Is your Centrelink four months late? You're not alone. Student welfare payments across the country have been delayed as government handles a backlog of applications.

And people are freakin out.

Hack has spoken with students who have been waiting up to four months for Youth Allowance or AusStudy payments that should take 28 days to process. Although Centrelink won't say how many students are affected, the national Student Financial Advisors Service says the delays are "across the board" and regularly happen this time of year.

"It's been happening for at least four if not five years," the Service's chairman Stuart Martin told Hack. "Every year it's getting worse and worse."

I know cases of two, two and a half, three months. I know colleagues would know people who've been waiting longer."

Though the rates vary depending on various factors, a single person over 18 living out of home and studying full-time usually receives about $433 a fortnight from either Youth Allowance (for anyone up to 24 years old) or AusStudy (students over 25).

The university term began seven weeks ago. In that time, four fortnightly payments could have been made, which would have added a cool $1700 to the bank balance.

The late payments mean students are starting the university year strapped for cash. Many are living out of home for the first time in their lives. Though some can ask their parents for financial support, not everyone has that option. Student welfare is based on the idea everyone should be able to study - not just those who can ask their parents for a loan.

Students told to phone Centrelink

Dan, who's a Masters student at University of Sunshine Coast, said his application for 2016 AusStudy hasn't been answered, and he's had to take on more work. He's concerned that, because he's now earning more money, he may be over the AusStudy income threshold.

I've over-committed myself [to paid work]. I haven't been able to put the time and effort into getting my assignments in on time."

One caller on Hack's radio program said she had been waiting four-and-a-half months.

"I've been waiting months with no help, I can't land a job so Mum has had to find money she can't really afford," one person texted the show.

Another wrote:

"I applied January 10 - no money honey had to sell my car to get by."

Julie, another Masters student, said when she applied for Centrelink she was warned there would be a 42-day delay because of the rush of other applications at the start of the year. She's now been waiting twice that period - about three months.

"So I went down to [Centrelink] the other day, spoke to the first person to ask what's going on and she just said to use the phone on the wall to call Centrelink."

But Centrelink isn't answering

In the last two years the number of callers receiving an engaged tone has gone up from less than 14 million to more than 20 million.

That's 60,000 unanswered calls per day.

Dan, the Masters student, also tried to complain to Centrelink.

"I've been sitting on telephones for up to two hours trying to speak to someone," he said. "I've been down there twice to try and sort it out in person.

"The second time I went I was told there was industrial action with the workers there and there was nothing that could be done."

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Whatsapp A note at a Sydney Centrelink office in March.

When Hack contacted Centrelink with the students's stories, the organisation asked for their details so they could sort out their issues.

In a statement sent to Hack, Centrelink wouldn't say how many students were affected by delays, but apologised for the inconvenience.

"Processing times may vary according to a number of factors, including the complexity of individual claims and seasonal demands," the statement said.

Stuart Martin, chairman of the Student Financial Advisors Service, said although the delays were seasonal, they've been getting worse because there's fewer and fewer staff.

"I think it's purely lack of staff and lack of skilled staff," he said. "I know from talking to people in those teams that they're being offered overtime seven days a week."

But Hack has also been told the reason for the delay is not only staffing, it's also the software the staff are using.

Computer says no

A caller to Hack's radio program who said she was a wife of a Centrelink worker said the backlog of claims built up after new software program began malfunctioning.

"Staff were told not to go back to the old system because they have to use new software," she told Hack.

"The software wasn't functioning the claims were building up."

She said eventually staff were allowed to go back to the old software, and the backlog of claims has "greatly reduced".

The Senior Student Advisor at University of Melbourne, Roger Deutscher, said the caller's story "matches exactly" what he's heard.

The new system has failed miserably, staff have had to persevere. This is responsible for the enormous backlog this year."

He said the backlog this year was worse than before.

"I worry about people going without money for so long and I suspect some have had to drop out of their courses."

He said Centrelink treated some applications as a priority, but the only cases where students have had that priority was when they were faced with an eviction notice.

"Even when you're on a priority list can take another two weeks," he said.

On the show's textline, a woman wrote:

"Centrelink students' claims are taking months due to a few reasons. A major one is what [the wife of the Centrelink worker] said, the new system has failed but it has gotten a lot better within the last two weeks. Another reason, three weeks ago we had over 93,000 claims, this week we are down to under 60,000. And of course the most obvious, we are under staffed! The government needs to hire more permanent stuff. I've been within the department for 3 years, and am still on a non-ongoing contract!"

You can work out how much Centrelink you can get paid with this handy rate estimator.

If you're a student in financial difficulty ask your university or college's welfare officer for advice.