Centrelink Disaster Payment

With Centrelink Disaster Payment , this was a lump sum payment to help workers who were unable to earn income due to a COVID-19 state or territory public health order.

How to claim Centrelink Disaster Payment

There are different ways to claim the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment. This depends on the date of your claiming period.

Time limits for claiming

You must submit a claim for the first day of your isolation or caring period. You can make a new claim if your isolation or caring period is longer than 7 days.

You must submit a claim within 14 days of the start of each 7 day period of self-isolation, quarantine or caring.

Step 1: get started

From your homepage, select Make a claim or view claim status.

On the My online claims page, select Make a claim to begin a new claim.

If you’re not making a new claim, you can select any of the following:

Continue claim to continue a claim you’ve started
Cancel claim to cancel a claim and start again
View claim to see the details of a claim you’ve submitted
Withdraw claim to withdraw a claim you’ve submitted.

Select Get started from the Help in an emergency category.

Read the information about Disaster Recovery Payment. Then select Apply for Disaster Recovery Payment.

Step 2: check eligibility

We’ll ask you some questions to check if you’re eligible for this payment. To check your eligibility, select Begin.

Read the Privacy Notice about how Services Australia uses your personal information.

Select Yes to agree with the privacy agreement, then Next to continue.

If you select No, you won’t be able to continue your claim.

Read the acknowledgement about providing accurate information, then select Next.

Read the information with the question mark icon on each page to help you answer the questions correctly.

Select Launch the digital assistant to use our digital assistant for more help.

Read the information about family and domestic violence, then select Next.

Select Yes or No to tell us if you’re an Australian resident, then select Next.

Select the disaster event you want to claim for. Then select Next.

In this example, we’ll select South East Queensland Floods – February 2026 – Disaster Recovery Payment.

Select Continue to save your changes and proceed.

We’ll ask more questions to check if you’re eligible.

Select Begin.

Select Yes or No to tell us if you hold a New Zealand passport with a non-protected Special Category visa. Then select Next.

Select Yes or No to tell us if your usual place of residence is in an affected area. Then select Next.

Select Yes or No to tell us if you or your dependent children were directly affected by the South East Queensland Floods February 2026. Then select Next.

Select the calendar icon and choose the date you, or your dependent children, were first affected by the disaster. Or, enter the date manually in the format of dd/mm/yyyy. Then select Next.

Select Yes or No to tell us if you want to claim for a dependent child who meets all of the following:

you are the principal carer of
was younger than 16 at the time of the disaster
has not been getting an income support payment.

Then select Next.

Select Continue to save your changes and proceed.

Based on your answers, we’ll let you know if you’re eligible to claim Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment.

There are different instructions to follow if you’re:

Not eligible

We’ll confirm you’re not eligible. We’ll also suggest next steps.

Select Return home and go to Step 6 to sign out.

Eligible

We’ll let you know to submit your claim as soon as possible to be paid from the earliest date.

Select Start claim.

Step 3: start your claim and answer questions

Select Begin to start your claim.

Read the information about submitting your claim as soon as possible. Then select Next.

Get the information you need to complete your claim, then select Next.

Select Continue to save your changes and proceed.

Select Begin to answer questions about your personal details.

Check your personal details are correct.

If they’re correct, select Next.

If they’re wrong, select Edit to update them. You’ll be returned to this page after you finish your update.

Check your address details.

If they’re correct, select Next.

If they’re wrong, select Edit to update them. You’ll be returned to this page after you finish your update.

Check your contact details.

If they’re correct, select Next.

If they’re wrong, select Edit to update them. You’ll be returned to this page after you finish your update.

Select Continue to save your changes and proceed.

Select Begin to answer questions about your contact details.

Answer all the questions about your contact requirements by entering the information we ask for.

After you answer each question, select Next to move to the next one.

When you’ve answered all the questions, select Continue to save your changes and proceed.

Select Begin to answer questions about your residence.

Answer all the questions about your residence by entering the information we ask for.

After you answer each question, select Next to move to the next one.

When you’ve answered all the questions, select Continue to save your changes and proceed.

Select Begin to tell us about your circumstances.

Answer all the questions about your circumstances by entering the information we ask for.

We may ask you different questions depending on how you were affected by the disaster.

After you answer each question, select Next to move to the next one.

When you’ve answered all the questions, select Continue to save your changes and proceed.

Select Begin to tell us where you’d like your payments to go.

Enter your bank account details. The account must be in your name, or a joint account that includes your name. Then select Next.

Select Continue to save your changes and proceed.

Step 4: review and confirm your claim

Select Begin to review the details you gave us.

Select Next to continue.

We’ll give you a summary of your claim. Review each section to check your details are correct. If you need to make changes, select the relevant Update button. For example, select Update Contact requirements to change those details.

If all the details are correct, select Next to read your obligations and terms of the claim.

If you understand and agree with the Declaration, select I understand and agree to the above terms. Then select Next.

If you understand and agree with the terms in the Acknowledgement, select I understand and agree to the above terms. Then select Next.

Select Confirm Information to save all the information you gave us and go back to your claim page. You won’t be able to make any changes to your answers after this point.