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Welfare & BenefitsAustralia
Centrelink Review Request Template (Australia)
If Centrelink has rejected, cancelled or reduced your payment, you have the right to a free formal review by an Authorised Review Officer — a senior Services Australia officer who was not involved in the original decision. Our Australian template produces the review letter with your grounds, evidence schedule and the 13-week full back pay positioning under the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth).
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Request for Formal Review of a Centrelink Decision
Review By An Authorised Review Officer — Services Australia · 1 June 2026
Megan L. Carter
Unit 3, 18 Acacia Street, Footscray VIC 3011
0412 345 678
megan.carter@email.com.au
1 June 2026
Services Australia (Centrelink)
Services Australia
Reply Paid 7800
Canberra BC ACT 2610
Reply Paid 7800
Canberra BC ACT 2610
FORMAL REVIEW REQUEST — AUTHORISED REVIEW OFFICER
CRN: 307 412 859K · Disability Support Pension (DSP)
Dear Review Officer,
I apply for a formal review of the Centrelink decision dated 12 May 2026 concerning my Disability Support Pension (DSP). I make this application under Part 4 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth) and ask that it be referred to an Authorised Review Officer who was not involved in the original decision. I understand the review is free of charge, and I ask for a written decision with reasons once it is completed.
I apply for a formal review of the Centrelink decision dated 12 May 2026 concerning my Disability Support Pension (DSP). I make this application under Part 4 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth) and ask that it be referred to an Authorised Review Officer who was not involved in the original decision. I understand the review is free of charge, and I ask for a written decision with reasons once it is completed.
1.
APPLICANT DETAILS
Full name: Megan L. Carter
Customer Reference Number (CRN): 307 412 859K
Address: Unit 3, 18 Acacia Street, Footscray VIC 3011
Telephone: 0412 345 678
Email: megan.carter@email.com.au
Customer Reference Number (CRN): 307 412 859K
Address: Unit 3, 18 Acacia Street, Footscray VIC 3011
Telephone: 0412 345 678
Email: megan.carter@email.com.au
2.
DECISION UNDER REVIEW
Payment affected: Disability Support Pension (DSP)
Date of decision letter: 12 May 2026
Decision reference: DSP-REV-2026-118274
What the decision says: The decision cancels my Disability Support Pension following a medical review, on the basis that my impairment rating is 10 points and I therefore no longer qualify. The letter says my conditions were assessed under the Impairment Tables and that I am able to work 15 hours or more per week.
Date of decision letter: 12 May 2026
Decision reference: DSP-REV-2026-118274
What the decision says: The decision cancels my Disability Support Pension following a medical review, on the basis that my impairment rating is 10 points and I therefore no longer qualify. The letter says my conditions were assessed under the Impairment Tables and that I am able to work 15 hours or more per week.
3.
OUTCOME SOUGHT
I respectfully ask the Authorised Review Officer to set aside the decision and substitute the correct decision. I understand that on review the decision may be affirmed, varied or set aside and substituted with a new decision under section 135 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth).
4.
REASONS FOR REVIEW
The assessment understates the functional impact of my rheumatoid arthritis and depression. My treating specialists confirm both conditions are diagnosed, treated and stabilised, and together they prevent me working 15 hours a week. The assessor did not have my rheumatologist's report of 20 April 2026.
5.
DETAILED GROUNDS OF REVIEW
Statutory framework for this payment: Disability Support Pension qualification is assessed under section 94 of the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth): an impairment rating of at least 20 points under the Impairment Tables, a continuing inability to work 15 hours or more per week, and — where fewer than 20 points are assigned under a single Table — active participation in a program of support. The current Tables are set out in the Social Security (Tables for the Assessment of Work-related Impairment for Disability Support Pension) Determination 2023 (Cth). I ask the Authorised Review Officer to reassess each impairment against the correct Table, on the basis that my conditions are fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised.
