DFFH Kinship Care Allowance Victoria: Rates, Levels and How to Get Endorsed

What the DFFH Care Allowance Actually Is

The Victorian Department of Families, Fairness and Housing pays a fortnightly care allowance to kinship carers who have been formally endorsed through the child protection system. It covers the day-to-day costs of raising a child in out-of-home care — food, clothing, accommodation, and general living expenses.

The allowance is non-taxable. It is also generally excluded from Centrelink income testing, so receiving it should not reduce your Age Pension, JobSeeker, or Family Tax Benefit.

The catch that trips up many grandparents: you must be endorsed by DFFH to receive it. If you are raising a child under a private family arrangement without child protection involvement, this allowance is not available to you — regardless of how much care you provide. That is the formal/informal boundary at its sharpest.

2026/2027 Rates by Level and Age

DFFH structures the allowance across five levels, each reflecting the assessed care complexity of the child. Within each level, rates vary by age band.

Level 1 (base care — all endorsed placements):

• Ages 0–7: $473.66 per fortnight ($12,357/year)
• Ages 8–10: $490.16 per fortnight ($12,788/year)
• Ages 11–12: $542.88 per fortnight ($14,163/year)
• Ages 13+: $696.65 per fortnight ($18,175/year)

Level 2 (moderate additional needs):

• Ages 0–7: $500.02 per fortnight
• Ages 8–10: $543.36 per fortnight
• Ages 11–12: $642.42 per fortnight
• Ages 13+: $882.04 per fortnight

Level 3 (high-level care, requires Area Operations Manager approval):

• Ages 0–7: $652.26 per fortnight
• Ages 8–10: $705.01 per fortnight
• Ages 11–12: $840.64 per fortnight
• Ages 13+: $1,159.29 per fortnight

Level 4 (complex behavioural/medical/disability needs): $1,253.41 per fortnight, all ages.

Level 5 (extraordinary continuous specialised care): $1,929.33 per fortnight, all ages.

New placements at Level 1 also receive a $75.25 per fortnight loading for the first six months, intended to offset the upfront costs of a child arriving — a bed, school uniform, and essential household items.

How Endorsement Works

DFFH endorsement is not something you apply for directly. It is an administrative process triggered by child protection. When DFFH determines that a child needs out-of-home care and places them with a relative, the child protection practitioner logs two forms in the Client Relationship Information System (CRIS):

• Form A — Carer Vendor Registration (sets you up as a carer in the system)
• Form B — Commence Care Allowance (activates the fortnightly payment)

The allowance starts from the date the placement is endorsed or assessed as required by Child Protection. A court order alone — even a Children's Court protection order — does not automatically trigger the allowance. The endorsement step must happen in CRIS.

School Attendance Allowance

On top of the care allowance, DFFH pays a school attendance allowance to endorsed carers:

• Primary school (ages 5–11): $425.94 per year
• Secondary school (ages 12–18): $638.91 per year

This is paid annually, not fortnightly, and supplements the care allowance to cover school-specific costs.

What If You Are Not Endorsed

If you are an informal carer, the DFFH care allowance is off the table. The Victorian Auditor-General and Victorian Ombudsman have both confirmed this exclusion in published investigations.

Your financial pathway runs through Centrelink instead: Family Tax Benefit Parts A and B, the Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent), and the Foster Child Health Care Card. These Commonwealth payments do not require DFFH endorsement or any court order — Centrelink assesses based on physical care of the child.

If Child Protection later investigates and endorses your placement, the DFFH allowance opens up on top of your existing Centrelink payments.

The Victoria Kinship Carer Support guide covers both the DFFH and Centrelink payment streams, with the paperwork checklists for each.

See more Victoria guides →