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Feedback and complaints
If you’ve talked to the business and can’t resolve your concern with them, you can provide feedback or submit a complaint to us.
Centrepay transaction fee
Centrepay is a free and voluntary bill paying service for Centrelink customers.
We charge businesses a transaction fee for each deduction they receive. A business must not pass this transaction fee on to you, or any other costs related to the use of Centrepay.
A business can only charge additional fees where applied to them for other payment methods, such as BPAY and direct debit.
If you think a business is charging you to use Centrepay as a payment option, talk to the business.
If you can’t resolve an issue with the business, provide feedback or submit a complaint to us and we’ll investigate it.
Consent for a Centrepay deduction
A business must always get your consent from a Deduction Authority before it:
- starts a new deduction
- restarts a cancelled deduction
- increases the target amount
- increases the deduction amount.
If you haven’t given your consent, talk to the business.
Businesses don’t need your consent to suspend, cancel, reduce, or add end dates to your deduction. They can do this to help you prevent an overpayment.
When a business has taken funds without your consent, it must refund the money to you even if you have outstanding bills with it. You can choose to leave the funds with the business to pay an outstanding bill.
Use our step-by-step guides to help you manage your money and Centrepay deductions.
It’s important you keep track of your deductions to make sure they’re correct. To change your deductions, use your Centrelink online account through myGov or your Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
If you can’t resolve an issue with the business, provide feedback or submit a complaint to us and we’ll investigate it.
Centrepay overpayment
If you’ve made an overpayment to a business, contact them to request a return of the overpayment.
A business must return an overpayment to you. You don’t have to use the money with the business or leave the money in credit.
If the business refuses to return the overpayment, you can either:
- call your regular payment line
- provide feedback or submit a complaint to us.
Payment options
Centrepay is voluntary. A business cannot force you to use Centrepay as a payment option. It must offer you at least one other payment option.
If a business forces you to use Centrepay, provide feedback or submit a complaint to us and we’ll investigate it.
Centrepay deduction stopped
Your Centrepay deduction may stop for a few reasons. You may have reached your target amount or end date, or a business may have stopped it.
We’ll tell you in writing when a deduction has been set up, changed, cancelled, suspended, and resumed. It’s important to keep your contact details up to date so you get letters from us.
You can register to get your letters online using either myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
If you choose to get your letters online, you’ll also get an SMS to let you know about the letter. You won’t get an SMS if you’ve made the changes to your deductions yourself through your online channel.
Read how to subscribe to electronic messaging.
Quality of goods and services
We don’t endorse Centrepay businesses or their goods and services. We aren’t responsible for the quality of the goods or services that a business provides to you.
If you have concerns about the quality of goods and services, talk to the business. You have rights as a consumer, read more about your consumer rights.
If you can’t resolve an issue with the business, you can provide feedback or submit a complaint to us and we’ll investigate it.
Consumer rights
When you buy goods or services, you have legal rights as a consumer.
You can find your consumer rights on the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) website.
If you need help
You can get help with your rights from:
- ombudsman services
- regulators like the ACCC or the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
- fair trading offices in each state
- free legal services.
Read about how to complain on the Moneysmart website.