Coming to grips with the different benefits and options available for families can be a little difficult. As your circumstances change, so do the benefits and taxes that apply – and every year the government passes new laws on these payments.
This section offers a basic guide to what’s available. Read ‘Where to learn more’ at the bottom of this page to find out how to get detailed information for your family’s situation.
Overview of payments
| Payment type |
Who is it for? |
Income tested? |
Assets tested? |
|
Child Care Benefit
|
All parents |
Yes |
No |
|
Family Tax Benefit (Part A)
|
All parents |
Yes |
No |
|
Family Tax Benefit (Part B)
|
Single parents and single income families |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Paid Parental Leave (Fact sheet)
|
All parents of children born or adopted after January 1, 2011
|
Yes
|
No |
|
Parenting Payment
|
Low income parents |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Baby Bonus
|
All parents |
Yes |
No |
|
Carer Allowance (Child)
|
People who care for a child with a disability at home |
No |
No |
|
Maternity Immunisation Allowance
|
People whose child is fully immunised between 18 and 24 months (or on a catch-up schedule); also if your child has an approved exemption from being immunised |
No |
No |
|
Double Orphan Pension
|
People whose child’s parents or adoptive parents have both died, or one of the child's parents is dead and the other parent is unable to parent at that time; see Centrelink website for other possible eligibilities |
No |
No |
|
Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme
|
Families of students under 16 who are unable to attend an appropriate government school on a daily basis because of geographic isolation. Types of assistance are:
- Boarding Allowance
- Second Home Allowance
- Distance Education Allowance
- Pensioner Education Supplement
|
No, with the exception of the additional component of Boarding Allowance |
No, with the exception of the additional component of Boarding Allowance |
Income tested = the amount received (if any) is based on your family’s income (what you earn).
Assets tested = the amount received (if any) is based on your family’s assets (what you own). The family home isn’t included, but almost everything else is.
Changes in payment can happen for all the above payments and occurs when:
1. your circumstances change, or
2. the maximum payment rate changes (usually based on a change in the consumer price index, also known as CPI).
Example of payments
In 2011, a single mother with:
- no income
- no assets and
- dependent children
was eligible for
- Child Care Benefit, if using approved or registered care
- Family Tax Benefit (A and B)
- Paid Parental Leave (if the child was born in 2011) or the baby bonus (upon the birth of her children)
- Parenting Payment.
Depending on other circumstances, she may have also been eligible for payments such as Rent Assistance.
Where to learn more
For up-to-date information about your specific situation, meet with an adviser from your local Family Assistance office, or contact Centrelink, Medicare or the Australian Taxation Office.
You can also use the Centrelink Rate Estimator to estimate Centrelink, Family Assistance and Child Care Benefit payments online.
To learn more about Paid Parental Leave and the Baby Bonus, and which one would be best for your family, visit the Paid Parental Leave Comparison Estimator.
