Victoria’s base carer allowance for level 1 (age group 0-7) is the lowest of any state/territory in the nation[1]. (see summary below in Table 1)
Victoria’s first age range level is also the widest of any jurisdiction (0-7). This means that in Victoria a child has to turn 8 before an age-related allowance increase is applied to support their care.
A Victorian home based care placement receives substantially less per fortnight towards the costs of care for a 7-year-old child compared to other states:
NSW—$330
ACT—$239
Queensland—$214
Northern Territory—$111
Western Australia—$107
South Australia—$98
Tasmania—$75
Three states (NSW, Queensland, Tasmania) have a three-tiered payment structure based on the needs of the child or complexity of the placement.
NSW offers the simplest and most comprehensible payment structure with 3 levels of payments according to complexity and payments for ages which are roughly aligned to educational stages (eg 0-4 pre-school, 5-13 primary school, 14-15 (middle school) and 16-17 (senior high school).
All payment amounts for all states in the tables below are fortnightly.
Table 1: fortnightly base rates of each state/territory for first age range[2]
State/territory | Amount | Age range | |
|---|---|---|---|
NSW | $697 (from Jan 2026) | 0-4 | |
Queensland | $623 | 0-5 | |
ACT | $620 | 0-4 | |
Northern Territory | $531 | 0-5 | |
South Australia[3] | $506 | 0-4 | |
Western Australia[4] | $469 | 0-6 | |
Tasmania | $466 | 0-4 | |
Victoria | $457 | 0-7 |
The amount the Victorian carer allowance falls behind other states continues as age-based increments occur.
Table 2: fortnightly base rate of each state for second age range
State/territory | Amount | Age range |
|---|---|---|
NSW | $787 (from Jan 2026) | 5-13 |
ACT | $696 | 5-14 |
Queensland | $671 | 6-10 |
Northern Territory | $568 | 6-9 |
Western Australia | $564 | 7-12 |
South Australia | $555 | 5-12 |
Tasmania | $532 | 5-11 |
Victoria | $483 | 8-10 |
[1] Updated June 2025. Care Allowance rates based on publicly available information. Rates can change depending on budgetary cycles and annual indexation updates
[2] Some states have payments for remoteness which are not included in fortnightly payment calculations. Fortnightly payments may include clothing and other household allowances depending on the state and the payment structure but generally exclude payments for education expenses.
[3] Calculation includes allowances for education and activities
[4]Calculation includes allowances for clothing and other household expenses
The FCAV has recorded the Care Allowance rate over the past 4 financial years for the first age bracket (0-7) at Level 1. This includes the indexation rates that have been applied to the Care Allowance rates over the timeframe:
Year | Care Allowance Level 1 child 0-7 per fortnight | New rate | Percent increase | Amount increase per fortnight | Inflation (CPI)
| Increase if indexed to CPI | Real value discrepancy per fortnight |
2021 | $410 | $418.68 | 2% | $8.68 | 3.8% | $15.58 | $6.90 |
2022 | $418.68 | $427.05 | 2% | $8.37 | 6.1% | $25.49 | $17.12 |
2023 | $427.05 | $435.59 | 2% | $8.54 | 7.0% | $29.89 | $21.35 |
2024 | $435.59 | $446.47 | 2.5% | $10.88 | 3.6% | $15.68 | $4.80 |
2025 | $446.47 | $457.64 | 2.5% | $11.16 | 2.4% | $10.75 | -$0.45 |
Total |
|
|
| $47.63 |
| $97.35 | $49.72 |
State and Territory OOHC Care Allowance Rates in Australia
New South Wales
South Australia
Queensland
Victoria
Australian Capital Territory
Western Australia
https://www.wa.gov.au/system/files/2024-12/fostering_financial_support_info.pdf
Northern Territory
https://families.nt.gov.au/foster-and-kinship-carers/foster-care-current-payment-rates
Tasmania
Tasmania Care Allowance Rates
https://www.decyp.tas.gov.au/safe-children/out-of-home-care-in-tasmania/family-based-care/foster-care/resources-for-foster-carers/
