Just wondering because I see so much hype about everyone expects/wants handouts from the government. It's your choice to claim any payment (CCB, CCR, Baby Bonus, FTB/A). Has anyone chosen or known anyone who has chosen not to get any sort of payment? I'm not talking about chosing not to claim it during the year and getting it at tax time, I'm talking chosen not to claim anything at all?

As far as I am concerned.. myself and my husband pay taxes.. so yes we do.

My poor dad paid over $56,000 in tax..and only got back $10,000. (but that's a whole other topic LOL) sorry

We choose not to.

When my kids were in occasional care, and more recently After school care, I paid full fees & never claimed the rebate. Why? Because for the piddling little amount we got back it wasn't worth all the paperwork to complete.

Amanda

DS 17/03/99
DD 08/03/01

As far as I am aware you *can't* forego FTB if you do a tax return, but I could be wrong. It's an automatic tax refund based on income.

Personally we chose to forego all CCB, but we *did* claim maternity payment which we have stashed away for the children's teritiary education.

my mil never got anything for her kids, she was getting $80 a fortnight but cut it off cause to her it was "more trouble than it was worth"

Nope. Since DH's income at the moment is waaaaaaay below average we need all the help we can get.

This probably doesn't classify as a 'gov handout' but I have not gone to the gov for any handout since being a single mama, nor have I chased my ex for any $ for being pretty much a sole carer for DS.

I am however an income earner in the highest tax bracket so feel that someone else more needy should benefit.

In May next year I will be going to NIL income whilst undertaking full time studies and will be looking to the government for support. I have paid taxes for 14 years so I will not feel guilty in the slightest doing so...

Only things like unemployment, when DH has been out of work in between jobs, It isnt worth the paper work to bother claiming.

Yes. When DD was little and (before we went over the threshold) we were entitled to something stupid like $4.37 a fortnight.

Really, whats the point ? Imagine what they would save (including processing and bank charges) if they just cut it off altogether when it gets to piddly amounts like that.

Yes I know someone who didn't claim it, even though they would have received FTB B as they did not earn an income. The reason why they didn't claim - they hadn't done their tax return for many years that they had been working.

I didn't claim it for a short time many years ago when it was then known as Family Allowance. I had a new part time job, had moved address and updated my details with them, and they then kept sending me letters saying different things:
the first letter said what my new payments were based on the new information,
the next day I got a letter telling me I had changed my details but had not told them what they were, so were canceling my payment.
I went in a few times with the same information, and still got those silly letters. In the end I gave up, as I had better things to do with my time than to fill out the same forms and to stand in a long queue. It was only around $20 a fortnight that I was missing out on, and was only for a few months.
Back in the old system, payments weren't exactly reconciled when you did your tax return - if you were overpaid benefits then you did have to pay back any excess received, BUT if you had been underpaid benefits, too bad. At least the new system is much fairer.

I didn't claim CCB the first year DS was in care. I have chosen to for the last financial year as I am now working and have two children in care, but the hoops I have had to jump to get this lump sum payment (still waiting) are ridiculous.

As of last week, we're out!
The buggers have put over $15 000 in my bank account, most of which I am not entitled to, but oh the hassle in getting them to take it back!!! The last person I spoke to from FAO had to look up the policies and read up on whether I was entitled to it or not, with me assuring her I am not!
I just want to hand it back, and forget they exist so as of last week we're officially not claiming anything from anyone any more! Too much hassle, especially if they make a mistake.

You have more self control than me BBlessed.

We are ineligibe for anything FTB's and don't use childcare so we don't claim anything but if we were....Damn straight, I'd be in that Centrelink line as soon as it opened!

I know several families who have not claimed the baby bonus and are not claiming family assist. They dont see the point. Yes they would qualify for all of tax b and some tax a but they cant be bothered.

I just let it ride. At the moment we get nothing in FTB anyway.

