Immunisation requirements

What you need to do

To meet the immunisation requirements, individuals must do any of the following if they’re younger than 20:

• meet the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s age appropriate early childhood vaccination schedule
• be on an approved catch-up schedule in line with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing’s current Australian Immunisation Handbook
• have a medical contraindication or natural immunity recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

How we check

When you claim for Family Tax Benefit or Child Care Subsidy, we’ll ask for both of the following:

• the child’s Medicare Card number
• the child’s Individual Reference Number, which is the number next to their name on the Medicare card.

We’ll use these details to check if your child meets the immunisation requirements with the AIR.

If your child isn’t eligible for a Medicare card, tell us when you complete your claim.

You don’t need to tell us when your child:

• gets a vaccination
• is up to date with their vaccinations
• starts a catch up schedule.

Your child’s immunisation history statement will show what’s recorded on the AIR.

How this can affect your payments

Your child must meet immunisation requirements for you to get:

• Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS)
• the full rate of FTB Part A.

Child Care Subsidy

If you get this and your child stops meeting the immunisation requirements, you have 63 days to start meeting them again. If you don’t, your subsidy will stop and you’ll need to submit a new claim for CCS. We can only approve your claim once your child’s immunisation status is up to date in the AIR.

FTB Part A

We may reduce your FTB Part A payments by up to $36.54 per fortnight for each child that doesn’t meet the immunisation requirements.

We’ll check that we’ve paid you the correct rate of FTB when we balance your payment. We balance your payment at the end of the financial year.

For lump sum claims, we’ll check your child’s immunisation status when we process the claim. If your child doesn’t meet the requirements, we’ll reduce your payment of FTB Part A. We’ll reduce this for the entire lump sum claim period.

You don’t need to tell us your child meets the immunisation requirements. We’ll get this information from the AIR. If your child’s vaccinations aren’t up to date, we’ll send you a letter explaining what you need to do before your payment is affected.

How to keep up to date

You must make sure your child is up to date with their vaccinations to meet the requirements. Your vaccination provider will update the AIR.

If your child misses any vaccinations, talk to your vaccination provider, such as a general practitioner or community health clinic. They can arrange a catch up schedule. You can check which vaccinations your child needs to get in the National Immunisation Program Schedule on the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing website.

What if your child was vaccinated overseas

You need to take translated evidence of overseas vaccinations to a vaccination provider in Australia. They’ll update the AIR for you.

Help may be available to have your child’s immunisation evidence translated. Read about the Free Translating Service on the Department of Home Affairs website.

When there’s a medical reason your child can’t be immunised

There must be a valid medical reason not to get a vaccine. Read about an immunisation medical contraindication or natural immunity, and who can record them on the AIR.