Centrelink Grandparent Carer

The First Call to Make

Before you touch MyGov, before you fill out any online form, call the Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser line: 1800 245 965 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm). These are specialist Centrelink staff who handle nothing but non-parent carer claims. They can flag your Centrelink record as a grandparent or kinship carer from the start, which changes how your claim is processed internally.

If you skip this call and lodge through MyGov as a regular claimant, your application often gets stuck — Centrelink's system still shows the biological parent as the primary carer of the child, and an unflaged claim can sit in a queue while that conflict is resolved manually. The adviser line exists specifically to prevent that delay.

What You Can Claim

As a grandparent or relative raising a child, Centrelink classifies you as a "non-parent carer." That status unlocks several payments that most carers either do not know about or assume require a court order:

Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Parts A and B — the main payment. You need at least 35% actual care of the child. If the biological parent is still receiving FTB for the same child, Centrelink will assess competing claims based on proof of who the child actually lives with. You do not need the parent's permission or their MyGov login to lodge your own claim.

Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) — Grandparent — if you receive an income support payment (Age Pension, Carer Payment, JobSeeker) and are the principal carer, this can cover up to 100% of approved childcare fees up to the hourly cap. Standard Child Care Subsidy covers a percentage; ACCS Grandparent closes the gap.

Parenting Payment (Single or Partnered) — available if the child is under 14 (single) or under 6 (partnered) and you meet the income and assets tests. This is a separate income support payment, not part of FTB.

Double Orphan Pension — if both parents have died, or one has died and the other is in prison for at least 10 years, in psychiatric or nursing care indefinitely, or has unknown whereabouts; certain refugee children also qualify. No means test applies.

Carer Allowance — a supplementary payment if the child has a recognised physical, intellectual or medical disability. Non-means-tested up to the income cap. Can be paid alongside DCJ care allowances.

Foster Child Health Care Card — issued in the child's name, not yours. Gives access to PBS concession medicines and bulk-billed medical services. Non-means-tested for the carer.

Proof of Care: What Centrelink Needs

Centrelink needs to see that the child genuinely lives with you. If you have a court order (Children's Court, Family Court, or a Section 79 Guardianship Order), that is your strongest evidence. If you do not have court orders — and many informal grandparent carers do not — you can establish non-parent care status with:

• A statutory declaration detailing when the child came into your care, the circumstances, and that the child lives with you full-time
• A letter from the child's school confirming enrolment at your address with you listed as the primary contact
• Medical or immunisation records showing your address
• A letter from the child's GP confirming you bring the child to appointments

The statutory declaration should be made under the Oaths Act 1900 (NSW) and witnessed by a Justice of the Peace, solicitor or other authorised witness. It does not need to be a legal-quality affidavit — a clear, factual account of the care arrangement is what Centrelink assessors are looking for.

The Co-Residence Rule That Catches People

If the biological parent lives in the same household as you and the child, Centrelink generally considers the parent to be the primary carer. You may be ineligible for FTB, CCS or the Foster Child Health Care Card while the parent lives there, unless exceptional circumstances such as severe disability or incapacity are established.

This rule catches grandparents who take over all practical care of a grandchild while the parent still technically lives in the house. If the parent no longer lives in the same residence, document the date and keep evidence. A change in living arrangements can affect the assessment.

Backdating Your Claim

Centrelink cannot backdate FTB or Parenting Payment claims to before your initial contact date. The moment a child arrives in your care, call the 1800 245 965 adviser line to create a record — even if you are not ready to lodge the full claim yet. The initial-contact rule sets the earliest date that can be considered; ask the adviser to confirm the claim date that will be recorded.

If weeks or months have passed since the child arrived and you have not contacted Centrelink, call now. The adviser can still assess what backdating is possible based on your circumstances, but the longer the gap, the more documentation you will need to support the claim.

The NSW Kinship Carer Support guide includes a proof-of-care checklist and phone preparation worksheet designed for the 1800 245 965 call — so you walk into that first conversation with every document reference the adviser will ask for.

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