Extra assistance for household expenses

We have payments and services to help with your household expenses such as making the change to digital TV, meeting the ongoing impacts of carbon pricing through the Household Assistance Package and LPG conversion for vehicles.

Digital TV Switchover Household Assistance Scheme

Australia is switching off analogue TV signals and converting to digital TV. If you are a Centrelink or Department of Veterans’ Affairs customer you may be eligible for the Digital TV Switchover Household Assistance Scheme to help make the change.

Telephone Allowance

If you receive an eligible income support payment the Telephone Allowance can help with the cost of having a home telephone and internet service. You need to have a telephone connected in your or your partner’s name. There are two rates of Telephone Allowance, depending on your circumstances. Your eligibility will be assessed when you make a claim for certain Centrelink payments.

LPG Vehicle Scheme

We offer the LPG Vehicle Scheme, which provides grants if you buy a new private-use vehicle fitted with an LPG unit before it is first registered. This scheme can also cover LPG conversions of private-use vehicles that are already registered.

Household Assistance Package

As part of the Australian Government’s plan for a clean energy future, the Household Assistance Package started in May 2012 and includes the following payments.

Clean Energy Advance and Clean Energy Supplement

Clean Energy Advance was an initial, tax-exempt payment paid as a lump sum if you receive a pension, income support payments, Family Tax Benefit payments and Seniors Supplement, and you met eligibility requirements. It was paid between May and June 2012, before the carbon price came into effect.

Clean Energy Supplement payments start at the end of the period covered by the Clean Energy Advance. From:

• March 2013 increases will be automatically applied to regular payments for pensioners and other income support recipients
• June 2013 Seniors Supplement recipients will receive their increases, in arrears
• July 2013 increases will be applied to Family Tax Benefit recipients
• January 2014 most young people receiving youth or student payments, and Disability Support Pension recipients aged under 21 without dependent children, will start receiving increased payments, following a second Clean Energy Advance payment to cover the period from July to December 2013.

Low Income Supplement

The Low Income Supplement is an annual payment of $300 that you can claim from 1 July 2012 if you are a low income household that does not receive enough assistance through tax cuts or other clean energy payments.

Low Income Family Supplement

The Low Income Family Supplement is a $300 payment. From 1 January 2013, you may be eligible if you received Family Tax Benefit for more than 39 weeks or more in the 2011-12 financial year, and meet all other Low Income Supplement criteria.

Single Income Family Supplement

The Single Income Family Supplement will be paid to families with one primary earner whose income is between $68,000 and $150,000. Payments will be made from 1 July 2013.

Essential Medical Equipment Payment

The Essential Medical Equipment Payment is a $140 payment that is available annually to eligible people covered by a Commonwealth concession card who have higher home energy costs from the use of essential medical equipment to manage their disability or medical condition.