Payments to help you raise children

There are several payments to help you with the cost of raising children. We provide assistance if you have a baby, adopt a child, or a child comes into your care. We also provide support to help with health care and education expenses.

Birth and adoption

We provide payments to support parents who have just had a baby or adopted a child.

If you are planning a child, or you have just had a baby or recently adopted a child, you may be eligible for Baby Bonus (paid in 13 fortnightly instalments) or the Paid Parental Leave scheme.

The Paid Parental Leave scheme provides financial support to eligible working parents when they take time off work to care for a newborn or recently adopted child. There are two payments available under the scheme:

• Parental Leave Pay (for up to 18 weeks) if you are a child’s primary carer, and
• Dad and Partner Pay (for up to two weeks) for dads or partners

On 1 July 2012, Maternity Immunisation Allowance and immunisation requirements changed. Read more about these changes.

Support for families with children

Payments like Family Tax Benefit, Parenting Payment, Child Care Benefit and Child Care Rebate are available to help with the cost of raising children. You may be eligible if you are a carer of a child, whether it is your birth, foster or adopted child, or your grandchild.

Jobs, Education and Training Child Care Fee Assistance provides extra help with the cost of approved child care if you are looking for work, studying, training or doing rehabilitation to enter, or re-enter, the workforce.

The Double Orphan Pension is available to help with the cost of caring for children who are orphans or unable to be cared for by their parents in certain circumstances.

There are also payments to help you with expenses relating to your children’s education. Youth Allowance provides financial help for young people who are studying full time, doing a full-time Australian apprenticeship or training, looking for work or sick.

The Education Entry Payment is available to help with the cost of study if you get specified income support payments.

If eligible, you can get Family Tax Benefit Part A for children who are studying, up to the end of the calendar year in which they turn 19.

Children aged 16 to 19 years in full-time secondary study count as Rent Assistance children. To get Rent Assistance, proof of rent needs to be provided.

From January 2013, the Schoolkids Bonus will replace the Education Tax Refund. The Schoolkids Bonus helps with the cost of education and will be paid to eligible families in two separate instalments each year—one in January and one in July.

On 1 July 2012, Maternity Immunisation Allowance and immunisation requirements changed. Read more about these changes.

Families with children with a severe disability or medical condition

Carer Payment can provide financial support if you are unable to work in substantial paid employment because you are providing full-time daily care to someone with a severe disability or medical condition or to someone who is frail aged.

Carer Allowance is a supplementary payment for parents or carers who provide daily care to an adult or child who has a disability, medical condition or who is frail aged.

Carer Adjustment Payment is a one-off payment to help families adjust following a sudden accident where a child aged under seven years is diagnosed with a severe illness, medical condition or major disability. There is also the Child Disability Assistance Payment, an annual payment that helps parents with the cost of caring for a child with a disability.

The Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme helps parents and carers with the extra cost of educating children who cannot go to an appropriate state school on a daily basis because they have a disability or special health needs.