Here I am again

[Jollygoodfellow]

Theres a lot of chat here about mail. Is there really much mail sent these days or what you cant access online. In my case I have no mail from Australia and dont care as everything I need is online.

 

[earthdome]

3 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Theres a lot of chat here about mail. Is there really much mail sent these days or what you cant access online. In my case I have no mail from Australia and dont care as everything I need is online.

 

Credit/Debit cards and my financial institutions still send physical mail from time to time even if you choose email statements. Plus the government, especially the US IRS rely on snail mail.

[Jollygoodfellow]

4 hours ago, earthdome said:

Credit/Debit cards and my financial institutions still send physical mail from time to time even if you choose email statements. Plus the government, especially the US IRS rely on snail mail.

I understand cards. The Aus tax system is all digital from my experience so no need for mail.

[OnMyWay]

11 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Theres a lot of chat here about mail. Is there really much mail sent these days or what you cant access online. In my case I have no mail from Australia and dont care as everything I need is online.

 

Remember that for U.S. Citizens living overseas, we kinda have to hide that fact from banks and financial institutions, because they don't want us as customers if we are living overseas.  That might be different for AU and other countries.  So, even if I sign up for doing everything electronically, I still have to put that U.S. address down in my record.  Some people use a friend or relative but that doesn't work so well sometimes.

And once in a while, someone insists on mail.  I have 4 checks coming, and for each, I asked if were possible to do it electronically, and they said no.

[GeoffH]

6 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

I understand cards. The Aus tax system is all digital from my experience so no need for mail.

There are still two accounts that don't get sent in a digital form that I need each year.

One is the water rates, the water provider does not offer digitally delivered accounts (they've had a notice on their web site for ages that they're implementing a new web site which will allow digital payment but no sign of anything changing for the last two years).  I need a copy of the water rates to do my tax most years because this place has been rented in the past (and will be again after Covid).   They won't send a digital copy even if you ask them and they won't post to an overseas address.

The other is council land and garbage rates, one property (the house I'm living in now) I get a notification in my bank (they don't do digital but they notify my bank when a bpay amount is owning so I can pay it that way even if I never get to see the actual account).  The issue there is I need a copy of the rates notice for my tax.  So I have to call up and request them to email me a digital copy of the rates notice and they chage me $10 for that (but at least it's available).

I'm living in hope that at least the water company eventually gets their digital portal working.

[graham59]

On 7/27/2020 at 10:03 AM, OnMyWay said:

Remember that for U.S. Citizens living overseas, we kinda have to hide that fact from banks and financial institutions, because they don't want us as customers if we are living overseas. 

Same for UK citizens....from my experience. 

Just borrow the money first,  THEN go overseas.  

Always better when they need you more than you need them. 

[Clermont]

On 7/27/2020 at 8:52 AM, Jollygoodfellow said:

I understand cards. The Aus tax system is all digital from my experience so no need for mail.

Actually you do still need a mail address, anything to do with government benefits, like pension an address is required. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

6 hours ago, Clermont said:

Actually you do still need a mail address, anything to do with government benefits, like pension an address is required. 

You probably need an address but cant you login to mygov for anything these days. I dont know as I dont get a pension. My point is do you get mail in the mail box or can you opt for all digital? 

[Clermont]

19 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

You probably need an address but cant you login to mygov for anything these days. I dont know as I dont get a pension. My point is do you get mail in the mail box or can you opt for all digital? 

Here in OZ you need a fiscal address not a post box when Government is paying. As a gov official told me, "You don't live in a post box, we want the address where you actually live." You can pay Government accounts electronically out of a bank account. Don't forget, you need a bank  account and to get one you need a 100 point system, Google the points. Now to get a new card for your bank account, the card has to go to an Australian address, THEY WILL NOT POST/SEND THE NEW CARD OVERSEA'S. The banking Royal Commission has outlined the new rules and the Government has implemented them. With the issuing of new bank cards as the old one's expire, I think it is going to catch a lot of retirees out if they haven't got a fiscal Australian address. 

 

 

[BrettGC]

2 minutes ago, Clermont said:

Here in OZ you need a fiscal address not a post box when Government is paying. As a gov official told me, "You don't live in a post box, we want the address where you actually live." You can pay Government accounts electronically out of a bank account. Don't forget, you need a bank  account and to get one you need a 100 point system, Google the points. Now to get a new card for your bank account, the card has to go to an Australian address, THEY WILL NOT POST/SEND THE NEW CARD OVERSEA'S. The banking Royal Commission has outlined the new rules and the Government has implemented them. With the issuing of new bank cards as the old one's expire, I think it is going to catch a lot of retirees out if they haven't got a fiscal Australian address. 

 

 

Good to know as I'm stuck with an Aust based account as they won't pay my navy pension into an overseas account.  Just for clarity, defence pensions in Australia are in no way connected to Centrelink but rather come from Comsuper.