NotMyDebt Stories
We are collecting stories on the site because we think it's important to have a way to people to add their voice to this issue by sharing their story. It's puts a human voice to the issues with using technology and automating systems and providing a blanket solution without providing staff and people that can right wrongs and help people when there is an error.
Please share your story with us if you have a Centrelink debt story that you believe has been issued in error or due to a fault in the system.
As frustrating as it is, persist with the appeals process, and know others are behind you.
Stories are 100% anonymous
This debt has been a nightmare for me, due to the debt being from 2012 it was very hard for me to get and provide the required information by the extended due date so Centrelink started forcefully collecting the debt from my fortnightly payment at $60 each payment, this has made it extremely hard to live and has now got me in debt with other com
This debt has far reaching effects, I suffer from severe depression bordering on suicide, I am living with my parents as I can't afford to live anywhere else, I am also concerned that my taxation refund will be taken to part pay the debt.
EVERYONE should appeal! The centrelink office even gave me the form, it's also online.
It's left me not being able to pay for food or a full fortnight's rent.
I'm always scrapping by and still trying to pay it.
Would have been easier to have nothing from them at all.
I had to research all the facts and read the appropriately named SSAct, you should too, no case is the same.
Initial review officer (i requested after calling centrelink debt recovery) called once and left no message so concluded that i owed over 9k for moving from a share house to a home with a parent and not telling them.
This is ridiculous!!!! I received a letter from Centrelink via registered post which told me to confirm my employment income.
I went through the entire process to gather all my payslips and enter in all the payments online. After I submitted all the information, Centrelink told me it turns out they overpaid me $8200+ !!!!!!
After failing to do my tax for a few years (my fault). I have now been issued with a demand letter from centrelink for $3,500 of the $4,400 I received on Ausstudy while retraining as a teacher.
I am on a lower income and I've done my best to get back into the work force.
I understand that my partner is on a higher income but I don't understand that we are in debt as we never received any FTB for the past 24 months. ?
In brief this has worried me greatly. It has caused great stress.
I dont have the kind of money they're saying I owe them lying around. I'm a very low income earner.
First correspondence about any potential debt was from a collection agency, obviously I was concerned and confused so I logged into my mygov account and there I also found an owing balance but no further details of how this debt was obtained or over what period.
I worked for a company for a few weeks doing vacation work while I was at uni. Some of this time occured in July of the 12-13 financial year. I ended up getting a graduate job at the same company in December. I cancelled my Youth Allowance in the month prior to starting work.
I know there are few weeks where I miss-reported or did not report, but these were due to Centrelink's confusing interface and the change over to the MyGov website. I was also told many times by Centrelink that I did not have to report my income during certain periods.
A few years back I decided I was sufficiently stable to not have to rely on Centrelink anymore.
I (husband) am a commission paid salesman. Because my commissions and, ultimately, my end-of-year total earnings is unknown to me at the beginning of any given financial year, I was advised by the Centrelink staff to give my base wage. Since that is very low in comparison to my actual earnings, I estimated my earnings.
The debt was from June 2011 to October 2012… ridiculous.
My daughter requested for more information about the debt, she call numerous times and done nothing and start draw $95.20 out of my support pension.
Must be a huge mistake, extremely stressful for my family.
We have been just scraping through by the month with the payments this debt will be paid by drawing back on a loan - single income two kids. They both just had their birthdays and we are leading into Christmas. Wish us luck.
I suffer from schizophrenia and was hospitalised in 2014 when this debt overpayment began.
My partner is my only carer and was a temporary resident ineligible for any income payments from centrelink, None.
Major financial stress
I gave Centrelink my income information three times.
Two years later they came back to me and say I owe them $77,000.
They have no record of the info I gave them.
They are calling me a liar to my face and have said I should be happy I am not being prosecuted for fraud.
Issued a few weeks before xmas, with no warning and a demand for $6000 to be repaid before Xmas, I was rendered incapacitated by re-traumatisation and a serious relapse in my health conditions.
I recieved a debt of $1800 and i got the adex sent to me.
Are they creating debts now? I suddenly got an extra $150 in my fortnightly payment along with a letter stating I received it. The letter had no details explaining why. Ive had no changes in circumstances for 2 years. I went to centrelink to find out it was a "glitch in the system".
I too have been victimized by the automated debt recovery scheme, eventually pinned down by the Probe group.
Centrelink initially claimed an illegitimate debt of more than $17,000.
I am a support person for a person who is on the disability support pension. This person has extreme anxiety associated with being on the spectrum, dyslexic and intellectual disability. Now having to deal with a complex situation such as receiving an employment confirmation letter. That is totally incorrect.
I am anti-depressants, & my anxiety levels are skyrocketing because Centrelink aren't listening to me.
I think this is one of those things where you know it's wrong but you end up having to pay anyway because they have you over a barrel.