What is Centrelink?

Centrelink is the brand under which Services Australia delivers federal income-support payments and welfare services to Australians. It administers payments to more than five million people each fortnight, including the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, JobSeeker Payment, Parenting Payment, Family Tax Benefit, Austudy, Youth Allowance, and many specialised supplements.

The agency was established as a separate body called Centrelink in 1997 by the Howard Coalition government, merging the social security functions of the former Department of Social Security with the employment services functions of the Commonwealth Employment Service. In 2011 it was integrated into the broader Department of Human Services, and in 2019 the government created Services Australia as a stand-alone agency that runs Centrelink, Medicare, and Child Support together.

To receive a Centrelink payment, a person must meet eligibility rules specific to that payment. The rules usually include a residency requirement, an income and assets test, age limits or activity requirements, and for some payments the completion of mutual obligations such as job search activities. Most Centrelink interactions now happen through the myGov online portal and the Centrelink mobile app, with face-to-face service available at hundreds of Services Australia branches and through partner services like the Indigenous Service Centres.

The Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) is the unique identifier issued to each customer. Reporting income, lodging claims, providing documents, and communicating with Centrelink all use the CRN. New permanent residents and citizens generally need to wait one or two years before they can access most Centrelink payments (the Newly Arrived Resident's Waiting Period), although exceptions apply for humanitarian visa holders, family violence circumstances, and the Family Tax Benefit. Recent Robodebt-related reforms following the 2023 Royal Commission have changed how Centrelink calculates income-related debts and how it communicates with customers.