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Household Assistance Package

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The Household Assistance Package starts from May 2012 with an initial payment, followed by tax cuts in July 2012 and then ongoing assistance added to regular entitlements from March 2013.

The package includes:

  • an initial payment paid automatically to eligible customers
  • increases to regular payments commencing from March 2013
  • new tax cuts effective from July 2012
  • extra assistance, available from July 2012, as well as extra support for Australians relying on essential medical equipment at home.

The Household Assistance Package is part of the Australian Government’s plan for a clean energy future. Around 500 of the biggest polluters in Australia will pay for their pollution under the carbon pricing mechanism, which will be used to assist households to help meet price impacts.

The Household Assistance Package includes the following payments:

Note

The Household Assistance Package does not include the Schoolkids Bonus. The Schoolkids Bonus is a new payment for families with kids in school to help with education costs. For more information visit the FaHCSIA website - Schoolkids Bonus.

Eligibility

You may be eligible for a payment under the Household Assistance Package if you are:

  • receiving a pension or other income support payment
  • receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A, Family Tax Benefit Part B, or Parenting Payment
  • a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holder or a DVA Gold and White Card holder who receives the Seniors Supplement
  • covered by a Commonwealth concession card and have high energy costs associated with using essential medical equipment at home
  • caring for someone who has high energy costs associated with using essential medical equipment at home and either you or the person you are caring for is covered by a Commonwealth concession card, and/or
  • a low income household and do not receive adequate assistance through other means, as per the Government’s income test.

Payments

Initial payment - Clean Energy Advance

  • Family Tax Benefit Part A recipients will receive up to $110 for each child.
  • Family Tax Benefit Part B recipients will receive up to $69 per family.
  • Single pensioners will receive up to $250.
  • Pensioner couples will receive up to $190 per eligible member.

An initial, tax-exempt payment will be paid as a lump sum to pensioners, other income support recipients, families receiving Family Tax Benefit payments, and Seniors Supplement recipients, providing they meet eligibility requirements. This will be paid in May or June 2012, before the carbon price comes into effect.

  • Family Tax Benefit customers from 16-29 May 2012
  • pensioners from 28 May – 8 June 2012
  • other income support recipients from 11 – 22 June 2012
  • Seniors Supplement customers on 25 June 2012.
  • For more information visit Clean Energy Advance.
  • For a full list of Clean Energy Advance payments and rates please see the Clean Energy Advance payment rates on the FaHCSIA website.

Lump sum Family Tax Benefit customers

The initial payment is paid in respect of the 2012-13 financial year. If you claim Family Tax Benefit as a lump sum at the end of the financial year, the initial payment will be automatically included when your 2012-13 lump sum claim is processed.

If you wish to be assessed for an initial payment earlier, you will need to lodge a claim for fortnightly payments of Family Tax Benefit.

You can lodge your claim for Family Tax Benefit through Online Services .

Commonwealth Seniors Health Card Holders

Holders of a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card who receive the Seniors Supplement will automatically receive a Clean Energy Advance on 25 June 2012. If you have a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, but do not receive the Seniors Supplement you will receive a letter in the mail advising that you need to provide your details to receive the Seniors Supplement and therefore the Clean Energy Advance. All you will need to do is complete the form which was sent to you and return it in the reply paid envelope.

If you are a self-funded retiree of age pension age you can check your eligibility for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card and claim online.

Increases to regular payments - Clean Energy Supplement

  • Family Tax Benefit Part A recipients will receive up to $110 for each child per year.
  • Family Tax Benefit Part B recipients will receive up to $69 per family.
  • Single pensioners will receive just over $330 per year.
  • Pensioner couples will receive just over $250 per eligible member.

Increases will be automatically applied to regular payments for pensioners and other income support recipients from March 2013. Seniors Supplement recipients will receive their increases, in arrears, from June 2013. Increases will be applied to Family Tax Benefit recipients from July 2013. Most young people receiving youth or student payments, and Disability Support Pension recipients aged under 21 without dependent children, will start receiving increased payments from January 2014, following a second Clean Energy Advance payment to cover the period from July to December 2013.

Additional support

Low Income Supplement

The Low Income Supplement is an annual payment of $300 that can be claimed by low income households that do not receive adequate assistance through tax cuts or other clean energy payments. Claims can be lodged from 1 July 2012.

Essential Medical Equipment Payment

The Essential Medical Equipment Payment is an annual support for Australians with higher than average energy costs because they rely on essential medical equipment at home. People who will benefit from the support include people coping with serious medical conditions at home and their carers. Recipients of the Essential Medical Equipment Payment will receive an annual payment of $140 from July 2012.

To receive the Essential Medical Equipment Payment, the person with medical needs or their carer must:

  • be covered by a Commonwealth Government concession card or a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold or White Card, and
  • use certain essential medical equipment, or have certain medical conditions that require the use of additional heating or cooling in their home, and
  • be responsible, either wholly or partly, for the cost of running the equipment.

Single Income Family Supplement

The Single Income Family Supplement will be paid to middle income families with one primary earner whose income is between $68,000 and $150,000. Payments will be available from 1 July 2013.

Support for Aged Care Facilities

New arrangements will ensure that household assistance will be shared fairly between aged care residents and aged care homes.

Tax reforms

Some taxpayers will benefit from changes to tax rates from 1 July 2012.

The tax free threshold will increase from $6000 to $18,200, benefiting many regular wage earners.

Some Australians with taxable incomes up to $80,000 will receive a tax-cut.

More information

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