centrelink question

[mz sv6]

Me and DS dad broke up while i was pregnant so centrelink has me down as a single mum but about 7 weeks ago DS dad and i decided to get back together and try give things another go. we dont live together as i live at home with my parents but he does come and see me and DS everyday after work and sometimes he might stay over maybe 1 or 2 nights a week.
so my question is do i have to tell centrelink that we are back together but we are not living together ? and will this affect my centrelink payments and child support payments ?

[Niki]

if he isnt living with you then no you dont have to tell them

[TwoBoysOnly]

I'll second that...you don't have to tell them until you are living together....

[Lirael]

well, im going from what they told me, if your always together, if he sleeps over regularly and if the general public see you as a couple then you are a couple regardless of where you both live. to them being partnered DOES NOT just mean living together. you can live seperate but still be together and classified as partnered to them, to me its stupid but well, think about it, if your boyfriend and girlfriend or whatever you can still have that relationship and not live together KWIM so youre technically "partnered' to them. does that make sense or did i confuse everyone?? thats just what they told me when DP and i were partnered but not living together.

[cupcakemafia]

I work for the family assistance office.
Going on the information you have provided, yes you will have to tell Centrelink.
Tell them exactly what you have said here in the forum.
Centrelink will then assess whether or not you will be classed as a couple.
You NEED to tell Centrelink this, because as Cel says in the above post, not living together doesn't always mean you are not classed as a couple.
Whatever you think of that rule is not important, what's important is that if Centrelink finds out about your partnership with DS' dad, and you HAVEN'T told them about it, you could be seriously penalised in the future.
Better to be safe then sorry.
Call the Family Assistance Office on 136 150.
You can PM me if you have any questions, but please remember that because of privacy etc I am only able to give general information, I'm not a decision maker for your situation. :)

[mz sv6]

EmmaBee i might give centrelink a call 2morrow and find out wat they say also if centrelink does class me n DS dad as a couple does that mean that he doesnt have to give me child support payments ???

[whatwasithinking]

if centrelink does class me n DS dad as a couple does that mean that he doesnt have to give me child support payments ???

That's right he wouldn't have to give you child support.

[1+1=5]

does he support you financially? if he doesn't then i wouldn't say anythign till you moved in together. but thats just me :devil6:.

[Amberlea]

I actually agree with Owens Mum...

Im not saying that its the right way to do things - but if Im not Living with my partner - Im not going to say Im in a de-facto relationship.. especially if I dont get any financial help from my 'partner'.
Ive been in that situation before as I never lived with my sons father - although we were in a 'relationship' for 4 years.
He didnt pay my bills, or rent, or food, or any other expenses I had.. and he also didnt pay maintenance (obviously)
I told centrelink the situation and because he didnt financially contribute to my living.. it wasnt an issue.

They said it only became an issue if he was spending more than two nights a week at my house (or vice versa).. and was supporting me financially.

[cupcakemafia]

Be very careful about not saying anything at all, like owens_mum suggested... it could come back and bite u in the a***. You could end up paying Centrelink back a lot of money...

[mz sv6]

does he support you financially? if he doesn't then i wouldn't say anythign till you moved in together. but thats just me :devil6:.

No he doesnt financially support me or DS ( he doesnt always pay child support )

[ThomasMum]

Jaiden'smum, I think it's best if you listen to EmmaBee, she works at Centrelink she knows what she's talking about...

Do the right thing :kiss:

[lippintyna]

exactly. or in cases like your partner working away a lot. you may not be living together but you are together & being financially supported.
if he's not helping i'd leave it be.
you could always just query it. have you tried the centrelink website??

I too work for Centrelink in the Family Assistance Section and "Emmabee" is right. Your circumstances need to be fully assessed.

There are cases where people are living together and don't "support" each other financially and are classified as a couple. They may not be sleeping in the same room, share money etc but they can still be classified as being in a relationship.

Best to get it sorted out.....I have seen too many massive overpayments and people being prosecuted because of this sort of thing.

[cupcakemafia]

I mean, its up to you whether you want to declare this to Centrelink or not... just don't complain when we send you a bill for overpayment in the mail if you are classed as a couple and you didn't declare. :)

There are many factors that come into play when assessing whether you are a "couple" in Centrelink's eyes, not just supporting each other financially. It can be as simple as "Do your friends/family/community view you as a couple?". It's a very grey area.

I'd say you ARE a couple.. but you'll need to confirm with Centrelink and get a formal decision.