Centrelink payments and care arrangements

It’s important to tell us if your child’s care or shared care arrangements change so you’re paid the right amount.

Payments for a dependent child

If you have a dependent child in your care, you may be eligible for the following payments:

• Assistance for Isolated Children Scheme
• Double Orphan Pension
• Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
• Child Care Subsidy (CCS)
• Additional Child Care Subsidy
• Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement
• Parental Leave Pay
• Parenting Payment.

If a child:

• leaves your care, you may stop getting some payments
• enters your care or there are changes to shared care arrangements, you may become eligible for some payments.

Rate of your payments

If you have a dependent child, you may be eligible for a higher rate of payment for:

• ABSTUDY Living Allowance
• Disability Support Pension
• Farm Household Allowance
• JobSeeker Payment
• Special Benefit
• Youth Allowance.

If a child:

• enters your care, you may be able to get a higher rate of payment
• leaves your care, your higher rate of payment may stop.

Effect on other payments

If care arrangements for a child in your care change, this may affect certain payments including:

• Carer Allowance
• Carer Payment
• Concession and health care cards
• Rent Assistance
• family assistance payments, including FTB and CCS.

Changes in care arrangements when you get FTB or CCS

Changes to the level of care you have for a child may affect both of the following:

• your rate of FTB
• your CCS.

You should tell us of any changes to your care or shared care arrangements. You can tell us by either:

• calling us on the families line
• completing and returning a Details of your child’s care arrangements form (FA012).

Read more about how your percentage of care affects your FTB payments.

Medicare and care arrangements

If care arrangements change for a child, you may also need to update the details with Medicare.

Register or change Medicare details for you or your family using the:

• Application to copy or transfer from one Medicare card to another form
• Medicare Safety Net Registrations and Amendment for Couples and Families form.