Centrelink/DVA Advice in Perth

Access to Centrelink is a polarising topic for our clients. Some people, in particular when it comes to Age Pension entitlements, want to maximise their benefits to effectively recover some of the tax they have paid over their working lives or compensated for time spent in military service. Other people would prefer not to have to deal with Centrelink and their ongoing reporting obligations and are happy to make do without having this experience.

Either way we are here to assist.

According to ASIC’s Moneysmart website, around 65% of older Australians rely on a government pension or allowance and for most people this is the first time they have had to deal with Centrelink. It often provides some much needed support, especially in retirement, helping savings stretch further and importantly helping you to continue to meet your lifestyle costs.

Our role is varied, firstly we help people understand what support may be available and keep these benefits in mind when structuring affairs and providing advice. This may range from Carers allowance to help care for sick partners or family members, to concession cards such as the Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card to help reduce the costs of living, right through to a pension or allowance.

We are also there to help you through the application process for benefits. For our Age Pension clients, we can also become correspondence nominees to help manage the regular updates Centrelink require. This helps our client avoid the chaos that is often associated with Centrelink offices and lengthy phone delays or payments that are cut off due to outstanding requirements.

Discussions like the impact of changes to work situations, or a new car purchase are not complete without looking at the impacts on these benefit entitlements so you can then make informed decisions. Small changes, such as the ownership of assets between partners may have an impact on these entitlements and help provide you with additional support you may not have qualified for previously.

This is also an area of advice that is consistently changing, from eligibility to payment rates and thresholds, so it is good to have someone on your side helping you keep up to date with how it may impact you.