Medical and impairment assessment: The medical evidence was not correctly assessed. The conditions relied on are fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised, and the functional impact described by my treating practitioners supports a different rating than the one assigned. I ask the review officer to reassess the medical evidence against the correct criteria, including the Impairment Tables where they apply.
Grounds in detail: The job capacity assessment assigned 10 points (5 under Table 2 — Upper Limb Function and 5 under Table 5 — Mental Health Function). My rheumatologist's report dated 20 April 2026 documents persistent synovitis in both hands despite 18 months of methotrexate and biologic therapy, with grip strength measured below the 10th percentile. On the descriptors in Table 2, that supports 20 points on its own. My psychiatrist confirms a major depressive disorder treated since 2023 with limited response, supporting at least 10 points under Table 5. The combined rating exceeds the 20-point threshold, and the evidence shows I cannot sustain work of 15 hours per week within the next 2 years even with support.
Medical and impairment assessment: The medical evidence was not correctly assessed. The conditions relied on are fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised, and the functional impact described by my treating practitioners supports a different rating than the one assigned. I ask the review officer to reassess the medical evidence against the correct criteria, including the Impairment Tables where they apply.
Grounds in detail: The job capacity assessment assigned 10 points (5 under Table 2 — Upper Limb Function and 5 under Table 5 — Mental Health Function). My rheumatologist's report dated 20 April 2026 documents persistent synovitis in both hands despite 18 months of methotrexate and biologic therapy, with grip strength measured below the 10th percentile. On the descriptors in Table 2, that supports 20 points on its own. My psychiatrist confirms a major depressive disorder treated since 2023 with limited response, supporting at least 10 points under Table 5. The combined rating exceeds the 20-point threshold, and the evidence shows I cannot sustain work of 15 hours per week within the next 2 years even with support.
6.
EVIDENCE SCHEDULE
The following evidence supports this review and is provided so that the review officer has material the original decision-maker did not consider:
1. Report of Dr Anika Rao, consultant rheumatologist (dated 20 April 2026) — persistent active synovitis, failed methotrexate and biologic therapy, grip strength below 10th percentile
2. Letter of Dr Tom Nguyen, treating psychiatrist (dated 8 May 2026) — major depressive disorder since 2023, treatment-resistant, marked impact on concentration and persistence
3. GP mental health treatment plan — Dr S. Williams (dated 2 March 2026) — ongoing combined management of both conditions
All listed items are enclosed with this letter.
Notes on the evidence: The rheumatologist report of 20 April 2026 was not before the job capacity assessor — it post-dates the assessment interview.
1. Report of Dr Anika Rao, consultant rheumatologist (dated 20 April 2026) — persistent active synovitis, failed methotrexate and biologic therapy, grip strength below 10th percentile
2. Letter of Dr Tom Nguyen, treating psychiatrist (dated 8 May 2026) — major depressive disorder since 2023, treatment-resistant, marked impact on concentration and persistence
3. GP mental health treatment plan — Dr S. Williams (dated 2 March 2026) — ongoing combined management of both conditions
All listed items are enclosed with this letter.
Notes on the evidence: The rheumatologist report of 20 April 2026 was not before the job capacity assessor — it post-dates the assessment interview.
7.
BACK PAY AND ARREARS
This application is made within 13 weeks of the date I was notified of the decision. Under section 109 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth), a favourable determination on review therefore takes effect from the day the original decision took effect — and I ask that arrears be paid in full back to 12 May 2026.
Further detail: My DSP was cancelled with effect from 12 May 2026; full arrears from that date are sought.
Further detail: My DSP was cancelled with effect from 12 May 2026; full arrears from that date are sought.
8.
PAYMENT PENDING REVIEW AND HARDSHIP
Where an adverse decision turns on the exercise of a discretion or the holding of an opinion, section 131 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth) empowers the Secretary to continue payment pending the outcome of the review. I ask that this power be exercised in my case so that my payment continues until the review is decided. If section 131 is not available for this decision, I ask to be told in writing why, and that the review be treated as urgent instead.
Financial hardship: The DSP is my only income. Since the cancellation I have been unable to meet rent of 1,480 AUD per month and have deferred two specialist appointments because of the cost.
