Responding to a Centrelink Debt (Overpayment): From Reporting Changes to Review, Repayment and ART Appeal
The steps to take when you receive a Centrelink debt notice for an overpayment: reporting changes, asking for an explanation, an ARO formal review, repayment discussions and an appeal to the ART, set out according to official guidance.
Overview: How an Overpayment Becomes a Debt, and Your Rights
Centrelink (Services Australia) works out your payment based on the information reported to it and other sources. If you are paid more than you are entitled to, that is an overpayment, and if you have to pay that amount back, it is a debt. Most overpayments arise from changes in income, assets or family circumstances. A notice can come as a shock, but a debt decision can be challenged by asking for an explanation, a formal review or an ART appeal, and if repaying is hard you can ask to discuss repayment. You can also ask for repayments to be paused while a review is under way. This guide is based on official guidance (checked November 2026) and covers everything from your reporting duties to responding step by step.
Response Flow at a Glance and Scope
First, report changes in your income and family circumstances on time, and learn how overpayments arise. When you receive a debt notice, check it and, if needed, ask for an explanation. If you disagree, use a formal review by an independent Authorised Review Officer (ARO), and if repaying is hard, use repayment discussions. If you still disagree with the ARO's decision, apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART). For eligibility, see the Centrelink guide. Child Support debts are a separate scheme and are not covered here, and this guide does not assess whether an individual debt is correct or whether it will be waived.
Key Rules: Reporting Changes and Overpayment Routes
If you receive a payment, you must tell Centrelink when your own or your partner's income, assets, address or family circumstances change. The deadline is worded differently for each payment. It is generally given as within 14 days, but for JobSeeker Payment it is when you report your income or within 14 days, whichever is sooner; for Parenting Payment it is within 14 days of the change or before your next payment; and the Family Tax Benefit guidance says 'as soon as possible'. Check the guidance on reporting changes for your own payment (checked November 2026; it may change).
How Overpayments Arise and Come to Light
An overpayment can arise when you did not report a change, or reported it late, or when you reported your income incorrectly. It can also come to light through change reports, routine checks and data-matching, which compares your reported income with data from sources such as the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). Income also affects your partner's payment, so if past income changes, your partner's past payments may change too, and for FTB and CCS an overpayment can be identified at year-end balancing (see the family payments and childcare guides).
- What to report — your and your partner's income, assets and accounts, address and rent, relationship changes, and leaving Australia (items differ by payment)
- Report employment income before tax (gross) — check the amount on your payslip
- How to report — myGov, the Express Plus Centrelink app or phone self-service; if that does not work, call the phone line for your payment
Services Australia advises that deliberately not reporting a change can lead to a prosecution for fraud. The guidance for some payments says 'it is never too late to report', so tell them about any change you missed straight away. If you still have a debt after your payment ends, you must report a change of address within 14 days.
Checking Your Rights and Deadlines
When a debt arises, Services Australia sends a letter (by post or to your myGov Inbox) with the amount, the reason and the payment due date. The due date is usually 28 days from the date the letter is sent, and you can also check it in Money you owe in myGov. Review deadlines and repayment methods differ by payment, so check these three points first.
- Review deadline — for most payments a debt decision can be reviewed at any time; for the decision that caused the debt, and for some payments, check the notice for the deadline
- Repayment method — if you receive a payment, it is deducted from it (the amount can be adjusted); if not, a lump sum or an instalment arrangement
- Waivers — automatic waiver of debts under $250, the special circumstances waiver (see the note below), waiver of the part caused solely by an agency error (conditions apply, such as receiving the payment in good faith), and others
The automatic waiver for debts under $250 applies from debt decisions made on or after 20 March 2026, and debts decided before then are not waived under this rule. A special circumstances waiver is assessed separately, and the outcome cannot be predicted (checked November 2026).
4 Options After a Notice
These are the four options available after you receive a notice. Asking for an explanation is not a prerequisite for a formal review, and the ART reviews decisions that have already been through a review by an ARO or a Subject Matter Expert (SME).
You can ask for one at any time, free of charge. An independent, experienced officer phones you to explain the reasons for the decision and corrects any errors. The aim is to contact you within 14 days, and you can ask for repayments to be paused while you wait.
Apply if you disagree; it is free. An independent ARO examines the facts, law and policy and changes the decision if it is wrong. The target is 49 days, but it may take longer depending on how many cases are waiting, and you can ask for repayments to be paused during the review.
If you receive a payment, the debt is deducted from it and you can ask for the deduction to be adjusted; if not, you discuss a lump sum or instalments. If you make your first payment by the due date and keep to your arrangement, no interest is charged. In a disaster or financial hardship, call 1800 076 072 about changes or a pause.
An independent tribunal you apply to if you disagree with an ARO decision. It was renamed in 2024; it was previously the AAT (Administrative Appeals Tribunal). It reviews whether there is a debt, its amount, and whether all or part must be repaid (including special circumstances). There is no application fee for the first review, and you can request a free interpreter.
5 Tips for Responding to a Debt Notice
Services Australia advises you to get in touch before the payment due date. Check these five points in order.
- Get in touch before the payment due date. If you cannot meet the deadline, you can ask about an extension or an arrangement.
- Gather your evidence — payslips, income statements from your employer, tax returns and notices of assessment, bank records, and the dates and reference numbers of your contacts
- Compare it with your situation — compare your actual income and family circumstances for the period the debt covers with the notice. If you reported a change but it was not recorded, your contact records can help.