CCB - no longer get any due to income.
CCRebate - yes I take it. If I didn't, it would be costing more in childcare than I was earning, so I would probably quit work. Oh, and gee, then I'd be entitled to FTB, and the bonuses and CCB again !


And think of all the money they would save in December, if all the people getting the piddling amounts fortnightly were cut off and therefore not eligible for the $1000 per child bonus. Or the $600+ per child supplement at the end of the year.
Oh, and all the people cut off would no longer get the education tax rebate either.

It's always a hard call about where to put the cut off mark. Becoming a bit annoying about how many things are now dependent on this one cutoff.

I didn't claim anything from 'them' (LOL) until DS2, and 3 came along - So 7 years of nothing.

I get under a $100 a fortnight for 3 children. (I only get ftb - B, Not eligible for A)

I do claim the carer allowance, We live out woop woop and have to travel to the city for some of DS doctors appointments - It does help somewhat.

So I have 'claimed' for 5 years, Just getting some DP's taxes back

I've put off applying for carer's payment even though we would have been eligible if I had gotten Dyllan's diagnosis back in 2005. I'm filling in the paperwork for it this week as we need the money desperatly for the kids medical appointments - $180 a fortnight just for speech therapy. I am hoping they will back date it as well so we can get the bonus for it as well, Dyllan needs grommets again asap and I want to get Jayden weekly speech appts instead of fortnightly so he can start prep next year without worrying if the teacher can understand him. I also want to get a signing program for Cameron so he can communicate... baba and dare are his only words and he turns 4 in April.

FTB B is automatically doled out with tax for us. I have never claimed part A as our income is so unpridictable it wasn't worth the hassle of having to pay it back if we had to. Now that this bonus is coming though I think I may go & register. We've had a few very tight months & it sure would be a great help right before Christmas.

Yes, my BIL and SIL chose not to claim it as they felt they had enough money and didn't need any help from the government. Interesting though as she is a SAHM and he was on a good salary but not huge, they would have qualified for FTB A & B. I always thought it was strange at the time, but sometimes when I see the grief people have claiming and then having to repay etc, I understand opting out.

Ahhh Bec, $15,000, crazy ... how annoying they wreen't very helpful to sort it out.

WOW! I wish I could have afforded not to be bothered with the baby bonus! This was really welcome money to us at the time.c

Yep, we claim whatever we can. We did a tree change a couple of years ago. In our former life, DH was paying around $45,000 tax a year. With our much reduced pay in the country, we would like some of it back.

Bec, Don't bother to try and get them to take it back, just open up a high interest savings account, put it in there, and earn interest on it. When they eventually get around to asking for it back, you will have earnt some money for all the hassle.

If you have it for a year, $15,000 at 5% is $750 in your pocket!!!

Just whatever you do, don't spend it!!!!

Baby Bonus was the first time I registered with Centrelink. It was so painful, I guess $5K makes it worth it, but for a small amount each week, it isn't worth the hassle for us. We don't claim FTB, but do the CCB form for kindy.

We pretty much take what we are entitled to but I work so we don't have to claim much. We have never worked out what we would be entitled to if we didn't work and make decisions based on that.

We're choosing to cut off DS1s carers allowance. At some stage in the next few years he will become ineligible and just when he does is a very grey area (he is vision impaired but his functional vision is getting better as he learns how to use it, I suspect with school and aides he will end up going beyond 'legally blind' - I can't wait ).

Too paranoid that we'll end up with a debt if we don't do it now.

I know a stack of people who don't claim anything - baby bonus or family tax benefit - but only because they want to stay 'under the radar'. Yep, I know quite a few hippies

I don't know how you can't? Surely if you are submitting tax returns etc then you are getting something when they reconcile? Unless of course you aren't submitting anything.

And to me anything from the government would also include Medicare rebates etc.

But if you are not claiming, what are they recnciling with?

How could they determine your FTB etc if you didn't specify it. Surely you could simply not fill in the details on your tax return?