I was living in the UK and working as a teacher when my mum got a letter addressed to me saying that they were keeping $3512 from my latest tax return as my Centrelink had allegedly been overpaid when I was a uni student. The first I heard of it, they had already taken the money from my return, and when I called Centrelink to discuss it they would not talk to me about the issue because it had already been paid. I always thought there must have been a mistake, but I foolishly trusted the government. It was only when I returned to Australia for Christmas 2016 that I realised that maybe my problem was part of something bigger. However, as I don't keep records from my casual retail job that I had when I was 19, and I no longer live in Australia, I don't feel that I have much of an avenue to resolve the issue.
Live abroad and don't keep records for decades
Debt amount:
$3512
Date debt issued:
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Has your case been referred to a collection agency?:
No
Payment Type:
Youth Allowance
Appealing Debt?:
I don't know how to
Tell us about your debt and how has this affected you? e.g. anxiety levels, financial and accommodation stress: