Online Letters

The types of letters we can send you on line include:

• letters about changes in rates or circumstances
• grant letters
• your annual Payment Summary (if you receive a taxable payment from us)
• letters about suspensions or cancellations
• letters you receive on behalf of a customer whose nominee you are.

When you have a new online letter, we will send an SMS to your mobile-phone number or send an email to your email address.

Read more about online letter notification

You will not be able to receive online letters if you:

• are living permanently outside Australia and do not have an email address or
• have requested that only certain Department of Human Services staff have access to your records.

You need to read the terms and conditions of the Online Letters.

All customer information is protected by laws, such as the Privacy Act 1988 and the confidentiality provisions in social-security law.

This service will replace delivery of most Centrelink letters to your postal address.

The service will display your mail in the same format as it currently is on paper. This means:

• that your name, address, and Customer Reference Number will be displayed within the Online Letters and
• that payment, income and assets, and bank-account details may be displayed within the Online Letters.

You will receive a 'Welcome' SMS or email and a 'Welcome' online letter to confirm that you have subscribed to the service. If this is not received within 48 hours you should contact us to confirm that the details you supplied are correct.

To use Centrelink Online Letters service, you will need:

• internet access
• current Centrelink Online Services registration with full online services access and
• the ability to view online letters using a Portable Document Format (PDF) reader, such as Adobe Acrobat.

Note: These letters may be temporarily held on the hard drive of your computer. Please be aware of this if you are using a public computer. Ensure the removal of temporary files on the computer before you log off.

You need to check your Online Letters service regularly for letters.

You are able to withdraw from this service at any time.

This is how to subscribe to Online Letters.

• New customers should register for Online Services. Make sure you sign up for Centrelink Online Services and have level three access.
• Existing Centrelink Online Services customers, select the 'Log on' button, and enter your Customer Access Number and password.

Once you have successfully registered for Centrelink Online Services, subscribe to Online Letters as follows:

• Select 'Electronic Messaging and Letters'.
• Select 'Electronic Messaging and Online Letters Subscriptions' from the menu, and follow the prompts to subscribe.
• Once you have subscribed, you will receive a 'Welcome' message (by SMS or email) and a 'Welcome' online letter.
• Select ‘View Online Letters’ to view your letters in Portable Document Format (PDF), using Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 or another PDF viewer.

If you change your mobile-phone number or your email address, you need to tell us straight away. To report any changes, log on to Centrelink Online Services, and select 'Personal Details' from the menu. You can also call us on your regular 13 number or visit your local DHS Service Centre.

This is how to use Online Letters as a nominee.

• Customers should register for Online Services. Make sure you sign up for Centrelink Online Services as a nominee.
• Select to 'act for yourself' on the 'Select who you wish to act for' page.
• Select 'Electronic Messaging and Letters' and then 'Electronic Messaging and Online Letter Subscriptions' from the menu, and follow the prompts to subscribe to the service. Once you have subscribed, your letters and letters for customers you are nominee for will be available to view using Online Letters. If you are a nominee for more than one customer, you will receive online letters to all of your customer nominees.
• To view letters to yourself or to your customers, select 'act for yourself' on the 'Select who you wish to act for' page, and then select 'View Online Letters'.

You will continue to receive letters in the post that Centrelink requires you to fill in and return.

If you change your mobile-phone number or your email address, you need to tell us straight away. To report any changes, you can log on to Centrelink Online Services and select 'Personal Details' from the menu, or you can call us or visit your local DHS Service Centre.

Read more about nominees and having someone to deal with us on your behalf.

In order to view your letters, you will need to log on to Centrelink Online Services.

You will need to:

• log on to Centrelink Online Services
• select 'Electronic Messaging and Letters' from the menu
• select 'View Online Letters' to view your letters in Portable Document Format (PDF), using Adobe Acrobat Reader 8 or another PDF viewer.

In order to change your notification preference (SMS or email), you will need to log on to Centrelink Online Services.

You will need to:

• log on to Centrelink Online Services
• select 'Electronic Messaging and Letters' from the menu
• select 'Electronic Messaging and Online Letter Subscriptions' from the menu to change your notification preference.

In order to unsubscribe from the Centrelink Online Letters service, you will need to log on to Centrelink Online Services.

You will need to:

• log on to Centrelink Online Services
• select 'Electronic Messaging and Letters' from the menu
• select 'Electronic Messaging and Online Letters Subscriptions' from the menu to subscribe to the service, and
• select 'No' under the Online Letters subscription question, and select a reason for not wanting to use the service, then 'Continue' to review and submit your changes, and complete the process.

If you unsubscribe from this service, you will also be unsubscribing from Online Publications if you receive them online.

If you have level-three access for Centrelink Online Services, you can log on to Centrelink Online Services and make changes to your contact details, by:

• selecting the 'Personal Details' menu item
• selecting 'View/Update Address, Accommodation or Contact Details'.

Alternatively, you can call us or visit your local DHS Service Centre.