How to Claim Centrelink Benefits as a Grandparent Carer Without Court Papers

If you are raising a grandchild without a court order, you can still claim Family Tax Benefit, Additional Child Care Subsidy at the Grandparent rate, Carer Allowance and Double Orphan Pension through Centrelink — but you need to prove your care through secondary evidence rather than a court document. This process is where most grandparent carers get stuck, because Centrelink tells you "secondary evidence is accepted" without giving you a clear list of what that means or how much is enough.

This article walks through the evidence-assembly process, the key Centrelink forms, and the common points where claims stall. For Tasmanian carers specifically, the Support for Grandparents and Kinship Carers in Tasmania guide provides a structured checklist and evidence tracker for this exact process.

The Core Problem: Proving Care Without a Court Order

When you have a parenting order from the Family Court or Federal Circuit and Family Court, Centrelink has a clear, legal document confirming your care arrangement. When you do not, you need to prove that the child is in your care through a collection of supporting documents — what Centrelink calls "secondary evidence" for non-parent care claims.

The challenge is that no single piece of evidence is usually enough. Centrelink weighs the overall picture. The more documents you provide from different sources, the stronger your claim.

Step 1: Understand Which Forms You Need

Services Australia asks non-parent carers for evidence of the child's care arrangement. Current forms that may be relevant include:

• Form FA012 (Details of your child's care arrangements) — records shared care arrangements for Family Tax Benefit or Child Care Subsidy; it is not itself a claim
• Form CS4647 (Commonwealth of Australia Statutory Declaration — non-parent carer) — only for non-parent carers applying for child support from one or both parents; it is not an FTB or ACCS form

You can make a Family Tax Benefit claim through Centrelink, including online through a Centrelink account linked to myGov. Services Australia may ask for supporting evidence with your claim. If you apply for child support using CS4647, the statutory declaration must be witnessed by an authorised witness such as a Justice of the Peace.

Step 2: Assemble Your Secondary Evidence

This is the step where most claims slow down. Centrelink accepts a range of secondary evidence, and the more varied your documentation, the stronger your case. Evidence types include:

From schools:

• A letter from the school principal confirming you are the primary contact and the child lives at your address
• School enrolment forms showing your name as the responsible adult
• Report cards addressed to you

From medical providers:

• A letter from the child's GP confirming you bring the child to appointments
• Immunisation records listing your name and address
• Medicare enrolment records showing the child on your card

From community members:

• Statutory declarations from people who can confirm the child lives with you — neighbours, religious leaders, community workers, teachers
• Letters from social workers or family support services

Other documentation:

• Receipts for expenses incurred while the child is in your care, such as school uniforms or supplies
• Any correspondence from state child protection (DECYP in Tasmania) acknowledging your care arrangement, even if informal
• Previous FTB or CCS records if the child was already partially in your care

The key principle: Centrelink is looking for a consistent picture from multiple independent sources. A statutory declaration from one neighbour plus a school principal letter plus a GP letter is stronger than three statutory declarations from friends.

Step 3: Handle the Parent Cooperation Question

One of the most difficult practical obstacles is that some Centrelink claims — particularly transferring Family Tax Benefit — work most smoothly when the current recipient (usually the birth parent) cooperates with the transfer. In practice, this cooperation does not always happen.

If the parent is not cooperating:

• You can still claim FTB by providing secondary evidence of your care arrangement. Centrelink will assess the claim based on your evidence.
• Centrelink may contact the parent to verify the arrangement. If the parent disputes it, Centrelink will weigh the evidence from both sides.
• In some cases, Centrelink may determine that care is shared and apportion payments — which may not reflect the reality of your situation. If this happens, you can request a review through the Authorised Review Officer.
• Document everything: keep a log of when the child is in your care, any communication with the parent, and any refusals to cooperate.

Step 4: Claim Each Payment Separately

Once your evidence file is assembled, you claim each payment individually. The main payments for grandparent carers without a court order:

Family Tax Benefit Parts A and B — the largest regular payment for most carers. Part A is per child; Part B provides additional support for single-income households (which includes most grandparent carers on a pension). Claimed through myGov or by calling Centrelink.

Additional Child Care Subsidy — Grandparent rate — if you need child care, this subsidy covers up to 100% of the fee when it is at or below the CCS hourly rate cap, or up to 120% of that cap when the fee is above it, for up to 100 hours per fortnight. Grandparent principal carers who hold 65% or more care and receive income support are completely exempt from the standard CCS activity test. This means you do not need to be working or studying to access the Grandparent rate.

