Print

Australian Government financial support

Sections on this page:

Family and parenting payments and benefits

Foster and kinship carers may be eligible to receive family and parenting payments from the Australian Government. If you are a grandparent carer, Centrelink has Grandparent Advisors who can provide you with extra support. You can contact the Grandparent Advisor Line on 1800 245 965. They can also provide support for non-parent carers.

For detailed information relating to any of these payments call Centrelink on 13 61 50, or visit the Services Australia website.

Family Tax Benefit Parts A and B

As a foster or kinship carer, you may be eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A and/or Family Tax Benefit Part B, to help with the costs of raising children.

  • Family Tax Benefit Part A is paid per child. The amount you get depends on your family circumstances.
  • Family Tax Benefit Part B is paid per family and gives extra help to single parents, non-carer parents, grandparent carers or if you are a member of a couple with one main income.

You must meet an income test and there are residency and other requirements.

Family Tax Benefit Part A also requires the child to be up to date with their immunisations, on a catch-up schedule, or have a medical exemption. Additionally, if the child is turning 4 years of age, you must ensure the child has had a health check and advise the Services Australia of this. Both requirements must be met to avoid having the payment reduced.

Child Care Subsidy

The Australian Government’s Child Care Subsidy is a single means-tested subsidy paid directly to child care service providers to reduce the cost of child care for eligible families. This subsidy replaced the former Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate.

Providing you satisfy the eligibility requirements relating to the child’s age and immunisation status, and the families residency status, you may be eligible for the Additional Child Care Subsidy (child wellbeing) for up to 100 hours of subsidised child care per fortnight.

While foster and kinship carers do not need to meet the activity test requirements for a child in care, they must still have applied and be eligible for Child Care Subsidy (even if their entitlement is zero), before being eligible for the Additional Child Care Subsidy (child wellbeing).

Foster and kinship carers and agency support staff will find more information about the child care subsidy arrangements and requirements in the Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) (child wellbeing) Guide | _.

All children in foster or kinship care who have been assessed as being in need of protection under the Child Protection Act 1999 will automatically satisfy the ‘at risk’ threshold for the Additional Child Care Subsidy (child wellbeing).

For more detailed information, call the Australian Government Department of Education on 1300 566 046, or visit their website.

Parenting Payment

This is an income support payment for parents and carers to help cover the costs of raising small children. It is paid to the primary carer. You may be eligible for the Parenting Payment if you:

  • are single with at least one child under 8 years old in your care, or a child under 6 years old if you are partnered
  • meet the income and assets test as well as the residency requirements.

If you are an active foster carer you may be eligible to seek an exemption from mutual obligation requirements for up to 12 months.

Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement

If a child under the age of 1 comes into your care and you are eligible for Family Tax Benefits Part A, you may also be eligible to receive:

  • Newborn Upfront Payment, which is a one-off lump sum payment
  • Newborn Supplement for 13 weeks if the child remains in your care for that period.

Double Orphan Pension

The Double Orphan Pension helps with the costs of caring for an orphaned child, or children who are unable to be cared for by their parents and one of the following applies:

  • both parents are deceased
  • one parent is deceased and the other parent is imprisoned for at least 10 years, in a psychiatric institution or nursing home for an indefinite period, or their whereabouts are unknown
  • the child is a refugee and both parents are outside of Australia, or their whereabouts are unknown.

You and the child will need to meet the residency rules and other eligibility criteria. There are no income or assets tests for this payment.

Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme

This scheme includes a number of payments to help families of students who cannot go to a state school because of geographical isolation, disability or special health or educational needs. To be eligible, you must have a school-aged child who either lives in an isolated area or has a disability or a special need that can’t be met by a local state school.

The child’s age and living arrangements will determine which of allowance or supplement you get:

  • Boarding allowance (basic and additional)
  • Distance education allowance
  • Second home allowance
  • Assistance for Isolated Children Pensioner Education Supplement.

Healthcare services and benefits

In addition to benefits of a Medicare Care and Health Care Card for a child in care, the Australian Government has the following schemes that can assist in reducing the cost of health care.

Medicare Safety Net

The Medicare Safety Net provides families and individuals, including children in your care, with financial assistance for high out-of-pocket costs for out-of-hospital Medicare Benefits Schedule services.

Once you meet a Medicare Safety Net threshold, the Medicare Safety Net may provide a higher Medicare benefit for all eligible services for the rest of the calendar year. Your ‘threshold’ will vary depending on whether you:

  • have a Commonwealth concession card (like a Health Care Card)
  • are eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A.

Each child in your care is eligible for a Health Care Card, making them eligible for the concessional threshold for the Medicare Safety Net. If your family is not eligible to be registered together for the concessional threshold, make sure each child in your care is registered as an individual.

The Medicare Safety Net covers a range of out-of-hospital doctor visits and tests under the Medicare Benefits Schedule, including health care professional consultations, blood tests, CT scans, pap smears, psychiatry, radiotherapy, tissue biopsies, ultrasounds and X-rays.

