Payments for families

Family Tax Benefit

Family Tax Benefit is a 2-part payment that helps with the cost of raising children. To receive this payment, you must:

• have a dependent child or full-time secondary student aged 16 to 19 years who isn't getting a pension, payment or benefit like Youth Allowance
• care for the child for at least 35% of the time
• meet an income test

For more information about Family Tax Benefit, visit the Services Australia website.

Parenting Payment

Parenting payment is the main payment you can claim while you're caring for a young child. It's also for job seekers who are the main carers of young children.

To receive this payment, you must:

• care for a child under 14 years of age if you're single, or under 6 years of age if you have a partner
• meet income and asset test rules
• meet principal carer rules
• meet residency rules
• confirm your partner is not currently receiving a Parenting Payment

Only one parent can claim this payment. It can't be claimed before the birth of a child.

If you have a child under 6 years old and have been getting the Parenting Payment, you can take part in the Government's ParentsNext program. This program helps you plan and prepare for future study or employment.

For more information about the Parenting Payment, visit the Services Australia website.

Parental Leave Pay

Parental Leave Pay is a payment that helps families take time off work to care for a new baby. The amount of the payment is based on the national minimum wage. The amount of time covered by the payment depends on the date of your child's birth or adoption.

To receive this payment, you must:

• be caring for a newborn or newly adopted child
• meet an income test
• not be working on your Parental Leave Pay days, except for allowable reasons
• have met a work test
• have registered or applied to register your child's birth with your state or territory birth registry, if they're a newborn

If your child was born or adopted before 1 July 2023

You may have been eligible for:

• Parental Leave Pay for up to 18 weeks
• Dad and Partner pay for up to 2 weeks (claims for this payment closed on 30 June 2024)

If your child was born or adopted after 1 July 2023

If your child was born or adopted after 1 July 2023, you may be eligible for the updated combined parental leave payment.

This payment is for up to 130 days, or 26 weeks, while you care for your new child. Your child's date of birth or adoption will determine how many days of paid parental leave you get. If you have a partner, the date will also determine how many days they can get.

For more information about the Parental Leave Pay, visit the Services Australia website.

Child Care Subsidy

This payment helps families with the cost of child care. It's for children aged 13 years and under. It's also available to help support children aged 14 to 18 years if they have a disability or can't be left unsupervised.

The payment is paid directly to your child care provider, to reduce the fees you pay.

To receive the Child Care Subsidy payment, you must:

• care for a child aged 13 years or younger who's not attending secondary school, unless an exemption applies
• use an approved child care service
• be responsible for paying the child care fees
• meet residency and immunisation requirements

What are recognised activities?

The subsidy is available to parents doing recognised activities. These activities include:

• paid work
• training
• volunteering
• looking for work
• paid or unpaid leave
• unpaid work such as work experience

For more information on Child Care Subsidy, visit the Services Australia website.

Other payments you may be entitled to

There are other payments available to help you with:

• having a baby
• paying for your rent
• paying for your telephone and internet costs
• paying for the costs of healthcare through Medicare
• paying for your child's dental care
• paying energy bills

Special considerations

There are several different payments for people looking after children in special circumstances.

These situations include if you:

• share the care of a child with someone else (Services Australia will work out what you're eligible for, depending on how much care each partner provides)
• are a grandparent, legal guardian or other family member providing full-time care for a child
• are adopting a child
• care for triplets or quadruplets
• care for a child with a disability
• live in a very remote area and your child can't access a local state school
• have a stillborn baby or if your baby dies after birth

These payments have different eligibility requirements, and time limits may apply.

Resources and Support

Check the Australian Government Services Australia page for current information about payments and services available when raising kids.

You can find, estimate and compare payments and services you may be eligible for by visiting Centrelink's Payment and Service Finder.