Australians calling Centrelink are being warned to expect to wait a whole lot longer next year.
Budget papers confirm the department that manages the social security behemoth will lose about 810 staff next year and face funding cuts of $80 million.
Welfare advocates are worried the cuts will only compound the 22 million Centrelink calls that went unanswered last year.
"How is an efficiency dividend going to fix that?" Welfare Rights Centre spokesman Gerard Thomas said to AAP on Wednesday.
Centrelink has been beset by a blow-out in call waiting times and has recently been struggling to cope with applications for study payments, leaving dozens of students in hardship.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Opposition human services spokesman Doug Cameron says Centrelink's problems are about to get a whole lot worse.
He believes the cuts will only further sour the public's relationship with government services.
"Malcolm Turnbull's budget means the service delivery standards in Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support are about to go into freefall," he said.
Comment has been sought from Human Services Minister Alan Tudge.