For more information, call Medicare on 13 20 11 or visit your local Medicare Service Centre.

Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Safety Net

Many types of medicines cost much more than the price you pay. The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and the PBS Safety Net can reduce the cost of medicine for you, or your family, including a child in care.

Once you have reached a certain level of cost for a calendar year, the PBS Safety Net will provide further medication free, or at a reduced rate.

When you are close to reaching the PBS Safety Net threshold, ask your pharmacist about a PBS Safety Net card. If you choose a more expensive brand of medicine, you may need to pay more. The extra amount will not count towards your PBS Safety Net threshold. Talk to your pharmacist if you are unsure.

For more information, call the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Information Line on 1800 020 613, or visit the Services Australia website.

Better Access Initiative

This provides better treatment and management of mental illness by providing patients with access to mental health professionals and team-based mental health care. Under this initiative, Medicare benefits are available to patients for selected mental health services provided by psychiatrists, psychologists, general practitioners, appropriately trained social workers and occupational therapists, for up to 10 individual or 10 group allied mental health services per calendar year.

For more information about Medicare, contact their general enquiries line on 13 20 11, or visit the Services Australia website.

You can also read more about the Health Care Card, Medicare Card, and Child Dental Benefits Schedule in the Health and wellbeing section of this website.

When providing care to a child with a disability

For detailed information relating to any of the above payments, call Centrelink on 13 61 50 or visit the Services Australia website.

Carer Payment

This an income support payment if you provide constant care to someone with a disability or medical condition. There are a range of requirements relating to the care needs of a child under 16 years which must be satisfied, including an income and assets test, and the provision of reports from the child’s health professional. You may also be eligible for this payment if you are caring for:

  • a child with short term care needs (at least 3 months) or episodic needs
  • 2 to 4 children aged under 16 whose needs add up to the same as 1 child with severe needs
  • 1 or 2 children aged under 16 and 1 adult whose needs add up to same as 1 child with severe needs
  • 2 or more children aged under 16 in shared care.

Carer Allowance

This is a supplementary payment for people providing additional daily care at home for a child with disability or medical condition. It is neither income or assets-tested. The carer and the person you are caring for must both be eligible. This allowance can be received in addition to wages or other income support payments.

Carer Supplement

If you get the Carer Allowance or Carer Payment you will automatically be eligible for this lump sum payment.

Child Disability Allowance Payment

If you are paid the carer allowance for a child under 16 years, you will automatically be eligible for this payment.

Find more information about the NDIS and children in care with disability.

Allowances and benefits to help the child in your care

For detailed information relating to any of the above payments, call Centrelink on 13 61 50 or visit the Services Australia website.

ABSTUDY

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people who are studying or undertaking an apprenticeship may be eligible for ABSTUDY if the young person is:

  • Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
  • identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australian
  • be accepted as such by the community in which the young person lives or has lived
  • enrolled in an approved course (for example, secondary school, TAFE, university or full-time apprenticeship) or doing tests or assessments for entry into an approved course or the Indigenous Youth Mobility Program
  • not receiving any other financial assistance (such as other income support payment or a cadetship) to study, or do an apprenticeship or traineeship.

ABSTUDY can help with the costs for living expenses, housing, study, travelling to the location of study, or if the young person lives away from home for study.

Changes to the ABSTUDY program will be implemented from January 2019.

Youth Allowance

Youth Allowance is available for young people aged between 16 and 24 years, who are full-time students or apprentices, looking for work, or are sick.

To receive the Youth Allowance, young people must be:

  • 16 to 17 years of age and:
    • have finished year 12, or equivalent
    • need to live away from home to study
    • are living independently.
  • 16 to 21 years of age and looking for full-time work
  • 16 to 24 years of age and have a full-time apprenticeship
  • 18 to 24 years of age and studying full-time.

Your income and assets will not affect a young person’s Youth Allowance.

Disability Support Pension

A child in your care may be eligible for the Disability Support Pension, if they are 16 years or older, and are assessed as having a permanent and diagnosed disability or medical condition, and:

  • are unable to work or to be retrained for work, for at least 15 hours per week, within the next two years because of the impairment
  • have been assessed as having a severe impairment, or as having actively participated in a Commonwealth Government funded Program of Support to help prepare for, find or maintain work.

The young person will also need to meet residency requirements, and the income and assets test.

Mobility Allowance

A young person in your care may be eligible for the Mobility Allowance, if they:

  • are 16 years of age or older
  • are unable to use public transport without a lot of help
  • provide a medical report from a doctor confirming they cannot use public transport without help and
  • travel to and from home for paid work, voluntary work, study or training, or to look for work.

If there is no public transport where you live, the young person may still qualify for Mobility Allowance.

The young person’s NDIS plan may preclude them from being paid this allowance.

Last updated:
16 September 2021
Share this page: