I got a letter in my mygov just over a month ago saying that there were inaccuracies between my reports to centrelink vs ATO & I would need to provide payslips from every week worked for that entire financial year.
Centrelink was claiming I had under-reported $3000!!! I had to call my old employer to access old payslips and also had to borrow a friends laptop to be able to upload all the documents (since in my current financial situation i cant afford a laptop) - all which put extra stress on me as I had multiple other personal matters occurring currently (such as a career change at work). I submit all of this online and am then notified I have to call to finalise some details! Which meant spending all of my lunch breaks all week trying to get through and finish this!
When on the phone the guy had said I had racked up about $2000 & I should be grateful they will probably waiver the $300 fee because I had been compliant and done most of it myself? I had asked if I could get a copy of what I had reported and how this debt was formed and he informed me he can tell me over the phone but I cannot access this information?
Friday (17/07) I received a letter telling me I received a debt of $2900 ($3000 variance in ATO & Centrelink somehow thats how much youth allowance I was overpaid? My fortnightly pay from them was never more than $400 so how does that even work???) that was basically my estimated tax return? Not suss at all. I now have a month to pay this debt and am incredibly stressed as I live alone in Sydney and completely independent and already struggle week to week trying to pay all my bills. Now with this debt out of no where - it has made me extremely insecure & a huge part of me just wants to pay the debt because I don't have the mental capacity to fight and go through all these motions!
Horrible! I have made to feel like a huge criminal & its clearly picking at the low economic people in our country to just keep them down.
Scomo just released how he wants to decrease suicide in Australia yet I havent felt this suicidal in years thanks to his party's ideologies!!!!