Everything you need to know
You may be one of the 70% of older Australians who receives a full or part Age Pension or a DVA payment. If so, here’s a handy summary of Centrelink availability over the coming Christmas and New Year holiday period, with all the main things you’ll need to know.
Opening hours
Centrelink will be closed:
- Monday 25 December 2023
- Tuesday 26 December 2023
- Wednesday 27 December 2023
- Monday 1 January 2024.
Smaller service centres close for the entire public holiday season from Friday 22 December 2023 to Tuesday 2 January 2024.
You can find more information about service centre closures here.
Centrelink payment and reporting
Centrelink payment and reporting dates can change due to public holiday closure. It is possible that you may even be paid early!
If you report early during your assessment period, you’ll need to include what you expect to be paid for your full period. You must also do this for any other changes that may affect your payment. (Should you make a mistake, you can correct your report within 14 days, or when you next report.)
If you report after your assessment period, Centrelink will pay you after you report to them. You might prefer to do this so that you are sure of your employment income or changes to your circumstances. The finer point on reporting can be read here.
If you need to report
| Normal reporting date | New reporting date | Revised payment date | Next payment date |
| Wednesday 20 December 2023 | Tuesday 19 December 2023 | Thursday 21 December 2023 | Friday 5 January 2024 |
| Thursday 21 December 2023 | Wednesday 20 December 2023 | Friday 22 December 2023 | Monday 8 January 2024 |
| Friday 22 December 2023 | Wednesday 20 December 2023 | Friday 22 December 2023 | Tuesday 9 January 2024 |
| Monday 25 December 2023 | Thursday 21 December 2023 | Wednesday 27 December 2023 | Wednesday 10 January 2024 |
| Tuesday 26 December 2023 | Thursday 21 December 2023 | Wednesday 27 December 2023 | Thursday 11 January 2024 |
| Wednesday 27 December 2023 | Friday 22 December 2023 | Thursday 28 December 2023 | Friday 12 January 2024 |
| Thursday 28 December 2023 | Friday 22 December 2023 | Thursday 28 December 2023 | Monday 15 January 2024 |
| Friday 29 December 2023 | Thursday 28 December 2023 | Tuesday 2 January 2024 | Tuesday 16 January 2024 |
| Monday 1 January 2024 | Friday 29 December 2023 | Wednesday 3 January 2024 | Wednesday 17 January 2024 |
If you don’t need to report
| Normal payment date | Revised payment date | Next payment date |
| Friday 22 December 2023 | Thursday 21 December 2023 | Friday 5 January 2024 |
| Monday 25 December 2023 | Friday 22 December 2023 | Monday 8 January 2024 |
| Tuesday 26 December 2023 | Friday 22 December 2023 | Tuesday 9 January 2024 |
| Wednesday 27 December 2023 | Wednesday 27 December 2023 | Wednesday 10 January 2024 |
| Thursday 28 December 2023 | Wednesday 27 December 2023 | Thursday 11 January 2024 |
| Friday 29 December 2023 | Thursday 28 December 2023 | Friday 12 January 2024 |
| Monday 1 January 2024 | Thursday 28 December 2023 | Monday 15 January 2024 |
*Please note these dates are applicable as of 12/12/2023 and for Age Pension payments. If you receive another payment or Centrelink make an adjustment then these dates may not be applicable to you.
Other ways to get in touch
Centrelink advises that you can use your Centrelink online account through myGov to :
- report your income
- view your reporting dates for the next 12 weeks
- change some of your appointments
- apply for an advance payment
- or request a document.
Other options include Express Plus mobile apps and phone self-service.
You can still report your income to Centrelink, even when it is closed. However, if you do this on a public holiday you will be paid after the public holiday.
Steven’s handy hints:
We asked Steven Sadler, Head of Retirement Essentials’ Customer Service Centre whether he had any tips for those who are receiving Centrelink benefits over the holiday break.
He suggested three things:
- Take the time to read the dates – note which ones will affect you, so there are no surprises.
- Be aware that the normal application processing times (which were 4-5 weeks and have now stretched to 8 weeks or longer) may be extended.
- If you need to call Centrelink, the best time to call is at 8am sharp when the lines open. You will probably still go on hold (for 45 minutes or so), but at least you will go on hold. If you call after 10 am you may simply be timed out. If you are calling, be sure to have a coffee and good book on hand – or maybe do some work on your computer. That way you are less likely to be annoyed when you finally do get through to a Centrelink staff member.
Are you receiving your maximum entitlements? Use the Retirement Essentials Age Pension Eligibility Calculator and see if you are under-claiming today.
Retirement Essentials will also be working at reduced capacity. We will be closed on the public holidays of 25th and 26th of December and also the 1st of January. From the 27th to 29th of December our call centre will be closed but the team will still be working to process Age Pension and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card applications. And from the 2nd to the 5th of January the Call Centre will only be open from 12-4pm. All other days it will be business as usual.
Whatever you and yours are doing over the break, we hope you are planning for some relaxing time out. And if you want to quickly get an application submitted before everything slows down you can get started by checking your eligibility here.
I’m on parenting payment if I report on the 21st December 2023 when will I receive my payment
Hi Catherine. As per the table in our article, if you would normally report your income on Thursday 21st December, your new reporting date is Wednesday 20th December and then you will receive your payment on Thursday 21st December.
