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
What a complete & utter waste of mine and centrelink workers time. I answered YES to the initial question asking to confirm if the amount stated by the ATO was correct, and incurred an alleged debt.
Huge, I never even received notice from Centrelink just a letter from a collection agency now I can't even be approved for a credit card so obviously this has affected my credit score which will in turn affect my ability to one day buy a house.
Late last year I received a postal letter saying that I needed to confirm my employment income. I disregarded this because I hadn't claimed a dollar from Centrelink in over 3 years.
Just wanted to let you all know that I appealed my debt and I won.
I am elated.
Mind you, it took 2.5 months of stress and 25 hours of my time digging up time sheets, creating Excel spreadsheets, combing through financial records from more than two years ago.
My debt came in very early in the latest batch that's been in the media. Around October last year I had a notice that I'd been overpaid around $1200. Unlike many who'd been on a disability support pension and found work, I had treatment for my disorder that enabled me to find a very good job, and I had the funds to pay it.
Highly stressed and a constant worry that I am seen as a welfare cheat. Threat of debt collectors and passport cancel in the letter causes me to breathe difficult. I did everything asked of me and hope they can sort this out.
Totally anxious, stressed, I don't have a job but a huge mortgage and too many bills. I am in a bad position and did not need this debt at all.
My husband is on DSP and cannot deal with Centrelink bureaucracy, I teach full time so cannot sit on hold for hrs. It's stressful bc we had info from Centrelink re this and now they just say it was wrong.
Huge Stress
I have been all over the place with this debt. Scared, anxious, stressed, angry, relieved.
It has been a process.
The online review took it $794 (after the person at Centrelink took off the $154 debt recovery fee for me).
I was livid, they sent me a letter without any information whether debt was accured, as it covered two financial years.
It's affected me more than I thought. As someone who is already prone to anxiety and depression, it's always on my mind. I can't focus on university at all or really much at all.
Got five (5) letters from Centrelink in my MyGov Inbox: Nov 2016, Dec 2016, Jan 2017, Feb 2017.
Although I registered to be apprised of such correspondence by SMS, I received no such notifications for letters one (1) to four (4), and the SMS apprising me of the arrival of letter five (5) arrived FOUR (4) DAYS afterwards.
This is a debt that has already been raised and finalised 5 yrs ago the stress is not what we need at the moment as we have just started up our new buisness
Also no effort to try and contact us
Anxiety, Financial Stress, lowering current income due to paying back.
Although my amount is small, the principal is the same.
Firstly, I have been on workcover suffering major depressive disorder and PTSD since Feb 2015. Due to this i went bankrupt in Sept 2016.
I received two letters one newstart from 2008/09 and one parenting pmnt 2008/09. Adding up to $7000. It almost tipped me over the Edge.
The "over payment" period they are using are actually for the most part when I was studying overseas on an exchange in the USA. I wasn't working over there either, I wasn't allowed to on the visa anyway. Prior to leaving I was working full time and would have left Australia in mid-August 2011.
In November 2011 I was forced to leave my job due to illegal discrimination, workplace bullying and a rape threat.
I took legal action against the employer and won.
I received a letter asking me to confirm my income from 3-5 years ago, when I worked part time while studying at University. At the time I had difficulty obtaining my payslips from my employer (due to a programming issue in the software). I had spoken with Centrelink about it and provided evidence from my employer.
The tactics used by centrelink, at the time, caused me to feel very stressed and agitated. I have some minor mental health diagnoses in my history, including depression & schizophrenia, but havent been seriously affected for years.
I'm airing this story on behalf of my daughter. She is continually cut off her allowance for not responding to a letter. This is wrong as I am also a contact for her and her letters come to my Mygov account and there are no such letters!!!
This started with family payment.
Went to visit centrelink in person and was told I had to phone a number which I tried numerous times and couldnt get through.
Next was my austudy payments which was evidently affected, followed by school kids bonus, and finally my child support.
I switched from Newstart to Austudy and also received income protection. Apparently that effected Newstart, but not Austudy. I told them about the extra payments on at least 10 occasions and sent them proof of it on at least 4 occasions. The first letter stated I owed nearly 12k. I asked for a review and it went down to 9k.
Received the debt notice of approx $4900 right before Christmas after having moved out of home for the first time.
The stress and time taken to dispute this has been an unnecessary weight on my shoulders