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Single Parent PathSearch

Changes and decisions

Report changes to payments and services

Find the right notification for separation, care and income changes, with safety checks before sensitive updates.

Start with the change that actually happened

If you receive a Services Australia payment, report separation within 14 days. Ask which online or form route applies. If you are only considering separation, seek advice about your options rather than declaring an event that has not happened.

You can report separation without your former partner completing their part of the ordinary separation form. Living separately under the same roof has an additional form and assessment. Tell the agency if asking for the former partner's information would put your safety at risk.

Protect sensitive information before updating it

Before putting a new address, phone or banking details into linked records, call Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support separately to separate those records. Otherwise another person may see your new details.

Ask about the safest Medicare card and representative arrangements for your circumstances. Card transfers can be visible and representatives may be notified when arrangements end. Bank updates are separate for each service. Do not assume updating myGov changes every linked record.

Report changed care straight away

Tell Services Australia about changed care promptly. Reporting later than 28 days may change the date the new care level applies and cause a debt, overpayment or assessment change.

If you have both a Child Support case and FTB, you can notify either Child Support or Centrelink about that care change. You only need to tell either service for this purpose. That exception does not cover all other updates; Medicare details may need a separate change.

Keep income and housing information current

Employment-income reporting, a family-income estimate and end-of-year income confirmation are different tasks. Ask which you must complete, and follow the notice for each payment. A change to a family-payment estimate does not itself update a child-support assessment.

FTB and CCS are balanced separately. If you do not need a tax return, tell Services Australia and confirm income as required. Contact the Families service if former-partner income is needed for CCS; you do not need to obtain it directly from that partner.

Your next step

Use the official links above, or find local services in your state.

Sources for this guide

Related guides

Wording reviewed 5 October 2026. Numerical rules have separate verification dates on Sources and updates.