How to pay back your debt with us

Last updated:

11 March 2020

How to pay us back

If you still receive payments from us

If you no longer receive payments from us

When we write to you explaining how the overpayment happened, we will let you know:

how much you need to pay back
whether we will recover the amount you by deductions from your ongoing pension payments
the amount of the deduction applied and from what date
how to pay back the debt in a lump sum
what to do if you need more time to pay it back

how much you need to pay back
how to pay back the debt in a lump sum
how to arrange regular payments if you can’t pay it back all at once

If you choose to pay a lump sum, your payment is due within 28 days from the date of the letter we sent you. Use your DVA file number as a reference. If you are unable to pay within this timeframe please contact us on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372) to discuss your options.

Where to find your DVA file number

If we have sent you a treatment or concession card, your DVA file number is on the card. You can also find it near the top of any letters we have sent you.

Making a payment

To make a payment, you can:

log in to your internet banking and use ‘Pay Anyone’ to transfer the funds
contact your bank to arrange a direct deposit; or
post a cheque

To pay by internet banking or bank deposit, you will need the following details:

Bank:Reserve Bank – Canberra

BSB:092009

Account number:112076

Account name:DVA Admin Head A/C

Reference:[Your DVA file number]

To pay by cheque:

make the cheque out to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs
mark it ‘not negotiable’
write your name and DVA file number on the back
post it to the following address:

Department of Veterans’ Affairs

Attention: Agency Banking

GPO Box 9998

BRISBANE QLD 4001

How to make sure we received your payment

Paying through internet banking is fast, reliable and avoids extra bank fees. Your payment will take longer to process if you send a cheque. If you want to confirm we have received your payment, you can contact us.

What to do if paying us back will be difficult

If paying us back will put you in financial hardship, contact us straight away to talk about your options.

Why we paid you too much

If we paid you more than you were meant to receive, we will send you a letter explaining what happened. If you have questions, you can contact us and we will let you know what caused the overpayment. We can also take another look to make sure the amount is correct.

For some types of payments, you need to keep us informed about your situation so that we can pay you the right amount. This applies if you receive:

If you get one of these payments, how much you should receive depends on your:

income and assets
living arrangements; and
relationship status

When things change, you need to let us know within 14 days (or 28 days if you live overseas or receive Remote Area Allowance). If you don’t tell us in time when your circumstances change, we could end up paying you the wrong amount. See How we recover overpayments for further details.

Sometimes even when you do tell us about changes on time, we may not be able to process the changes before your next pay. We do our best to make sure this doesn’t happen. We will update your details as soon as we can. If we pay you too much in the meantime, you will still need to pay it back.

There can be other reasons why we paid you too much. We will explain these reasons in writing. If you need more information about how the overpayment happened, you can contact us.

How to avoid being overpaid again

If you know what to tell us and when, you can avoid being paid too much next time. See What you need to tell us about for details on the kinds of changes we need to know about.

To let us know when your circumstances change, you can:

log in to MyService
call us on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372); or
contact us another way

Sometimes gradual changes over time can add up enough that you need to give us an update on your finances. This can happen if you save more than you spend. It may help to set a reminder to contact us every 6 months.

You can also nominate someone to contact us on your behalf. If you have a Power of Attorney, they can let us know when things change. If you don’t have a Power of Attorney, you can still authorise someone to keep us up to date. See Arrangements for other people to act on your behalf for more details.

What to do if you disagree

If you believe there has been a mistake, please contact us to talk about what happened. If you decide to request a review, you have 3 months from the date of the letter we sent you. See Requesting a review of our decision for details.