A Centrelink deadline just weeks away could leave some Australian families facing thousands of dollars in missed payments, repayments or full child care fees if they do not act before 30 June 2026.
Families who received Family Tax Benefit or Child Care Subsidy for the 2024–25 financial year are being reminded to confirm their family income with Services Australia before the end-of-June cut-off.
The task may be simple, but the consequences can be serious. Around 170,000 families who received Family Tax Benefit and about 241,000 families who received Child Care Subsidy are being urged to check whether their income has been confirmed.
For many households, this is not just another government formality. Family payments and child care support often help cover weekly costs such as groceries, rent, school expenses and child care bills. Missing the deadline could mean losing money that a family was expecting, or being asked to pay money back at a time when household budgets are already stretched.
June 30 deadline for Centrelink families
The deadline applies to families who need to confirm their 2024–25 family income. For most people, this means lodging a tax return with the Australian Taxation Office. If they had a partner during the financial year, their partner’s income generally needs to be confirmed too.
Families who do not need to lodge a tax return still need to tell Services Australia. This can be done through a Centrelink online account linked to myGov, or through the Express Plus Centrelink app by advising a tax non-lodgement.
Services Australia uses confirmed income to balance payments after the financial year. That process checks whether families received the right amount based on their actual income and circumstances. The official guidance on confirming income is available through Services Australia’s family income confirmation page.
If the Family Tax Benefit deadline is missed, families may have to repay the Family Tax Benefit they received for 2024–25. They may also miss out on top-up payments, arrears or supplement payments that could have been paid once balancing was completed.
For Child Care Subsidy recipients, the impact can arrive quickly. If income is not confirmed by the cut-off, subsidy payments may stop from early July. That could leave parents paying full child care fees, and late confirmation may not lead to back pay for missed subsidy payments.
The key action: families should lodge their tax return or advise Services Australia they do not need to lodge before 30 June 2026.
The reminder comes after wider Centrelink payment changes earlier this year, including the Centrelink cash boost from the March 20 payment increase, which made payment timing and eligibility even more important for households relying on government support.
Scam warning before tax time
The deadline also arrives as tax-time scams become more common. Families should be careful with emails or text messages claiming to be from Centrelink, myGov, the ATO or another government agency, especially if they contain links asking people to sign in or provide personal details.
The safest approach is to open the official myGov app or type the myGov address directly into a browser, then check the myGov Inbox. Messages asking for passwords, bank details or identity information through links should be treated with caution.
Using stronger sign-in methods, such as passkeys or Digital ID where available, can also help protect accounts. These security options use device protections such as a fingerprint, face ID or PIN, making it harder for scammers to break in.
For families already managing rising bills, the June 30 deadline is an easy one to overlook but a costly one to miss. A few minutes spent checking tax return status, partner income confirmation or non-lodgement details could prevent payment delays, unexpected debts or full child care fees when July begins.
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