Seth has found the cost of looking after his children while they study is too much to manage on an Age Pension, so will charging them board and lodging affect his payment?
Q. Seth
I have three adult children who live at home while they attend university. When I was working they lived free but now that I’m retired, I have to reconsider this arrangement and I’m thinking of asking them to contribute towards their living expenses.
Will this be deemed as income by Centrelink and affect my Age Pension payment?
A. In general, Centrelink does not consider board and lodging from immediate family members as income, therefore, you should be able to receive contributions from your children towards their living expenses without your Age Pension being affected.
It may be worthwhile keeping a record of outgoings, as well as the contributions you receive from each child. That way, if Centrelink asks you to prove you’re not making extra income from your children’s board and lodging, it’s easy enough to prove.
You can find out more about renting a room or providing board and lodging by visiting HumanServices.gov.au
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