Federal Government allowances and benefits
- ABSTUDY
- Assistance for Isolated Children
- Carer Payment (child) and Carer Allowance (child)
- Child Care Benefit
- Dental treatment
- Double Orphan Pension
- Family Tax Benefit A and B
- Health Care Card
- Maternity payment (Baby Bonus)
- Maternity Immunisation Allowance
- Medicare Safety Net
- Mobility Allowance
- Parenting payment
- Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Safety Net
- Youth Allowance
ABSTUDY
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students who are studying an approved secondary course may get ABSTUDY. Primary school students under 14 years of age on 1 January in the year of study may also qualify. ABSTUDY provides money for:
- accommodation - rent assistance, boarding fee supplements
- expenses for fields trips or work placements that require travel away
- fares for travel between your permanent home and the school at the beginning and end of term
- living expenses
- prescription medication
- school fees, books, uniforms and other school costs.
Further information
For further information, call your nearest Centrelink Customer Service Centre on 132 317 and ask for an Indigenous Contact Officer.
Assistance for Isolated Children
The Assistance for Isolated Children is a Commonwealth scheme that helps families whose homes are too far away from an appropriate government school to enable daily access.
An 'appropriate government school' provides the right level of study for the child or young person in your care and meets any special health or educational needs (for example, remedial or gifted programs).
Assistance for isolated children includes:
- boarding allowance
- distance education allowance
- second home allowance.
It is generally designed for primary and secondary school students.
Note: if you get Assistance for Isolated Children, the child in your care cannot get Youth Allowance or ABSTUDY.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150.
Carer Payment (child) and Carer Allowance (child)
Support for carers includes:
- The Carer Payment (child) is made to people who provide constant care for a profoundly disabled child under 16 years. You need to meet an income and assets test. You can work or study - up to 25 hours a week, with support breaks allowed.
- The Carer Allowance (child) is a supplementary payment for those providing care at home for a child with a disability. It is neither income nor assets-tested and can be paid on top of a Centrelink pension.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150.
Child Care Benefit
Child care is a necessity for a lot of people including foster and kinship carers.
If the child you look after attends an approved or registered child care facility, such as a child care centre, kindergarten, or before-and-after school care programs while you work, study or attend training, you may be able to claim the Child Care Benefit.
- From 1 July 2007, the Child Care Benefit rates increased by 10 per cent on top of indexation.
- From 1 July 2007, the Child Care Tax Rebate became a payment through the Family Assistance Office rather than a claim through the tax system. Changing the payment process means that families can now receive this assistance 12 months earlier.
Payment options
Your Child Care Benefit is paid directly to the child care service as reduced fees so that you pay less upfront.
- You pay the full fee and then lodge your receipts with the Family Assistance Office to claim the Child Care Benefit (this is only available for registered care services).
- You pay full child care fees throughout the year and receive a lump sum Child Care Benefit after the end of the financial year.
- The rates payable vary depending on the age of the child and your income.
Grandparents and child care
The work/study/training test is waived. You can access up to 50 hours a week child care per child. If you receive a pension, the full cost of approved child care will be covered.
Further information
For further information, call your local Family Assistance Office at Centrelink on 136 150.
Dental treatment
From July 2007, people who need dental treatment as a result of chronic or complex illness will be able to claim Medicare rebates for more dental services.
- Eligible patients will be able to claim Medicare benefits for a diagnostic dental consultation, as well as for a range of dental treatment services up to a maximum of $2,000 (including Extended Medicare Safety Net benefits) each calendar year.
Further information
For further information, visit the Medicare website.
Double Orphan Pension
If neither parent of the child in your care is available to provide care, you may be eligible for the Double Orphan Pension.
Eligibility
- Both parents do not need to have died - one may be 'unable and unavailable' (for example, in prison, in residential psychiatric care or whereabouts unknown).
- Some refugee children may be considered as double orphans and the child in your care needs to be aged under 16 years.
- You need to be eligible for the Family Tax Benefit.
- This payment is neither income nor assets tested.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150.
