Foster Child Health Care Card for Grandparent and Kinship Carers in Australia

The name is misleading. You don't need to be a registered foster carer to get a Foster Child Health Care Card — and you don't need a court order. A grandparent, relative, or family friend providing at least 14% actual care for a child who isn't their biological or adopted child can apply. There's no income test, no assets test, and the concessions it unlocks are substantial.

What the Card Gets You

The Foster Child Health Care Card is a concession card issued in the child's name. It provides:

• PBS prescription medicines at concessional rates — the standard co-payment drops significantly, and once you hit the safety net threshold, prescriptions become free or near-free for the rest of the calendar year
• Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) access — over $1,050 in bulk-billed dental services over two calendar years, which covers check-ups, fillings, extractions, and other basic dental work
• State and territory concessions — depending on where you live, this can include reduced public transport fares, school fee exemptions, energy bill rebates, and water concessions

State and territory concessions vary; possible concessions include transport concessions and school levies.

Who Can Apply

The eligibility is deliberately broad. You qualify if:

• You're caring for a child who is not your biological or adopted child
• You provide actual daily care — the child lives with you
• Check the current age and study rules with Services Australia

You also don't need:

• A court order or parenting order
• State child protection involvement
• A formal foster care arrangement
• Income below any threshold

Services Australia assesses actual physical care. Regular care begins at 14% (about 52 nights a year), the level associated with access to a child health card.

Informal kinship carers — grandparents who took in a grandchild through a family arrangement with no government agency involved — are fully eligible. The card was designed for exactly this situation.

How to Apply

Apply through myGov linked to your Centrelink account, or submit Form MO044 at a Services Australia service centre. You'll need proof that the child is in your care:

• A statutory declaration confirming you provide daily care
• School enrolment documentation showing your address
• A letter from the child's GP or paediatrician
• Any existing Centrelink determination (like FTB) that lists you as the child's carer

If you've already been assessed for Family Tax Benefit and Centrelink has your care arrangement on file, the application is straightforward — they already have the evidence they need.

Why Apply Even If You Have Other Cards

You might already hold a Pensioner Concession Card through your Age Pension or DSP. The Foster Child Health Care Card is still worth having because it's issued in the child's name specifically. This means:

• The child's PBS safety net is tracked separately from yours
• CDBS eligibility is automatically established
• If the child ever needs to access concessions independently (school programs, public transport passes), the card is in their name
• It creates an additional piece of documentary evidence of your care arrangement, which supports other claims

The Court Order Myth

The most common reason grandparent carers don't apply is because they assume they need formal legal custody first. This is wrong. Section 1061ZK of the Social Security Act 1991 is the statutory basis for the card; a formal state foster-care placement is not required, and Services Australia assesses actual care.

If Centrelink asks for evidence of care and you don't have court orders, provide the same third-party evidence you'd use for an FTB claim: a school letter, a GP confirmation, a statutory declaration. These are standard, accepted alternatives.

Our Centrelink Payments for Grandparents guide covers the Foster Child Health Care Card alongside every other payment a grandparent carer can access, with a checklist to make sure you're not missing anything.

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