How could this be correct?

Debt amount:

$20104

Date debt issued:

Sunday, 7 October 2018

Period debt occurred:

October 2013 to October 2019

Payment Type:

Newstart Allowance

Appealing Debt?:

Yes in process

Tell us about your debt and how has this affected you? e.g. anxiety levels, financial and accommodation stress:

I got one debt & so far Centrelink has taken $8,257 in repayments towards the debt with an outstanding amount of $9,183 but then they hit me with another debt of $2,662.

They said both debts are because I didn’t declare my income correctly but I don’t know why this wasn’t picked up when I did my tax returns.

It’s affected me on so many levels,
Financially as I’m a single parent working a casual job just trying to get ahead.

It’s also affected me mentally & physically as I left a DV relationship & I suffer from depression & anxiety, the stress of having to pay such a huge debt is extremely overwhelming & I don’t know how I’m expected to pay it back.

How do you feel about the way the Government has handled this process?:

I think that the lack empathy & that there’s no transparency in the way they calculate how a person owes money.