How to Claim Crisis Payment After Family or Domestic Violence in Australia
Claim Centrelink Crisis Payment after family or domestic violence changes your living arrangements. Check the 7-day contact deadline, eligibility and safe claiming options.
AU Australia
Benefits & Support ~ 8 min read
8 FAQ
Updated 2026-09-22
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You may qualify for Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances Family and Domestic Violence if you experienced family or domestic violence, are eligible for or receiving an income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance, are in severe financial hardship and meet the required living-arrangement rules. You must contact Services Australia or start your claim within 7 days of the relevant change in your living arrangements. If you make contact within that period, you then have 14 days after contact to submit the claim. A Services Australia social worker must assess your circumstances.
What you need
- Be eligible for, or receiving, an income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance.
- Be in severe financial hardship under the Crisis Payment rules.
- Have experienced family or domestic violence and meet one of the specified changes in living arrangements.
- Be in Australia when the relevant incident occurred and when you submit the claim.
- Contact Services Australia or begin the claim within 7 days of the relevant change in living arrangements.
- Be available to speak with a Services Australia social worker.
- Provide evidence of the extreme circumstance and permission for Services Australia to contact someone who can confirm your circumstances when requested as part of the assessment.
- If claiming online, have a Centrelink online account linked to myGov.
Eligibility
You may qualify if you have experienced family or domestic violence, are eligible for or getting an income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance, are in severe financial hardship, can be contacted by a Services Australia social worker, are in Australia when the incident occurs and when you claim, and meet one of the specified living-arrangement situations. These include leaving your home because it is unreasonable to return and establishing or intending to establish another home; remaining in your home after the family member responsible for the violence leaves or is removed; or leaving or being removed from your home and being legally prevented from returning because of family or domestic violence. You must also be within the applicable limit on Crisis Payments for extreme circumstances.
How to do it
- Contact Services Australia within 7 days of the relevant change in your living arrangements. Starting a claim through your Centrelink online account, calling your regular payment line or visiting a service centre can count as contact.
- Before claiming online, consider whether your myGov or Centrelink account, postal address, correspondence arrangements or nominee arrangements could expose information about the claim to someone who may put you at risk.
- If it is safe to claim online, sign in to myGov, open Centrelink, select Payments and Claims, then Claims, Make a claim, Crisis Payments, and Apply for Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances.
- If online claiming is unsafe or unavailable, call your regular Centrelink payment line or visit a Services Australia service centre. Ask to speak with a social worker if you need help claiming safely.
- Provide the requested supporting information. Services Australia says the social worker will ask for evidence of the extreme circumstance and permission to contact someone who can confirm your circumstances.
- Speak with the Services Australia social worker. Your claim cannot progress until the social worker can contact you and complete the assessment.
- If you initially contacted Services Australia rather than submitting the complete claim, submit the claim within 14 days after that contact.
- Track an online claim through myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink app. Services Australia will notify you of the decision and may request further information.
Contact Centrelink within 7 days
The most important rule is the deadline. For Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances Family and Domestic Violence, you must contact Services Australia within 7 days of the relevant change in your living arrangements.
Services Australia counts contact if you begin a claim through your Centrelink online account, call your regular payment line or visit a service centre. If you contact Services Australia within the 7-day period without completing the claim immediately, you must submit the claim within 14 days after the contact.
The event that starts the 7-day period depends on your circumstances. If you leave your home for safety and cannot reasonably return, it is linked to deciding that you cannot return. If you stay in the home after the person responsible for the violence is removed, it is linked to that person's removal. If you are removed from the home and legally prevented from returning, it is linked to your removal.
Who can qualify for this Crisis Payment
Services Australia requires you to meet all of the core eligibility conditions. You must be eligible for or receiving an income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance, be in severe financial hardship, have experienced family or domestic violence, be contactable by a social worker and meet an eligible living-arrangement situation. You must also have been in Australia when the incident occurred and be in Australia when submitting the claim.
For this Crisis Payment, severe financial hardship is based on accessible liquid assets. Services Australia states that the relevant threshold is less than 2 weeks of the maximum rate of your income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance if you are single, or less than 4 weeks if you are partnered. The applicable maximum rate can include specified supplements such as Rent Assistance where relevant.
If the change in your circumstances also affects your ongoing income support, you may need a separate payment procedure. For example, see how to claim JobSeeker Payment or apply for Parenting Payment where those payments match your circumstances.
Which living arrangements can qualify
Services Australia identifies three relevant living-arrangement situations for this payment.
- You leave your home: you leave for your safety because of family or domestic violence, it is unreasonable to return, and you have established or intend to establish a new home because of the violence.
- You stay in your home: you were living with the family member responsible for the violence and that person leaves or is removed from the home by police.
- You are removed from your home: you leave or are removed by police and are legally prevented from returning because of family or domestic violence. Services Australia gives an Apprehended Violence Order, court order or another official document as examples of how you may be prevented from returning. You must also have established or intend to establish another home because of the incident.
