What's Available

Eligibility

Family Tax Benefit A

For more information:

Family Tax Benefit Part A eligibility - Family Tax Benefit - Services Australia

You may be eligible for FTB Part A if you care for a dependent child who is either:

• 0 to 15 years of age

• 16 to 19 years of age and meets the study requirements.

Your child also needs to meet immunisation requirements and Healthy Start for School requirements, if they apply. Centrelink may reduce your FTB Part A payment per fortnight for each child who doesn’t meet these.

To get the FTB Part A supplement your family’s adjusted taxable income must be $80,000 or less.

Family Tax Benefit B

For more information:

Family Tax Benefit Part B eligibility - Family Tax Benefit - Services Australia

You may be eligible for FTB Part B if either:

• you’re a member of a couple with one main income and care for a dependent child aged under 13 years.

• you’re a single parent or non-parent carer, or a grandparent carer and care for a dependent child aged under 18. The child must meet study requirements if they’re aged 16 to 18.

You also need to satisfy an income test, meet residence requirements and be caring for the child at least 35 per cent of the time.

Single Income Family Supplement (SIFS)

For more information:

How to claim Single Income Family Supplement - Single Income Family Supplement - Services Australia

You may be eligible for SIFS if:

• you were eligible on 30 June 2017 and have stayed eligible since then.

• there is 1 main income earner in your family.

• their taxable income is between $68,000 and $150,000.

• you receive Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for at least 1 child.

Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement.

For more information:

Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement - Services Australia

If a child comes into your care - for example, through foster care - you may be eligible for Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement if:

• the child is younger than 1 year old.

• you're eligible for FTB Part A

• the child stays in your care for at least 13 continuous weeks from the date you first became eligible for Newborn Supplement.

When you claim Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for your child Centrelink will automatically assess if you’re eligible for Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement.

Jobseeker Payment

For more information:

JobSeeker Payment - Services Australia

You may be eligible for Jobkeeper Payment if you are aged 22 years or older but under the Age Pension age.

Mutual Obligation - if you are a principal carer who is a registered and active foster carer, you may be eligible for an exemption for up to 12 months at a time.

If you are a registered and active emergency and respite foster carer, but not a principal carer, you may be exempt from your Mutual Obligation Requirements for the duration of any foster child placement plus up to 12 weeks after the child has left your care while you are awaiting the placement of a new foster child.

You will need to provide Centrelink with verification from DFFH or your foster care agency.

Childcare Subsidy

For more information:

Child Care Subsidy - Services Australia

You may be eligible if you meet all the following:

• care for your child at least 2 nights per fortnight or have 14% care.

• are liable for fees for care provided at an approved childcare service.

• meet the residency rules

Your child must also meet both of these requirements:

• immunisation requirements

• not be attending secondary school unless an exemption applies.

If your child attends secondary school, you may still be eligible if they need supervision. They must be either:

• 13 or under

• 14 to 18 with disability

Carer Payment (Child)

For more information:

Carer Payment rules for a child younger than 16 getting care - Carer Payment - Services Australia

When applying for Carer Payment / Allowance, both the child and the carer must meet eligibility criteria. A carer must be providing constant care at home for one of the following:

• someone who has a severe disability or severe illness.

• 2 to 4 children younger than 16 whose needs equal 1 child with severe needs

• 1 or 2 children younger than 16 and 1 adult whose needs equal 1 child with severe needs.

The child receiving care must meet all the following:

• have a score high enough on the Disability Care Load Assessment (Child) Determination 2020 (DCLAD)

• have an illness or disability likely to last at least 6 months or have a terminal illness.

• need care in their home or in hospital.

Carer Allowance (Child)

For more information:

Carer Allowance - Services Australia

Carer Allowance is a supplementary payment for carers who provide additional daily care and attention for someone with a disability or medical condition.

There is no assets test for Carer Allowance but there is an income test. To get Carer Allowance your and your partner’s combined adjusted taxable income must be under $250,000 a year.

If you receive Carer Payment for a child younger than 16, you don’t need to claim Carer Allowance.

You must complete a claim for Carer Allowance if you’re providing care for either a:

• person 16 or older

• child younger than 16 for whom you do not receive a Carer Payment.

When a child in your care is about to turn 16, you can apply to change your Carer Payment or Carer Allowance from a child payment to an adult payment. If you don’t apply for the transfer to adult payment, your Carer Payment or Carer Allowance will stop.

Child Disability Assistance Payment

For more information:

Child Disability Assistance Payment - Services Australia

An automatic yearly payment if you receive Carer Allowance for looking after a child with a disability or serious illness. To be eligible, you must get Carer Allowance for a child younger than 16 years of age.

Carer Adjustment Payment

For more information:

Carer Adjustment Payment - Services Australia

A one-off payment to assist families where a child younger than 7 years is diagnosed with a severe disability or severe medical condition following a catastrophic event. To be eligible:

• you must receive Carer Allowance for the child.

• you must have a very strong need for financial help.

• the child must need this care for at least 2 months.

• you and your partner cannot be in receipt of Carer Payment or be able to receive another income support payment from Centrelink.

You must apply within 2 years from the first time a doctor diagnoses the child’s condition.

Child Dental Benefits Schedule

For more information:

About the Child Dental Benefits Schedule - Child Dental Benefits Schedule for health professionals - Services Australia

The CDBS provides basic dental care to eligible children aged 0 to 17 years. To be eligible for the CDBS, children and young people meet all the following criteria:

• be aged 0 to 17 years for at least 1 day of the calendar year

• be eligible for Medicare on the day of service

• get, or be part of a family getting, certain Australian Government payments.

Under the CDBS, dental services are capped at $1,052 over 2 consecutive calendar years. The cap amount is indexed yearly on 1 January. The 2-year cap period starts when a child or teenager first receives an eligible dental service. Dental services covered by the CDBS include examinations, x-rays, cleaning, fissure sealing, fillings, root canals, extractions, partial dentures.

Foster Child Health Care Card

For more information:

Foster Child Health Care Card - Services Australia

A Foster Child Health Care card is issued to an individual foster child and can’t be transferred or used for another child. If a foster child enters your care, you must make a new claim for Foster Child Health Care Card.

If a foster child leaves your care and the child still requires a Foster Child Health Care Card, the new foster carer will be required to claim for that foster child.

This card entitles the child in your care to cheaper medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

You may get extra concessions from state and local government authorities and some private organisations. Health Care Card concessions vary in each state and territory. Please check with the organisation providing the concession.