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There are payments to support you if your baby was stillborn.
We understand this is a difficult time for you and your family. If you experience pregnancy loss, or neonatal death, there are support services and information you may find helpful.
How we define stillbirth for our payments
To be eligible for this payment, a stillbirth needs to meet our definition. A stillborn baby is one who had not breathed since delivery and had no heartbeat after birth.
To be considered stillborn, a baby also had to have a gestation period of at least 20 weeks or weighed at least 400 grams at their birth.
What the differences are between payments
You need to decide what to claim if your baby was stillborn. Your family may be able to get either:
- Parental Leave Pay
- Stillborn Baby Payment.
When deciding between the payments, there are some key differences.
| Parental Leave Pay if your baby’s delivery was before 1 July 2024 | Parental Leave Pay if your baby’s delivery was on or after 1 July 2024 | Stillborn Baby Payment |
|---|---|---|
Up to a total of $17,655.00. Your family can get up to 20 weeks. If you have a partner, part of it will be reserved to share with them. | Up to a total of $20,147.60. Parental Leave Pay is currently $915.80 per week. Your family can get up to 22 weeks. If you have a partner, part of it will be reserved to share with them. | A one-off lump sum payment of $4,225.10. |
| Is a taxable payment. | Is a taxable payment. | Is not a taxable payment. |
| Uses either an individual or a family income test. | Uses either an individual or a family income test. | Uses an estimate of your family’s adjusted taxable income. |
| You must meet a work test. | You must meet a work test. | No work test. |
What the income tests are
Parental Leave Pay uses an individual income test. However, if you don’t meet the individual income test you will be assessed using a family income test.
You can read more about meeting the Parental Leave Pay income test.
Stillborn Baby Payment uses an estimate of your family’s adjusted taxable income test.
Your family must earn no more than $75,368.00 in the 6 months after your baby’s birth.
How to claim
You can claim Parental Leave Pay or Stillborn Baby Payment online using your Centrelink online account.
You can read more about how to claim Parental Leave Pay for a child born or adopted from 1 July 2023.
You can also read more about how to claim Stillborn Baby Payment.
What to do if you did a pre-birth claim
If you claimed Parental Leave Pay before the birth of your child, you can complete the claim online. Sign in to your Centrelink online account through myGov and select Add Newborn. As part of this, we’ll ask if your child was stillborn. You’ll be asked to give us proof of birth.