You may find that families ask you or your staff about financial assistance for families from time to time. The Commonwealth Government offers a range of financial assistance to families, including the Family Tax Benefit, Child Care Benefit, Maternity Allowance and Maternity Immunisation Allowance. These payments are administered through the Family Assistance Office.
Family Tax Benefit
Family Tax Benefit is a payment to help families with the cost of raising children. There are two parts to this payment:
- Family Tax Benefit Part A, and
- Family Tax Benefit Part B.
Family Tax Benefit Part A is paid for dependent children up to and including the age of 20 years, and for dependent full-time students up to the age of 24 years if they do not receive a social security payment such as Youth Allowance or an education allowance such as Abstudy.
Family Tax Benefit Part B gives extra assistance to families with one main income, including sole parents, and gives extra assistance to families who have a child under five.
You can choose to have your Family Tax Benefit paid to you fortnightly, by a lump sum paid through the tax system after the end of the financial year, or through a reduction in tax withheld from your wages.
Child Care Benefit
Child Care Benefit assists with the cost of child care. To receive this benefit you must be using approved or registered care.
Approved care: these are services approved to receive Child Care Benefit on behalf of families. If you use approved care, you may choose to receive your Child Care Benefit as fee reductions, where your Child Care Benefit is paid directly to your service, or as a lump sum after the end of the financial year.
Registered care: these are services and carers registered with the Family Assistance Office to provide child care. If you use registered care, you must pay your child care fees up-front and then use receipts to claim a reimbursement from the Family Assistance Office.
Maternity Allowance
Maternity Allowance is a one-off means-tested payment to help with the extra costs of a new baby. You can receive Maternity Allowance if:
- you have a newborn child (including stillborn babies and babies who die shortly after birth) or have care of a newborn child within 13 weeks of the child’s birth and are likely to continue to have care of the child for no less than 13 weeks, or
- a child has been entrusted to your care for adoption before 26 weeks of age, and you were eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A within 13 weeks of the child’s birth or of the child being entrusted to your care. You must lodge a claim with the Family Assistance Office for Maternity Allowance within 26 weeks of the birth of your child or of the child being entrusted to your care for adoption.
Maternity Immunisation Allowance
Maternity Immunisation Allowance is a one-off, separate payment for children who have been fully immunised up to the age of 18 months, or are exempt from immunisations. You can get Maternity Immunisation Allowance if you received Maternity Allowance at the time of your baby’s birth, or are receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A and your child is aged between 18 and 24 months; and your child has been fully immunised on schedule, between the ages of 18 and 24 months, or is on a recognised catch-up schedule, or has an approved exemption from immunisation.
To find out more Contact the Family Assistance Office:
- located in Medicare Offices, Centrelink Customer Service Centres and ATO access sites
- on 13 61 50
- on TTY Service Freecall TM 1800 810 586. (A TTY phone is required)
- on 13 12 02 for information in languages other than English.
- at the web site www.familyassist.gov.au
The following brochures are available from the Family Assistance Office (or from their website):
- The Family Assistance Office – your family’s guide to our services
- Things you need to know about Child Care Benefit
To find out more about the benefits of immunisation, call the Immunisation Infoline on 1800 671 811 (free call) or visit the Department of Health and Ageing’s website at www.health.gov.au//pubhlth/immunise/index