Family Tax Benefit A and B
As a foster or kinship carer, you may be eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A and/or B:
- Family Tax Benefit Part A is the most common payment to help families with the cost of raising children. It is income-tested and is paid per child.
- Family Tax Benefit Part B provides extra financial assistance for single income or sole parent families. It also gives extra help to families with children under the age of five years. The amount paid is based on both income and the age of the youngest child. It is paid per family.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150.
Health Care Card
All children and young people in foster or kinship care are eligible for a Health Care Card in their own name. Carers may also be entitled to a Health Care Card if they receive Centrelink income support such as:
- Newstart Allowance
- Sickness Allowance
- Carer Allowance
- Partner Allowance
- Widow Allowance
- Parenting Payment (Partnered)
- qualify for the maximum rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A
- qualify for the low-income health care card.
Health Care Card concessions include cheap prescription medicines, bulk-billed GP appointments (at the doctor's discretion), concessions on public transport and reduced TAFE course fees.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150.
Maternity Payment (Baby Bonus)
The Baby Bonus is a one-off payment to help with the costs of a newborn child.
Eligibility
- You may qualify if a baby comes into your care within 13 weeks of birth and you are likely to be providing care for 13 weeks or more.
- A claim needs to be lodged within 26 weeks of birth.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150.
Maternity Immunisation Allowance
Maternity Immunisation Allowance is a one-off lump sum Federal Government payment that needs to be claimed on or before the child turns two years of age. It is payable if the child is fully immunised.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150.
Medicare Safety Net
Medicare provides an 85 per cent rebate on out-of-hospital services like general practitioner (GP) and specialist visits.
The Medicare Safety Net means that if you or your family, including children and young people in your care, have to visit the doctor or have tests regularly and face large out-of-pocket costs over a calendar year, you can get a further 80 per cent rebate on these costs when they reach a certain level.
- This level is known as your 'threshold', and will vary depending on whether you have a Commonwealth concession card (such as a Health Care Card) or are eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A.
- Each child or young person in out-of-home care should automatically have a Health Care Card, making them eligible for the concessional threshold for the Medicare Safety Net.
For current Medicare Safety Net thresholds, visit the Medicare website.
Registration for the Medicare Safety Net is free and you can register by choosing any of the following options:
- online by completing the Medicare Safety Net family registration form
- download a Medicare Safety Net registration form or pick one up from your local Medicare office
- over the phone by calling 132 111.
Mobility Allowance
The child in your care may be eligible for the Mobility Allowance if they are:
- 16 years and over and are unable to use public transport without substantial assistance because of a disability for the next 12 months, and is travelling to and from your home for work, training or job seeking
- undertaking vocational training, voluntary work, paid work, independent living or life skills training (or a combination) for at least 32 hours every four weeks
- receiving the Youth Allowance
- looking for work through the Job Network or Disability Employment Network.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150.
Parenting Payment
Foster and kinship carers may be eligible for the Parenting Payment. You need to be:
- single with at least one child aged under eight years in your care or, partnered with at least one child aged under six years in your care.
- You also need to meet income and assets tests.
Active foster and kinship carers are exempt from the work requirements. Talk to your local Child Safety Service Centre about how to arrange an exemption with Centrelink.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150.
Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme Safety Net
If you or your family, including children or young people in your care, need to buy medicines regularly, you may benefit from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) Safety Net:
- Under the PBS, if you hold a Health Care Card you will usually pay $4.90 per prescription.
- Once you have reached a certain level of costs for a calendar year, the PBS Safety Net will provide further medication free or at a reduced rate.
For information on the current PBS Safety Net threshold, visit the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing website.
Further information
For further information, call the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme on 1800 020 613.
Youth Allowance
Some, not all, young people in foster or kinship care qualify for the Youth Allowance. This allowance is for:
- 16 to 24 year-olds who are studying full-time or who are full-time apprentices or trainees
- 16 to 20 year-olds who are actively looking for work or who are training and doing part-time work.
- Some 15-year-olds can also qualify for the Youth Allowance.
Your income or your assets will not affect a child's youth allowance.
Further information
For further information, call your local Centrelink office on 136 150
- Last updated
- 6 June 2008