Double Orphan Pension in Queensland: Eligibility, Rate and How to Claim

What the Double Orphan Pension Is

The Double Orphan Pension (DOP) is a Commonwealth payment for carers of children who meet specific parental-circumstance rules: generally, both parents are deceased, one is deceased and the other meets a specified unavailability condition, or the child is an admitted refugee whose parents live overseas or are unlocated. It is paid by Services Australia on top of other family payments — it does not replace Family Tax Benefit.

The payment is not means-tested and not taxable. Your income, assets, and whether you hold a court order are all irrelevant. What matters is the child's parents' circumstances and the fact that you are providing at least 35% of the child's physical care.

2026 Rate

As of 1 January 2026, the Double Orphan Pension rate is $81.60 per fortnight per child. It is indexed annually.

DOP is paid in addition to any Family Tax Benefit Part A and Part B you receive. It does not reduce any other payment and is not counted as income for Centrelink purposes.

Who Qualifies

You can claim DOP if one of the following situations applies to the child's biological parents:

1. Both parents are deceased.
2. One parent is deceased and the surviving parent meets at least one of these conditions:
   • Serving a prison sentence of at least 10 years
   • Confined indefinitely to a psychiatric institution or nursing home
   • Their whereabouts are unknown after reasonable enquiry
3. The child is a refugee admitted to Australia and both parents remain overseas or their whereabouts are unknown.

One parent's death alone does not qualify you for DOP unless the surviving parent satisfies one of the severe unavailability conditions above. If the surviving parent is alive, contactable, and does not meet one of the listed conditions, you cannot claim DOP — even if they have abandoned the child in every practical sense.

How to Claim in Queensland

1. Gather available evidence. This may include a death certificate, evidence that a surviving parent is serving a prison sentence of at least 10 years or is confined indefinitely to a psychiatric institution or nursing home, or records of reasonable enquiries when their whereabouts are unknown. Ask Services Australia which supporting documents it needs for your circumstances.

2. Call the Grandparent Adviser Line on 1800 245 965 and let them know you need to claim DOP. They will confirm your eligibility and guide you through the process.

3. Submit Form SC003 — Claim for Double Orphan Pension — following the lodgement instructions on the form or from Services Australia.

4. Attach Form CS4647 — your statutory declaration confirming care — and any supporting evidence relevant to the parental circumstances in your claim.

Processing typically takes 21 to 56 days. The payment is effective from the date you lodge the claim.

Common Questions

Can I get DOP if I am also receiving a state carer allowance? Yes. Queensland state allowances and the Commonwealth DOP are independent systems. Receiving one does not disqualify you from the other.

What if I discover the missing parent later? You must notify Services Australia within 14 days of any change in the parents' circumstances. If the surviving parent is found and no longer meets the unavailability criteria, DOP will stop.

Does DOP affect my Age Pension? No. DOP is non-taxable and excluded from both the income test and the assets test for income support payments.

Further Help

The Queensland Kinship Carer Support guide includes a complete DOP eligibility walkthrough, the forms checklist, and a section on how DOP interacts with every other payment you might be receiving. The free checklist covers all available payments at a glance.

See more Queensland guides →