Travel outside Australia

How long you can get payment for depends on your situation.

If you or the person you care for leave Australia to live in another country, your payment will generally stop when you depart.

Your payment may be able to continue if you travel to a country we have a social security agreement with, and the agreement includes Carer Payment.

If you travel with the person getting care

You’ll get Carer Payment for up to 6 weeks if you and the person you care for leave Australia together temporarily.

If you travel without the person getting care

If you leave Australia temporarily without the person you care for, you’ll get Carer Payment either:

• for the first 6 weeks of your trip
• until you run out of breaks from caring.

You’ll get it for whichever option happens first.

If the person getting care travels without you

If the person you care for travels overseas without you, you’ll keep getting Carer Payment until either:

• they return
• you run out of breaks from caring.

You’ll get it for whichever option happens first.

If you travel to an agreement country

If you’re in a country with a social security agreement that includes Carer Payment, you may get it for more than 6 weeks.

How long you can get it and how much you’ll get depends on the agreement.

Read the rules for the agreement country you’re going to to see if you can get it.

Call the Centrelink international services line if you need more information.

If you’re studying overseas

You can get Carer Payment for more than 6 weeks if your study is part of a full time Australian course. You must still meet the caring rules.