Grandparent Raising a Grandchild: What Am I Entitled to in Australia?

You didn't plan for this. A grandchild is in your home, the costs are mounting, and you need to know exactly what help is available. Here's every payment, concession, and support service an Australian grandparent carer can access — and the care thresholds that unlock each one.

The Core Payments

Family Tax Benefit Part A — The main per-child payment. Up to $235.48 per fortnight for a child aged 0–12, or $306.46 for a teenager 13–19 in full-time secondary study. Plus a $970.90 end-of-year supplement per child. Requires 35% or more care. Income-tested on your combined adjusted taxable income.

Family Tax Benefit Part B — Per-family payment. Up to $200.34 per fortnight (youngest child 0–4) or $139.86 (5–18). Grandparents and great-grandparents may qualify until the end of the calendar year the child turns 18, if the child remains in full-time secondary education; standard parents generally lose it when their youngest child turns 13. Tested on the lower earner's income if partnered.

Additional Child Care Subsidy (Grandparent) — Covers up to 100% of eligible child care fees, up to 120% of the national hourly rate cap. Available to eligible grandparents on qualifying income support who provide at least 65% care and make day-to-day decisions for the child. Includes 100 subsidised hours per fortnight with no activity test. If you're not on income support, you may still qualify for standard Child Care Subsidy under the 3-Day Guarantee.

Double Orphan Pension — $81.60 per fortnight with no income or assets test for a carer providing at least 35% care. Available when both parents are deceased, or one parent is deceased and the surviving parent is imprisoned for 10+ years, in indefinite institutional care, or whereabouts unknown. You must also have lodged an FTB claim, even if FTB is not payable because of income. Often overlooked — check whether the child's circumstances qualify.

Carer Allowance (Child) — $162.60 per fortnight for a grandchild with a disability requiring substantial daily care. Plus $600 Carer Supplement and $1,000 Child Disability Assistance Payment annually. No assets test. Requires specific medical forms (SA431 for under 16, SA332A for 16+).

Parenting Payment — $1,087.20 per fortnight (single) or $763.00 (partnered). Available if you're the principal carer of a young child and not already on Age Pension or DSP. Most grandparents on pension should stay on pension and stack the child-related payments on top.

Concession Cards

Foster Child Health Care Card — No income or assets test. Available to a non-parent carer providing the required level of actual care, regardless of whether you have a court order or formal foster status. Provides concessional PBS prescriptions and access to over $1,050 in bulk-billed dental care through the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.

Pensioner Concession Card — If you're on Age Pension or DSP, you already have this. It covers you; the Foster Child Health Care Card covers the child specifically.

Low Income Health Care Card — Available if you're not on a pension but your income is below the threshold. Worth applying for if you're a self-funded retiree with modest income.

Supplements and Add-Ons

Rent Assistance — A child at the regular-care threshold (14% or more) may qualify for Rent Assistance alongside FTB Part A, subject to the rent and other eligibility rules. The rate depends on your circumstances.

Energy Supplement — A small fortnightly addition to your pension or FTB, paid automatically if you were receiving the payment before 20 September 2016 or are a new recipient who qualifies.

Pension Supplement — Included in your Age Pension or DSP rate. Having additional dependants doesn't change the supplement, but it's part of the broader package that makes staying on pension preferable to switching to Parenting Payment.

Healthcare

Medicare card transfer — You can add your grandchild to your Medicare card by submitting Form MS011. If the parent can't consent, a statutory declaration of care or your FTB determination is accepted as evidence. You can claim Medicare rebates on receipts in your name immediately, even before the card transfer processes.

National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) — If the child has a disability, they may qualify for an NDIS plan providing funding for therapies, equipment, and support workers. NDIS approval is separate from Centrelink's Carer Allowance — you need both agencies' specific paperwork.

State and Territory Support

State-level support varies, but key services include:

• Queensland: Time for Grandparents (1300 135 500) — telephone advice, respite, grandfamily camps
• South Australia: Grandparents For Grandchildren SA ((08) 8212 1937) — helpline, mobile outreach, peer groups
• Western Australia: Wanslea Grandcare — $1,000 annual payment per grandchild under 18 for informal carers who've provided care for at least four months
• Victoria: Kinship Carers Victoria — connections to DFFH Care Support Help Desks
• Tasmania: Foster & Kinship Carers Tasmania (1800 149 994) — 24-hour support line
• ACT: Carers ACT — advocacy, counselling, peer support

If you have a formal kinship placement through the state child protection department, you may also receive a non-taxable state carer allowance. Rates vary by jurisdiction, the child's age, and assessed needs. Informal carers generally don't receive this allowance.

The Specialist Helpline

The Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Adviser (GFKCA) line — 1800 245 965 — is Centrelink's dedicated service for grandparent carers. Advisers provide case assistance and claim navigation, can refer you to a Social Worker for crisis support, or connect you with a Financial Information Service officer to discuss Age Pension gifting impacts and other financial questions.

Getting Everything in Order

The sheer number of payments and agencies can be paralysing when you're already dealing with the emotional upheaval of taking on a grandchild. Our Centrelink Payments for Grandparents guide walks through every payment in the right claim order, with evidence checklists for each step, so you can work through the system methodically without missing entitlements.

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