Australians receiving Centrelink payments are urged to check if their reporting dates fall within the holiday period.
Centrelink offices will be closed from December 25 to 29 and will reopen for two days the following week before closing again on Wednesday January 1.
Recipients who would normally have been paid during the Christmas holidays will receive their payments early on December 17.
Those who were supposed to be paid on New Year’s Day will receive their payout the day before, on January 31.
Services Australia added that staff “want to help you plan so you still get paid.”
“You may need to report your income early so that we can pay you during these closures,” the website says.
Further changes have been made to reporting dates for those receiving Old Age and Disability Pension, Youth Allowance, Jobseeker and Austudy.
Normal payment and reporting dates will resume on January 2.
Millions of Australians will receive their Centrelink payments early this year due to the closure of Services Australia offices over the holiday period (stock image)
To receive the early Centrelink payment, Australians should check if their reporting date has also changed (stock image)
Australians can still submit reports while offices are closed over the holiday period. These will be processed when staff return.
Services Australia warned that some smaller locations in rural and regional areas ‘may be subject to extended closures’.
Recipients have also been warned to beware of scammers impersonating Services Australia and offering Centrelink bonus payments.
The false information includes “one-off” payments or “living expenses” worth varying amounts up to $5,000.
“People are sharing these websites on social media thinking the information is real,” Services Australia warned.
‘If the website URL does not end in .gov.au, it is not an official government website. It could be a scam.”
Those unsure are urged to search the real Services Australia website.
Others have also reported receiving calls from scammers posing as a Services Australia employee and claiming they owe money to Centrelink.
The scammers then often threaten the victim with arrest if they do not pay them immediately in bank transfers, gift cards or cryptocurrency.