I think you have the wrong information your table says non reporting Wednesday 27th will get paid on friday 22nd but on centrelink website under non reporting and age pensions, carers, parenting, familys, it says Wednesday 27th paid on wednesday 27th
Hi Lori, thanks for keeping us honest! We’ve double checked Centrelink’s website and can confirm that our table matches theirs. Both say that for people who do not have to report income that would normally receive payment on both Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th December, the new/revised payment date for both is Friday 22nd December.
hi
there is no reply option so ive just had a look there is 2 sections top is for jobseeker and further down the page has those payments down the bottom is for pensioners aged parenting carers all i can find is it still says non reporting Wednesday 27th payed Wednesday 27th
Hi Lori, thank you for clarifying! The page I was double checking our dates against only had one set of tables, not two. So off the back of your reply comment I went digging some more and believe I have found the page you are referring to and you are correct, there is a different set of dates that we were previously not aware of. Thank you for your persistence, we will update our tables accordingly. Thank you.
I normally report on a Tuesday and it will be boxing day can I still report? and get my pay on Thursday
So I normally report on 26th should I get paid today 22nd
Hello I’m wondering if I will get an early payment over the new year period. I’m on a disability pension
I’m currently overseas and I’m having difficulty reporting my income which was due on 12 Dec 2023. what should I do.
Hi Ali, sorry to hear of the trouble you are having reporting to Centrelink but I hope your trip is going well otherwise! You can potentially call Centrelink depending on which country you are in. CLICK HERE and under the “View all phone numbers” option if you scroll through the Centrelink numbers you will see a heading “Centrelink International Numbers” and clicking on this heading will show a list of the different countries you can call from and the local number to use.
if my family tax a & b payment is due on Wednesday 27th Dec will I receive it on Friday 22nd or not?
my partner is in hospital can I report for him if yes please How?
Hi Gail, thank you for reaching out and we are sorry to hear your partner is in hospital, especially so close to Christmas. It would be best for you to call Centrelink on 132 300 at 8am when they first open so that you can explain the situation and make an alternative arrangement.
If someone meant to get paid on the 2/1 and they money go into they bank account and the 1/1 when will they get paid
Hi Lyn, thank you for your question. If you are due to be paid on 2nd January then this will proceed as per normal, there is no change to payments due on 2nd Jan or later.
?I am on a disability support pension my normal pay day is January 1st what day will I be paid
Hi Mick, as per the note below the tables and my replies to previous comments, if you receive a payment other than Age Pension you would need to contact Centrelink to confirm the dates.
if I get paid on the 3rd of January would I get paid early or would it just stay on the 3rd January
Hi Jade, thanks for seeking further clarity. The only changes are the ones listed in the above tables, if your payment is due outside of the above dates then there is no change.
hi so if my usual payment date for disability pension is the 37th Dec I still don’t get that pension until then is this correct this means my pension tomorrow has to last for all my Xmas shopping as well
hi,I am receiving a disability support pension due to be paid on the 25th December. Does this mean I will be paid Friday 22nd of December?
Hi Dani, thanks for your query. The payment dates we have listed are applicable to Age Pension but may differ for other payments, if you are unsure you should check with Centrelink.
do we need to let Centrelink know we are back
lodged a claim for myself and my husband (74 and 78 years) for old age pension including all supporting docs as requested in October. Keep getting messages that the claim is in progress. how long do we have to wait before the claim is finalised?
After Christmas, my next reporting date is Thursday 28th December. When will I receive my pension payment
Hi Emily, as per the table, if your current reporting date is Thursday 28 December, then you will now be asked to report on Friday 22 December and you will receive your payment on Thursday 28 December 2023.
Age Pension next payment is on the 25th of December, will it be paid into the bank on the Friday 22nd of December??
Hi Maralyne, presuming you do not need to report income then yes, as per the table, if your current payment is due on 25th December then you will instead receive it on 22nd December.
I applied for age pension on the 4th of August. Have not heard anything about it. How much longer do you think I have to wait,as funds are getting very low.
Hi Christine, thank you for your query. You aren’t alone, many of our customers are waiting 3 months or more for Centrelink. If you haven’t heard from them in the last 4 weeks then I’d recommend calling 132 300 to check and make sure nothing has gone wrong.
I applied for a part pension on June 1st 2023 and still have not got anything! I did make a complaint and they called me. Apparently because I have overseas pensions coming in it is making it difficult to assess my claim and they need a “coding” for my income… I wonder if I will be waiting a whole year?.. Hmmm….
I get pay on December the 27 December do I get early payment
If l am due to be paid my disabled pension on 28th of December will l receive it before then,please can you tell me, Thankyou.
hi im currently recieving parenting payment. normally would report on the 25th december and get paid on the 27th dec. because its xmas i have to report on the thurs 21st dec so will i be paid earlier like before xmas
Hi Rebecca, as we do not cover parenting payments we cannot confirm the applicable dates, please confirm with Centrelink to be sure.
Not at all fair to the people who have to report on the 27th Dec 23. My family will have to wait until the 28 Dec 23, load of **** Centrelink, cheers.
if I’m on partnered aged pension due on the 26th when will I get my payment
Hi Anne, as per the above tables it depends on whether or not you have to report income. If you have to report income then you new payment date is Wednesday 27th, if you do not have to report then it will be Friday 22nd.