You should lodge a dispute or get legal advice if you think your debt is in error.
I was shocked when I received this and felt sick, this has caused me a lot of anxiety and frustration at having to put a lot of effort to prove that I did the right thing.
This has been a truly awful experience.
I've had multiple Centrelink customer service operators hang up on me when trying to request a review or ask for a receipt number.
It has caused me great anxiety and has given me depression for weeks now.
Anxiety through the roof and don’t have the help to fight it
I got a bill in Dec.
I did try to communicate with varying Centrelink departments and when the phone did ring through and was answered I was only ever told that I needed to prove I did not owe any money.
Was 24hr carer for my father who had MND. Apparently I was working too.
Dear Centrelink. Absolutely no idea.
So since then I have ignored everything from Centrelink (incl. Mygov).
I have not answered or returned any calls that do not clearly identify the caller.
I do not respond to messages that tell me I have a message on Mygov.
I was sent an email to mygov inbox regarding the debt the day befor xmas 2018
i new that something wasnt right and tryed not to stress about it but undoubtably the thought of how i was some how going to pay over 8k off lingered on my mind and destroyed my christmas new year period.
As im struggling to pay all my bills as it was.
I have been suffering anxiety due to my circumstances (loss of a child) and this debt letter making it worse for me.
I sent them my bank statements my payslips but no reviw received and on top the debt is increased.
It is not fair reciving a bill to pay with no information or background into it that when it has happened.
Insecure anxious financially strained
Supper stressed, single mum of 3 kids, I don't know how I'm supposed to ever get ahead, they already left me homeless twice.
What's next?
I'm scared and cannot understand how this has happened when i reported as i was supposed to, have provided bank statements to get a reassessment, i'm hoping its a misunderstanding.
I am very stressed and anxious and it doesn't make any sense
The first I new of my debt was from a text from the debt collection agency.
I called them and they straight away demanded payment.
I told them I had no idea what this was regarding and they said I would have an email in MyGov I logged in and nothing was there.
I began to think it was a hoax or scam so I told them I would not be providing my information over the phone and they said I should ring Centrelink.
I then called Centrelink and was put straight back through to the credit agency.
Extremely upset and stressed.
I have had to take days off work to try and handle this mess.
This is going to cripple me for most of the foreseable future.
I was on income protection and sickness benefits and it seems i incurred a debt of 5.5k
However checking back for that time period, i was only receiving between $40 and $111 per fortnight so they knew about my I/P payments.
Also, when adding up the amounts from the payment emails i got from centrelink, and kept filed, it seems that for the same period i earned approx $4200 (give or take a couple of hundred) and they are claiming i got $13,490 and i need to pay back $5500.
After countless hours, over a period of 6 months on the phone and providing documents (178 pages of bank statements & immigration records-available free from immigration on a 1359 form) finally got onto someone with authority that could see the light.
Debt reduced from $9,800 to $477.
I received a debt approx 4 years ago from 2010-2011 for over $2500, I went on a payment plan and over a number of years paid the debt back.
This year, I received another debt of $1600 from the same year.
A few months later i received a debt of $3000.
I instantly thought this has to be a mistake. I phoned up centrelink and escalated the debt.
During the period of any paid work I notified centrelink and submitted payslips.
Online self service showed nil amount from Centrelink.
Also at the branch.
Then in early 2013 applied for TAFE and then received AUSTUDY after 6 months of entering TAFE.
I chose to learn and was applying for jobs but was unsuccessful.
I first received a online in August letter saying that I needed to confirm my income.
The lady on the phone stated that I owed $7,000 in debt as I had under reported my earning. The lady also went on to make me feel like a criminal by going on how this was wrong and how did I intend to pay this back.
This all happened whilst I sitting my final exams for my Master of Physiotherapy.
Centrelink took money out of my tax return without my knowledge or consent for a debt that I never owed them.
Their automated system assumed I worked in a period that I didn't and now, after going in and calling several times and providing bank statements from 6 years ago, I'm waiting to get back the money that they have stolen.
I'm perplexed, very angry, extremely anxious and too time poor to deal with this the week before Christmas! Assholes!