A single Thurgoona father who defrauded almost $75,000 in social security payments felt trapped by his offending.
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Nathan James Strothers knew for almost six years that he was doing the wrong thing, but mental health issues and a cash shortage held sway.
The 35-year-old now faces sentence in Albury Local Court on October 14.
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Strothers pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining a financial advantage by deception.
He told Department of Human Services investigators he "knowingly" provided inaccurate income statements to Centrelink, but "at the time I was in a rut and I didn't see any other way out".
Strothers, who was working full-time throughout, though suffering from major depression and anxiety, said what he did was "out of need, not greed".
"At the time I didn't think of the repercussions. But then, I've got nothing to live off."
Initially, Strothers did not front court, to magistrate Richard Funston's displeasure given the guilty pleas to serious charges, the significant sum of money defrauded and the possibility of a jail sentence.
Mr Funston briefly adjourned the case so arrangements could be made to get Strothers to appear.
"It's not how I look to run my court," he said.
The court was told the offending ran between January 14, 2013, and October 30, 2018.
He had intermittently received social security payments since 1997.
Strothers was receiving both the parenting payment single and the Newstart allowance.
But throughout Strothers was working full-time, mainly for a telecommunications business then a few months with a graphic design outlet.
His work as a sales representative earned him a gross income of $312,923.37, but he only declared $72,258.62.
It meant Strothers received $76,014.02 in social security benefits when he was entitled to $1097.79, for a total fraud of $74,916.23.
A sentence assessment report will be prepared to consider non-jail options.
