Life in Australia Guide

The Australian Government (Services Australia, often called Centrelink) runs several parenting support payments to help with the cost of raising children. Depending on your visa, residence status, and family income, you may be entitled to one or more of them.

• Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A — A basic family payment paid per child. The amount varies with the child's age and your family income.
• Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part B — An extra payment for single-income or single-parent families. It is paid per family.
• Parenting Payment — Living support for the principal carer of a young child. It is income support separate from FTB.
• Newborn Upfront Payment & Newborn Supplement — A payment when a baby is born or you start caring for a child (for example through adoption). You must be eligible for FTB Part A to receive it.

This guide focuses on parenting support. Centrelink in general (registration, CRN, linking myGov) is covered in the Centrelink basics guide, and childcare and preschool subsidies (CCS) are covered separately in the childcare cost support guide.

To receive family payments you must meet the residence rules. On the day you claim, both you and your child must be living in Australia, and you usually need to be one of the following.

• An Australian citizen
• A permanent resident
• A Special Category visa holder (subclass 444, mainly New Zealand citizens)
• The holder of certain temporary or provisional visas (partner provisional, certain protection visas, and so on)

If you only hold a short-term visa such as a tourist or student visa, you are generally not eligible. Whether your visa qualifies depends on the visa type, so check with Services Australia.

Parenting Payment is income support for one principal carer who is mainly looking after a young child. Only one person in a couple can receive it. The child age requirement differs depending on whether you are single or partnered.

• If you are single: your youngest child must be under 14.
• If you are partnered: your youngest child must be under 6.

You must also meet the principal carer rules, the residence rules, and the assets test, and be under the income limit.

If you are single and your youngest child is 6 or over, you must meet mutual obligation requirements (job-search and activity commitments) unless you are exempt.

The amount depends on whether you are single or partnered and on your income and assets. For the exact amount for your situation, check Services Australia (Parenting Payment).

When a baby is born, or you start caring for a child through adoption, fostering, and so on, you may receive the Newborn Upfront Payment (a lump sum) and the Newborn Supplement (paid over 13 weeks).

To receive them you must meet all of the following.

• Be eligible for FTB Part A
• Not receive Parental Leave Pay for the same child
• Have registered or applied to register the child's birth (this does not apply to overseas births)
• Have the child in your care for at least 13 weeks in a row

The amount depends on your family income and the number of children. If you are eligible at more than the FTB Part A base rate, you receive the maximum-rate Newborn Supplement; if you are below the base rate, you receive a reduced amount.

There is no separate claim form — when you claim FTB, Services Australia automatically checks your Newborn eligibility at the same time.

Most family payments reduce based on your family income. Once your income exceeds a certain threshold (the free area), the payment reduces in proportion to the excess, and at a higher level it becomes $0.

• FTB Part A: the lower your family income, the closer to the maximum rate; as it rises, the rate falls toward the base rate, and beyond that you may receive nothing. The cut-off varies with the number of children.
• FTB Part B: there are separate income limits for the primary earner and the second earner. Single parents and grandparent carers have different rules.
• Parenting Payment: both an income test and an assets test apply. For example, for a single person in 2025-26, if your fortnightly income exceeds about $2,890.35 your payment for that period becomes $0, and the limit rises by $24.60 for each additional child. For income above the threshold, the payment usually reduces by about 40 cents per dollar.

The income and assets limits and the reduction rates are adjusted each year (usually in March, September, and July). To estimate how much you could receive, use the Services Australia Payment and Service Finder or call the Families line on 136 150.

Most family payments are claimed online.

1. Create a myGov account (my.gov.au) and link Centrelink to it. To link, you usually need a Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN); if you do not have one, you create it after proving your identity.
2. From myGov, go into Centrelink, select 'Apply for Family Tax Benefit' (or 'Apply for Parenting Payment') and complete the claim by following the prompts.
3. Upload the requested documents, such as the child's birth registration and proof of identity, residence, and income.
4. The outcome is communicated to you through myGov messages.

If online is difficult or your visa or residence situation is complex, you can call the Centrelink Families line on 136 150 or visit a Service Centre in person for help.

Even if your English is not strong, there is no need to give up on claiming family payments. Services Australia provides free interpreting and translating services.

• TIS National (Translating and Interpreting Service) — 131 450: When you call, they connect an interpreter in your language to interpret your Centrelink conversation. It is free.
• Centrelink also has a multilingual phone service in many languages, so in many cases you can speak directly in your own language.
• At some Service Centres you can get on-site interpreting or help from multilingual staff.

When you call, just say 'I need an interpreter for [language]'. A claim made through an interpreter is processed in exactly the same way as one you make yourself.