for your help.
From what I've gathered from the links above I won't be able to receive any payments until the baby is born, but I can't quite comprehend the estimators. I don't think I'm using them right. I do think I'm better off with the parental leave rather than the baby bonus though, but do you still receive the parenting payments from centrelink when you receive this, like you would with the baby bonus?
Hopefully I can find a quiet time to go to centrelink and actually be able to speak to someone and have them help and explain it all.
I have managed to get my hours cut back to 32 a week which doesn't start for a few more weeks yet but I'm pretty excited. That extra day off is going to be spent sleeping! :cheerleader1:
But thanks again for your replies, it's all been really helpful and relieved the stress a little bit.

[mariansm]

You can indeed receive Parenting Payment (if you're eligible) while being paid Paid Parental Leave. This is also the case with Family Tax Benefit Part A, but not Part B.

This Q&A page on the Centrelink website answers a whole lot of questions http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/individuals/ppl_working_parents_qa.htm#receive (http://www.centrelink.gov.au/internet/internet.nsf/individuals/ppl_working_parents_qa.htm#receive).

You should give the Family Assistance Office a ring though if you're having trouble navigating the online estimator. They'll talk you through it over the phone. :)