How much can you earn before Centrelink cut back your payments?

**pinkandblue** · 19-09-2009 08:26

Hi

I've been thinking of getting a part time job, maybe 1-2 days a week while the kids are at school and daycare. How much can you earn before Centrelink starts cutting back your payment?

Do they just cut back your single parent pension or FTB A and B aswell?

What about CCB? Or will I still get the 100%?

And rent assistance? Does that go down or stay the same?

Just trying to figure out if its worth getting a job? Or with Centrelink cutting back my payments I'd still be on the same amount?

Thanks

**OhGeeMuma** · 19-09-2009 10:00

Try using the Centrelink rate etimator to work out a combination of employment income and Centrelink specific to your circumstances. HTH

https://secure.centrelink.gov.au/Rat...mbinedStart.do

**MummaBear03** · 19-09-2009 10:07

I just reported my gross eanings of a little over $800 for the fn and on tuesday i'll get a payment of around $300 from c'link. I think it's around the $100 mark before they cut down the payments, but it's 40c/$ they reduce it by. Definately better off working. They don't cut it down dollar for dollar.

**SweetSerenity** · 19-09-2009 10:15

From when I was a single parent, I was ALWAYS better off working then not

**MummaBear03** · 19-09-2009 10:21

It's only PPS that's affected by working, FTB is cut back with child support.

I guess the thing I had to weigh up was daycare fees. Ideally, it would have been in DD's best interest for me to be working 4 hours a day over 5 days, but to earn $800/fn, have PPS cut back, and pay $304 in childcare fees it wasn't worth it for me to do that. It was better to work 23 hours/week over 3 days, work longer hours and only pay for childcare for those 3 days. It left me in roughly the same position financially, without the added expense of childcare since only 4 of the days were subsidised and I was paying $23/day for those days as opposed to the $60/day for the other day each week.

**HarvestMoon** · 19-09-2009 10:34

You can earn $140 per fn and still receive the full pension.
If you earn over $1581.50 per fn you will lose all your pension.
I wouldn't be worried about trying to earn under the $140 to still keep your full pension. You are still better off earning a few hundred a week, still recieving a part pension, full ftb and ccb.
So long as you are on an income support payment.. even if it was only $5 a fn you would still get maximum ftb and ccb.
Remember you will get 50% of your childcare fees back as well.
If you have been out of work for some time you will have working credits. you can have up to 1000 of those which basically means for the first $1000 of income you earn your pension will remain untouched and you will recieve the full amount.

**MummaBear03** · 19-09-2009 10:39

Originally Posted by HarvestMoon

Remember you will get 50% of your childcare fees back as well.

Ah yeah forgot about that, it was brought in after my child finished up at childcare

**crazymuma** · 20-09-2009 19:06

You are usually better off working part time.

My last job though I was earning just over $20 a hour - time and a half saturdays and double time sundays - it was weird how the money worked out.

In the end if I did 3 days with the money I got from centerlink and work (and less daycare) - it was no different to me working 6 days and getting money from work only (oh and a tiny bit from centerlink) - so as you can imagine most weeks were only 3 days with the occasional 6 day week when they really needed me

2 days a week though - no matter what you are doing will definetly get you ahead.

**Amara** · 20-09-2009 20:50

I work 3 days a week & still get full FTB A & B & a part parenting payment. I get 100% for child care & as long as you are still getting any amount of parenting payment you get to keep the pension card. It's working really well for me.