- If it seems suspicious, hang up and use an official number — call back on the debt repayment line, and if English is difficult, use the multilingual line on 131 202.
- Tell them about difficult circumstances — they may be taken into account in your repayment options and the waiver assessment, and you can also speak to a social worker (see the mental health support guide).
Common Misunderstandings and Mistakes
Misunderstandings that make people give up or delay after a debt notice. Check before assuming anything about deadlines or rights.
- Misunderstanding: 'The review deadline has passed, so it is over' — for most payments you can request a formal review of a debt decision at any time, and for CCS and FTB decisions a request after the deadline is sometimes accepted if there are special reasons.
- Misunderstanding: 'I have to get an explanation before I can ask for a review' — if you understand the decision but disagree with it, you can go straight to a formal review without an explanation.
- Misunderstanding: 'I have to keep paying during a review' — you can ask for repayments to be paused during an explanation or formal review, usually for 6 months (extended if it takes longer), and until the end of an ART review.
- The mistake of ignoring the notice — if by the deadline you have made no repayment, arrangement, pause request or extension enquiry, and you receive no payment, interest, recovery from your tax refund (see the Tax/Tax Return Guide), a departure prohibition order and more can follow.
- Misunderstanding: 'The Ombudsman will change the decision for me' — the Ombudsman can investigate complaints but does not direct that a decision be changed or give legal advice. To get a decision changed, request a review (see the free dispute help guide).
Useful Official Links
- Services Australia — Change your circumstances with Centrelink(opens in a new window)
Official guidance on what changes to report for each payment and how to report them by myGov, app or phone (Services Australia)
- Services Australia — What happens when you’re overpaid(opens in a new window)
Official guidance on how overpayments are handled, the debt notice, payment due dates and repayment options (Services Australia)
- Services Australia — Explanations and formal reviews of a Centrelink decision(opens in a new window)
Guidance on asking for an explanation, a formal review (ARO), pausing repayments and the ART (Services Australia)
- Administrative Review Tribunal — Centrelink payments(opens in a new window)
How to apply for review of a Centrelink decision or debt, deadlines and free interpreter information (ART)
- Economic Justice Australia — Find help near you(opens in a new window)
Find a free legal advice centre to dispute a Centrelink debt or decision (Economic Justice Australia)
Frequently Asked Questions
If I get a debt notice, must I pay it no matter what?▾
Not necessarily. Check that the amount and the reason are correct. If you do not understand or agree with the debt, you can ask for an explanation or a formal review. If the debt is correct, it is deducted from your payment while you receive one (you can ask for the amount to be adjusted); if you do not, you agree on a lump sum or instalments. It is important to get in touch before the payment due date (usually 28 days after the notice is sent). The debt may be waived depending on your circumstances, but the outcome of any individual case cannot be known.
Is it over once the formal review deadline has passed?▾
For almost all payments, you can ask for a formal review of a debt decision at any time, and decisions to raise an FTB or CCS debt are also an exception to the legal time limit. However, time limits may apply to the balancing or eligibility decision that caused the debt: 90 days after notification for CCS and 52 weeks for FTB (28 days if it affects a child support assessment). Parental Leave Pay and Tertiary Access Payment also have time limits, so check your notice. For CCS and FTB, a late request is sometimes accepted if your tax assessment has changed or there are special reasons.
How does an explanation differ from a formal review?▾
An explanation is the step in which an independent officer phones you to explain the reasons for the decision and corrects any errors. A formal review is the step in which an independent ARO examines the facts, law and policy and changes the decision if it is wrong. Both are free, and if you understand the decision but disagree with it, you can go straight to a formal review without asking for an explanation first. You apply through the phone line for your payment, a Service Centre or a form.
Do I have to keep paying while I wait for a review?▾
While you wait for an explanation or a formal review of a debt decision, and until an ART review is finished, you can ask for repayments to be paused. Just ask when you talk to them about the debt decision. A pause during an explanation or formal review is usually 6 months, and if the explanation or review takes longer than 6 months, the pause is extended as well. If you receive a letter or SMS telling you to start repaying before a review has finished, contact Services Australia.
What are the automatic small-debt waiver and the wider waivers?▾
For debt decisions made from 20 March 2026, debts under $250 are waived automatically with no separate application (based on the May 2026 announcement; the amount is adjusted yearly by the CPI). Debts decided earlier are not waived under this rule. Also, if you gave incorrect information because of circumstances such as family and domestic violence, homelessness, mental health problems, a natural disaster or a serious addiction, a special circumstances waiver may be considered, and it can apply to debts you have already repaid (if waived, the money is refunded or applied to other debts). The outcome is decided case by case.
What is the ART application deadline? Is it the same as the AAT's?▾
The AAT became the ART in 2024. Most decisions have no deadline, so you can apply even after 13 weeks, but if you do not apply within 13 weeks of being notified of the ARO decision, you may not get backdated payments. For family assistance the limit is 90 days (no deadline if you receive family assistance by instalment or the decision is about a family assistance debt), for Paid Parental Leave it is 28 days for the claimant and 14 days for the employer, and for student assistance it is 90 days. If you are late, you can apply in writing for an extension and give your reasons.
Where can I go if repaying is hard or I need help?▾
Before the payment due date, call the debt repayment line on 1800 076 072 (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm; checked November 2026) to discuss adjusting the repayment amount or setting up an arrangement. You can get free legal advice from Economic Justice Australia member centres and National Legal Aid. If you have a complaint about how your case was handled, raise it with the agency first, and you can then take it to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. If you are struggling emotionally, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 (24 hours).