Given the hardship described above, I ask that this review be given priority processing and that I be contacted as soon as a review officer is allocated.
Financial hardship: The DSP is my only income. Since the cancellation I have been unable to meet rent of 1,480 AUD per month and have deferred two specialist appointments because of the cost.
Given the hardship described above, I ask that this review be given priority processing and that I be contacted as soon as a review officer is allocated.
9.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND NEXT STEPS
Please acknowledge receipt of this request in writing and tell me the name and contact details of the review officer allocated. If the decision is not changed on internal review, I reserve my right to apply — free of charge — to the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) for a first review, and I note that applying to the ART within 13 weeks of the review decision protects full back pay at that stage as well. I look forward to your written decision with reasons.
YOURS FAITHFULLY,
Megan L. Carter
Applicant
Date: ____________________
APPLICANT
Megan L. Carter
Date: ____________________
Available as a print-ready PDF or an editable Microsoft Word (.docx) file.
What Is a Centrelink Review Request?
A Centrelink review request is a formal application under Part 4 of the <strong>Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth)</strong> asking Services Australia to look again at a decision about your payment — a rejected claim, a cancellation, a rate reduction, a suspension or a participation decision. The review is conducted by an <strong>Authorised Review Officer (ARO)</strong>, a senior officer not involved in the original decision, who can affirm, vary or set the decision aside and substitute the correct one. The review is completely free.
Timing decides how much money a successful review recovers. If you apply within <strong>13 weeks</strong> of being notified of the decision, a favourable outcome is generally paid back to the date of the original decision; apply later and arrears usually only run from the date you sought the review. For most Family Tax Benefit decisions a <strong>52-week</strong> window applies instead under the family assistance law. With the single Disability Support Pension and Age Pension rate at <strong>$1,200.90 a fortnight</strong> from 20 March 2026, a wrongly cancelled pension left unchallenged costs an Australian household roughly $31,000 a year.
The internal review is also the gateway to the rest of the Australian appeal chain: an ARO decision must exist before you can apply — also free — to the <strong>Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)</strong> for a first review. Many people ask for the review by phone and lose the record of when and what they asked for; a written request fixes the date, the grounds and the evidence relied on, and Services Australia's own SS351 process expects exactly that structure. Roughly one in four social security decisions that reach the tribunal stage in Australia ends up changed — and well-grounded internal reviews settle the matter months earlier.
What's Covered in This Template
The letter follows the structure Authorised Review Officers work through — identity, decision, outcome sought, grounds, evidence, timing — and adapts to the payment you select.
Payment-Aware Framework
Select JobSeeker, DSP, Age Pension, Carer Payment or Allowance, Youth Allowance, Parenting Payment or FTB — the Expert grounds clause writes the statutory test for that payment into the letter.
CRN & Identity Block
Your Customer Reference Number, address and contact details laid out the way Services Australia matches correspondence to your record.
Decision Under Review
Decision date, reference and a plain summary of what the Centrelink letter says — fixing exactly what is being reviewed.
Outcome Sought
Set aside and substitute, vary, or explain-then-review — the three outcomes an ARO can deliver on a formal review.
Expert: Detailed Grounds
Structured grounds for wrong income or assets figures, member-of-a-couple errors (the five statutory factors), medical and impairment assessment errors, and residence rules.
Expert: DSP Impairment Tables
For DSP decisions, the letter engages the Impairment Tables Determination 2023, the 20-point threshold and the continuing inability to work test.
Expert: Evidence Schedule
A numbered, dated list of payslips, specialist reports and records — flagging items the original decision-maker never saw, with a "wait for evidence to follow" request.
Expert: 13-Week Back Pay Positioning
States the arrears position expressly — within 13 weeks for full back pay, the FTB 52-week variant, or the protective both-ways wording if you are unsure.
Expert: Payment Pending Review
Asks Services Australia to keep paying you while the review runs, where the adverse decision turned on a discretion or opinion.