For the staying-at-home situation, Services Australia lists a partner or ex-partner, parent or guardian, child, sibling or grandparent as family members for this purpose.
How much you can receive
The payment is a one-off amount equal to one week's payment at the maximum basic rate of your income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance. It does not include other allowances or supplements.
You can receive the payment once for an incident or circumstance. Services Australia limits Crisis Payments for Extreme Circumstances Family and Domestic Violence and Other Extreme Circumstances to a combined maximum of 4 payments in a 12-month period.
Protect your information before you claim
A Crisis Payment claim appears in your online account as a Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances, and Services Australia also communicates the result in writing. This matters if the person responsible for the violence, or another person who could put you at risk, can access your myGov or Centrelink account, correspondence or nominee arrangements.
Services Australia specifically advises against submitting the claim online if changing passwords, changing your postal address, receiving letters or changing nominee arrangements would put your safety at risk. In that situation, call your regular payment line and ask to speak with a social worker. The social worker can discuss your circumstances and help you submit the claim safely.
If you have a correspondence nominee, that nominee can see that you made a claim and will receive the decision letter. If you have a payment nominee, that nominee will receive the Crisis Payment if the claim is approved. Review these arrangements carefully before claiming if they create a safety concern.
Claim online, by phone or at a service centre
If it is safe for you to use your online account, Services Australia describes online claiming as the easiest route. You need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. In Centrelink, select Payments and Claims, then Claims, Make a claim, Crisis Payments and Apply for Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances.
If you cannot safely claim online or online claiming is unavailable to you, call your regular Centrelink payment line or visit a Services Australia service centre.
What evidence and assessment are required
A Services Australia social worker assesses the claim. During the claim process, the social worker will ask for evidence of the extreme circumstance and for permission to contact someone else who can confirm your circumstances.
The exact evidence can depend on what happened and your living arrangements. For example, where you have been legally prevented from returning home, Services Australia identifies an Apprehended Violence Order, court order or another official document as possible evidence of that situation. Do not delay contacting Services Australia while trying to assemble every possible document because the 7-day contact requirement still applies.
The social worker must be able to contact you to complete the assessment. Services Australia states that the claim cannot progress if the social worker cannot contact you.
Track the claim and receive the decision
When you submit an online claim, Services Australia provides a receipt containing the claim ID, an estimated completion date and a link for tracking progress. You can track the claim through myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
There is no single published processing time for all claims. The estimate supplied after submission is specific to your claim. Services Australia may contact you if more information is needed.
The decision is provided in writing through your myGov Inbox if you receive electronic letters, or by mail otherwise. If you disagree with the decision, Services Australia provides review and appeal processes.
Check whether your other payments also need attention
Crisis Payment is an immediate one-off payment and does not replace any separate ongoing payment you may qualify for. Depending on your family and financial circumstances, related procedures can include applying for a Low Income Health Care Card or, if you care for a dependent child, claiming Family Tax Benefit.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to claim Crisis Payment after family or domestic violence?
You must contact Services Australia or begin the claim within 7 days of the relevant change in your living arrangements. If you make contact within that period without completing the claim, you must submit the claim within 14 days after the contact.
Can I claim Crisis Payment online?
Yes. If it is safe to do so, you can claim through a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. If online claiming could put your safety at risk, Services Australia says to call your regular payment line and ask to speak with a social worker.
Do I have to leave my home to qualify?
Not always. You may also qualify while remaining in your home if you were living with the family member responsible for the violence and that person leaves or is removed from the home. Other eligibility conditions still apply.
How much is the family and domestic violence Crisis Payment?
It is equal to one week's payment at the maximum basic rate of your income support payment or ABSTUDY Living Allowance. Other allowances and supplements are not included.
How many Crisis Payments can I receive?
Services Australia allows up to 4 payments in a 12-month period across Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances Family and Domestic Violence and Crisis Payment for Other Extreme Circumstances combined. A payment is available once for an individual incident or circumstance.
What evidence will Centrelink ask for?
A social worker will ask for evidence of the extreme circumstance and permission to contact someone who can confirm your circumstances. The particular evidence depends on your situation and living arrangements.
Will I need to speak with a Centrelink social worker?
Yes. A Services Australia social worker must assess the claim and speak with you to complete the assessment. The claim cannot progress if the social worker cannot contact you.
What if someone else can access my Centrelink or myGov account?
Consider your safety before claiming online. Services Australia warns that the claim can be visible in your online account and that nominees may receive information or payments. If online claiming or changing your details could put you at risk, call your regular payment line and ask to speak with a social worker about a safer way to claim.
Official sources
Services Australia - Crisis Payment for extreme circumstances family and domestic violenceServices Australia - Who can get Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances Family and Domestic ViolenceServices Australia - How to claim Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances Family and Domestic ViolenceServices Australia - How to protect yourself when you claimServices Australia - How much Crisis Payment for Extreme Circumstances Family and Domestic Violence you can getServices Australia - Severe financial hardship for Crisis PaymentDepartment of Social Services - Social Security Guide: Crisis payment descriptionRelated procedures
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