Everyone in Australia deserves to understand the support they can get.
Fair Go Guide turns Centrelink's rules into clear, checked, plain-English guides — so you can make a claim, meet your obligations and know your rights with confidence.
Why we exist
Around 5.3 million people aged 16 and over receive income support in Australia — about one in four adults. Many more get family payments, concession cards or Rent Assistance.
The rules behind these payments are spread across thousands of pages of legislation, policy guides and service pages. They change several times a year. Missing a detail can mean a delayed claim, a lower payment or a debt later on.
We bring it together in one place, written so it can be read on a phone in a few minutes, in plain English and Easy Read.
We're not Centrelink. We can't see your record, process claims or change a decision. For anything about your own payment, contact Services Australia or use your Centrelink online account through myGov.
What we do — and what we never do
We do
- Explain payments, rules and obligations in plain English
- Link every guide to the official page it is based on
- Show the date each guide was last checked
- Build free calculators and checklists that run in your browser
- Correct mistakes quickly and note what changed
We never
- Ask for your myGov password or Centrelink login
- Process claims or contact Centrelink on your behalf
- Store what you type into our calculators
- Give personal legal or financial advice
- Pretend to be Services Australia or the government
How every guide is made
Four steps, the same for every page. Select a step to see what happens.
STEP 1 · A writer begins from the primary source — the Social Security Guide, Services Australia's payment pages and the DSS rates list — never from other websites or forums.
Our review calendar
We re-check affected guides on each official indexation date, plus within two working days of any announced rule change.
- 1 January Carer Allowance and student payment guides
- 20 March Pension and allowance rates, income free areas
- 1 July Assets and deeming thresholds, Family Tax Benefit, Child Care Subsidy
- 20 September Pension and allowance rates, Rent Assistance
Dates follow the Department of Social Services indexation schedule.
Our principles
Plain English first
Short sentences, everyday words, and Easy Read versions of key guides.
Accessible to all
Designed to meet WCAG 2.2 AA, tested with screen readers and on small phones.
Independent
No sponsored content. Our guides say what the rules say, not what someone pays for.
Privacy by design
Tools run in your browser. We don't ask for, or keep, your personal details.
Respect, not judgement
Getting support is a right. We write without blame or stigma.
Culturally safe
Guides for First Nations communities and people from diverse language backgrounds.
The official sources we rely on
When a source and our guide disagree, the source is right — and we fix the guide.
Services Australia ↗
Runs Centrelink, claims and rules
Department of Social Services ↗
Payment policy and rates
myGov ↗
Online accounts and claims
Australian Taxation Office ↗
Tax on payments, income
Social Security Guide ↗
The legal policy manual
AIHW ↗
Welfare statistics
Administrative Review Tribunal ↗
Independent reviews
Commonwealth Ombudsman ↗
Complaints about services
Who's behind the guide
Editors, reviewers and people with lived experience of the system.
[Editor name]
Managing editor
Short background, e.g. years in welfare rights or social work
[Reviewer name]
Policy reviewer
Background in social security policy or law
[Name]
Accessibility lead
Background in inclusive design and Easy Read
[Name]
Lived experience adviser
How they help test guides with real users
Spotted something wrong or out of date?
Tell us and we'll check it against the official source. Please don't include your Customer Reference Number, tax file number or any other personal details.
For help with your own payment, contact Services Australia directly.
Frequently asked questions about Fair Go Guide
How does Fair Go Guide decide what to publish?
We publish guides on Centrelink payments, rules and rights that affect Australians. Every guide must be based on an official, named, dated source — primarily Services Australia, the Social Security Guide (DSS), and the AIHW. We never publish opinion, speculation or unverified information.
How do I report an error in a guide?
Use the error report form on the About page. Include the page URL and what you believe is incorrect, and a link to the official source if you have one.
For official Centrelink corrections, contact Services Australia directly. We aim to review error reports within 5 business days.