Centrelink Grandparent Carer: Every Payment You Can Claim in Tasmania

Start With the Right Phone Number

The single most important step for any grandparent or kinship carer dealing with Centrelink is calling the dedicated Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser Line on 1800 245 965 (Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm).

These advisers specialise in non-parent carer claims. They understand care transfers, conflicting care disputes, and the evidence requirements for informal arrangements. Calling the general Centrelink line means explaining your situation to someone who may never have processed a non-parent claim.

Every Payment Available

Family Tax Benefit Part A — a per-child payment based on household income and the child's age. Non-parent carers with at least 35% physical care may claim if they meet Centrelink's other eligibility rules, regardless of court orders or DECYP involvement.

Family Tax Benefit Part B — additional support for single-income or single-carer households. Supplements Part A.

Parenting Payment (Single or Partnered) — income support for primary carers of young children. Single carers with a child under 14 may qualify. This is taxable income.

Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) — up to 100% of approved childcare fees with no activity test. It is for eligible grandparents or great-grandparents who receive an eligible income support payment, provide at least 65% of ongoing daily care, and have substantial autonomy over day-to-day decisions about the child's care, welfare, and development.

Carer Allowance — a non-means-tested supplement for carers of children with severe disability or medical conditions. Paid on top of everything else.

Carer Payment — income-tested income support for carers providing constant care to a child with severe disability. Replaces Age Pension or JobSeeker as your primary payment.

Foster Child Health Care Card — issued in the child's name regardless of the carer's income. It provides access to cheaper PBS medicines and may help with bulk-billed care; the doctor decides whether to bulk bill.

Double Orphan Pension — a non-means-tested supplement when both parents are deceased, or one is deceased and the other is incarcerated for at least 10 years, confined to an institution, or whose whereabouts are unknown after reasonable inquiries.

How to Start a Claim

The process follows a clear sequence:

1. Call 1800 245 965 to report that you've taken on full-time care of a child and ask how to have your principal-carer status assessed.
2. Submit evidence of your care arrangement — a statutory declaration, the Details of your child's care arrangements form (FA012), the Commonwealth statutory declaration for non-parent carers (CS4647), or third-party letters from professionals who know the child lives with you.
3. Lodge claims through myGov or with the adviser's help for FTB, Parenting Payment, and any other applicable payments.
4. Centrelink assesses the evidence, resolves any conflicting care declarations with the biological parent, and processes the claim.

Backdating applies to the date physical care started, provided the claim was lodged promptly. If there was a delay, backdating may apply to the date of first contact.

When Parents Won't Cooperate

If the biological parent refuses to sign forms or is contesting your claim, Centrelink handles it through a care assessment process. They contact the parent separately — without sharing your address, phone number, or personal details — and compare the evidence from both sides. If the evidence confirms the child lives with you, Centrelink cancels the parent's benefit entitlement for that child and transfers principal carer status to you.

You can lodge a claim without the parent's signature. Statutory declarations, school enrolment records, GP letters, and other third-party evidence can establish care without parental cooperation.

Tasmania-Specific Extras

On top of Centrelink, Tasmanian carers can access state concessions that require separate applications: STAS school fee waivers, the Spectacles Assistance Scheme, Ticket to Play sport vouchers, and the Student Accommodation Allowance for rural and island families.

The Support for Grandparents and Kinship Carers in Tasmania guide combines every Centrelink payment with every Tasmanian concession in one document, including worksheets for assembling evidence and tracking claim progress across agencies.

See more Tasmania guides →