Carer Allowance — an income supplement for carers providing daily care for a child with a disability or medical condition. Not income tested.

Double Orphan Pension — if you care for the child at least 35% of the time, it may be payable when both parents have died, or when one has died and the other is in prison for at least 10 years, in a psychiatric institution or nursing home indefinitely, or their whereabouts are unknown.

Each payment has its own eligibility rules and may require specific additional documentation on top of your care-arrangement evidence.

Step 5: Know Your Review Rights

If Centrelink rejects your claim or apportions payments in a way that does not match your actual care arrangement, you have the right to request a review:

1. Authorised Review Officer (ARO) — request this within 13 weeks from the date Services Australia tells you about most claim and entitlement decisions. Most Family Tax Benefit decisions have a 52-week review limit. The ARO is independent of the original decision-maker and reviews your case fresh.
2. Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) — if the ARO decision is unfavourable, you can appeal to the external tribunal.

Keep copies of every document you submit and every reference number from phone calls. The Tasmania Kinship Carer Guide includes a Contact and Notice Log specifically for tracking these interactions.

Common Points Where Claims Stall

Based on the experiences of kinship carers, these are the most common sticking points:

• "We need more evidence" — this usually means the evidence types are too similar (e.g., three statutory declarations from family members). Add evidence from a different category: school, medical, community.
• Parent dispute — the birth parent contacts Centrelink and claims the child is still with them. Your evidence file needs to be strong enough to counter this. Dates and specifics matter.
• Shared care determination — Centrelink decides care is shared based on the parent's claim, reducing your payments. If this does not reflect reality, request an ARO review immediately.
• ACCS Grandparent documentation — the child care provider needs specific documentation from you to apply the Grandparent rate. Coordinate with the provider early; do not wait until the claim is assessed.

Who This Process Is For

• Grandparents raising a grandchild full-time after a parent's addiction, imprisonment, illness or death — without a formal court order
• Aunts, uncles and family friends who have taken on a child and need to access Centrelink payments
• Carers who have been receiving no payments because they assumed a court order was required (it is not — secondary evidence is an established pathway)
• Adult children helping a parent navigate the Centrelink claims for a grandchild

Who This Process Is NOT For

• Carers with a formal DECYP care order — your caseworker should be assisting with Centrelink claims, and you may also be eligible for state carer allowances
• Anyone seeking advice about whether to pursue a court order — that is a legal question for Tasmania Legal Aid (1300 366 611)
• Carers where the child is with them temporarily for a few weeks — Centrelink claims require an ongoing care arrangement

Getting Organised Before You Start

The evidence assembly step is the one that takes the most time and causes the most frustration. If you want a structured approach with checklists, an evidence tracker and a contact log, the Support for Grandparents and Kinship Carers in Tasmania guide walks through the entire process form by form. A free checklist is available to download first if you want to see whether the full guide would help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a court order to claim Family Tax Benefit as a grandparent?

No. Centrelink accepts non-parent care claims with secondary evidence. Services Australia may ask for a Details of your child's care arrangements form (FA012) when you need to report shared care, along with supporting documentation from schools, medical providers or community members. The CS4647 statutory declaration is only for a separate child support application by a non-parent carer.

How long does a Centrelink non-parent care claim take?

Processing times vary, but claims with strong, varied secondary evidence typically move faster than claims with minimal documentation. Allow several weeks and follow up with reference numbers from each interaction.

What if the parent is still receiving FTB for the child?

You can still claim. Centrelink will assess the evidence about who has actual care of the child. If the parent disputes your claim, Centrelink weighs both sides. Keep detailed records of the child's living arrangement.

Can I claim ACCS Grandparent without a court order?

Yes. The ACCS Grandparent rate requires you to be the principal carer (65% or more care), receive income support, and be the grandparent of the child. A court order is not required; Services Australia assesses your care arrangement from supporting evidence and may ask for the FA012 form.

What happens if my claim is rejected?

For most claim and entitlement decisions, request a review through the Authorised Review Officer within 13 weeks from the date Services Australia tells you about the decision; most Family Tax Benefit decisions have a 52-week review limit. The ARO reviews your case independently. If that decision is also unfavourable, you can appeal to the Administrative Review Tribunal.

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