Raising a Grandchild on the Aged Pension in Western Australia
The Pension Was Never Designed to Raise a Child
The Age Pension provides a basic income for retired Australians. It was not built to cover the costs of suddenly feeding, clothing, schooling and transporting a child. The same applies to the Disability Support Pension. When a grandchild arrives in your home, the gap between your pension income and your actual expenses widens immediately.
The good news: several additional payments exist specifically for grandparents and kinship carers on a pension. Most can be claimed without affecting your pension rate. The problem is that nobody tells you about them in one place — you have to piece it together from Centrelink, the WA Department of Communities and various agency websites.
Payments That Do Not Reduce Your Pension
These payments sit on top of your Age Pension or Disability Support Pension:
Family Tax Benefit Part A — Paid per child, income-tested but at generous thresholds. As a pensioner, you will likely receive the maximum rate. It follows the child, so if you have 35% or more care, you can claim it.
Family Tax Benefit Part B — A per-family payment for single-income households and single carers. As a single pensioner, you receive Part B without a secondary income test. The maximum is $200.34 per fortnight if the youngest child is under 5, or $139.86 if aged 5–18.
Grandcarers Support Scheme (GSS) — $1,000 per grandchild annually, administered by Wanslea (Uplyft). This is a WA state grant that is explicitly exempt from federal income testing. It does not reduce your pension or your FTB.
GSS Cost-of-Living Top-Up (2026–27) — $500 for the first grandchild, $250 for each subsequent child. Funded by a $6.1 million state budget allocation.
Foster and Grand Carer Gold Card — $377 in energy bill relief plus state concessions. Delivered via the ServiceWA app from July 2026.
Double Orphan Pension — If both parents are deceased, or one is deceased and the other is indefinitely incapacitated, serving a sentence of at least 10 years in prison, or remains unlocated after reasonable search efforts. It is non-means-tested and tax-free.
Carer Allowance — If the child meets the care criteria for a disability or medical condition. The rate is $162.60 per fortnight from 1 January 2026. It has no assets test, but a combined annual income limit of $250,000 applies. This is separate from your own pension.
Childcare Without the Activity Test
As a grandparent on income support (Age Pension, DSP, JobSeeker), you qualify for the Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) Grandparent stream. This provides:
- Up to 100 hours per fortnight of subsidised childcare
- Up to 100% of the fee covered (capped at 120% of the hourly rate cap)
- Complete exemption from the Activity Test — you do not need to prove work or study hours
This means you can access formal childcare for the child at little or no cost, giving you respite time and the child structured early learning.
You need to be the principal carer (65% or more care responsibility) and receiving an eligible Centrelink income support payment.
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What the Numbers Look Like
A rough picture for a single grandparent on the Age Pension caring for one primary-school-age grandchild in WA:
| Payment | Approximate amount |
|---|---|
| Age Pension (single) | Up to $1,237.70/fn |
| FTB Part A (one child aged 5–12) | Up to $235.48/fn |
| FTB Part B (child 5–18) | ~$140/fn |
| Rent Assistance (single with 1 or 2 children, if rent is high enough) | Up to $263.06/fn |
| GSS annual | $1,000/year |
| GSS top-up | $500/year |
| Gold Card energy | $377/year |
| ACCS Grandparent | Childcare at no cost |
The exact amounts depend on your circumstances, but the point is clear: FTB Part A and B alone can add over $360 per fortnight to your income. Combined with the GSS and Gold Card, that is meaningful relief.
How to Start Claiming
The first step is contacting the Centrelink Grandparent, Foster and Kinship Carer Advisers at 1800 245 965. They will guide you through the Change of Care process and set up your FTB claim. You will need:
- A statutory declaration describing the care arrangement
- School enrolment showing you as primary contact
- A GP letter or Medicare card listing the child
For the GSS, eligible grandparents providing full-time informal care for at least four months can apply through Wanslea after 1 July each year — 1800 794 909 or [email protected].
For a complete walkthrough of every payment, the evidence requirements and step-by-step application instructions, our WA Kinship Carer Support Guide covers it all in one printable document.
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