Expert: Hardship & Priority
A concrete financial hardship statement grounding a priority-processing request — rent, medical costs, dependants.
ART Next-Step Reservation
Reserves your right to a free Administrative Review Tribunal first review if the internal review fails, keeping the 13-week tribunal window visible.
Single-Signer Letter Format
Letterhead, recipient, subject line and signature block in formal Australian correspondence layout — ready to post or upload.
How to Create a Centrelink Review Request
Five steps from decision letter to lodged review.
- 1
Find the Decision Letter
You need the decision date, the payment affected and any reference number. The 13-week full back pay window runs from the day you were notified — check it before anything else.
- 2
Say What You Want
Choose the outcome: set the decision aside, vary it, or have it explained and then reviewed. Add two or three sentences on why the decision is wrong — the detail comes next.
- 3
Build the Grounds (Expert)
Tick the errors that apply — income or assets figures, couple assessment, medical assessment, residence — and the template writes the statutory framework for your payment around your facts.
- 4
Schedule the Evidence (Expert)
List each document with its date and what it proves. Flag anything the original decision-maker never saw — fresh evidence is the strongest lever at internal review in Australia.
- 5
Lodge and Keep the Record
Post the letter to the address on your decision letter or upload it through your Centrelink online account, and keep a copy. Ask for written acknowledgement — the lodgment date protects your arrears.
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Legal Considerations
Centrelink reviews sit inside a structured Australian appeal chain with strict money-protecting time rules.
This template provides general information for Australian Centrelink customers and is not legal advice. Community legal centres, Economic Justice Australia member centres and Legal Aid commissions across Australia give free help with Centrelink reviews — get advice for complex debts, compensation preclusion periods or fraud allegations.
Reviewed for Australian law
The Right to Internal Review — Part 4 SS(Admin)A 1999
Under the <strong>Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth)</strong>, almost every Centrelink decision can be reviewed on application (s 129), and the Secretary can also review decisions on his or her own initiative (s 126). The review is conducted by the Secretary, the Chief Executive Centrelink or — in practice — an <strong>Authorised Review Officer</strong> who was not involved in the original decision (s 135). You are entitled to a written notice of the review decision with reasons and of your further review rights. There is no fee at any stage, and for most decisions there is no deadline to apply — but the back pay rules below make speed valuable.
The 13-Week Back Pay Rule (s 109)
Section 109 of the Act sets the date of effect of a favourable review decision: apply within <strong>13 weeks</strong> of being notified and the corrected decision takes effect from the day the original decision took effect — full arrears. Apply later and it takes effect from the day you applied. For most Family Tax Benefit decisions the window is <strong>52 weeks</strong> under the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 (Cth). On an Australian pension of $1,200.90 a fortnight, the difference between the two positions grows by about $2,600 every month.
Payment Pending Review (s 131)
Where an adverse decision depended on the exercise of a discretion or the holding of an opinion — many cancellations, suspensions and rate reductions do — section 131 empowers Services Australia to <strong>continue your payment</strong> until the internal review is decided, and section 145 does the same during an ART first review. The power is rarely exercised unless the customer asks in writing. It applies to payments you were receiving; a rejected new claim has nothing to continue.
After the ARO — the Administrative Review Tribunal
If the Authorised Review Officer affirms the decision, the next step is a <strong>first review by the Administrative Review Tribunal</strong> — the federal merits-review body that replaced the former tribunal on 14 October 2024 under the ART Act 2024 (Cth). The application is free, hearings in the social services jurisdiction are informal, and applying within 13 weeks of the ARO decision notice protects full arrears at that stage too (s 147). Our Centrelink ART application template covers that next step, and our Centrelink debt dispute letter handles overpayment debts — including waiver and the income-averaging challenge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Challenge the Decision — Free Review, Full Back Pay Window
Create your Centrelink review request in minutes: payment-aware grounds, evidence schedule and the 13-week arrears positioning, in formal Australian letter format. Download the PDF free, or unlock Expert for the full grounds, hardship and payment-continuation sections.
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