Family Assistance Office

What are the payments?

The Family Assistance Office can help you with the costs of parenting. The available family assistance payments are:

• Family Tax Benefit Part A helps families with the cost of raising children.
• $1,000 Payment for Families under the Economic Security Strategy
• Family Tax Benefit Part B gives extra assistance to families with one main income including sole parents.
• Child Care Benefit helps families with the cost of child care.
• Child Care Tax Rebate (for child care costs incurred on or after 1 July 2006) - additional help for working families with the cost of child care
• Baby Bonus is money to help with the extra costs of a new child (including adopted and still born children).
• Maternity Immunisation Allowance is a separate payment for children aged 18 - 24 months and who are fully immunised or have an approved exemption from immunisation.

• Large Family Supplement if you get Family Tax Benefit for three or more children, this will be added to your Family Tax Benefit for each child after the second.
• Multiple Birth Allowance if three or more of your children were born at the same time, this extra payment will be added to your Family Tax Benefit.
• Rent Assistance can give you extra help if you are eligible and you receive more than the base rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A and you pay rent to private landlords.
• Health Care Cards are issued automatically if you are entitled to receive the maximum rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A and you get your payment through the Family Assistance Office. Other types of Health Care Cards which are available under certain circumstances, for example, if you are receiving a social security income support payment, are a low-income earner who meets a particular income test or are caring for a foster child.
• Double Orphan Pension provides additional assistance to raise children who are orphans.
• Jobs, Education and Training (JET) Child Care fee assistance – extra help with the cost of approved child care for eligible parents undertaking activities such as work, job search, training, study or rehabilitation as part of an activity agreement, to help them enter or re-enter the workforce.
• Make an Online Claim

• For information about the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register, call 1800 653 809.
• To find out if your family is registered for the MedicarePlus Safety Net, call 132 011.
• The PBS Safety Net protects individuals and families who need a lot of medicines in a calendar year. For more information call the PBS information line on 1800 020 613.
• For more information visit the Medicare Australia website.