Parenting Payments in Australia: Everything You Need to Know [Updated for 2023]

The Australian government aims to be helping families deal with cost of raising children by providing them with income support payments. You may be eligible for many payments subject to meeting the eligibility criteria. These payments include:

• Assistance for isolated children scheme
• Carer adjustment payment. This payment is for carers already receiving a carer payment who are experiencing significant financial hardship
• Carer payment (also known as the carer allowance) when you are caring for someone with a disability or other medical condition
• Child care subsidy
• Crisis payment
• Dad and partner pay
• Double orphan pension
• Newborn upfront payment and new-born supplement
• Parental leave pay
• Parenting payment
• Remote area allowance
• Pensioner education supplement
• Single Income Family Supplement

To receive the Single Income Family Supplement, your household income must be between $68,000 and $150,000, you must have received Family Tax Benefit Part A or Family Tax Benefit Part B for at least one of your children, or would have been eligible if you weren’t receiving one of the following payments:

• Disability Support Pension;
• Youth Allowance;
• Special Benefit;
• ABSTUDY living allowance;
• an education allowance under the Veterans Children Education Scheme; or
• Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme.

Eligibility for each of these payments will depend on your circumstances.

When your youngest child turns six you have mutual obligation requirements and must participate in certain tasks and activities as part of your job plan. If you fail to meet your obligations your payments may be suspended until you do. Authorised carers can apply for an exemption to the mutual obligation requirements.

If your application for an exemption is approved, then each June, Families and Communities Services (FACS) will send you a letter stating that you are exempt from the mutual obligation requirements.

Below we answer some common questions about parenting payments.

How many hours can I work on a single parenting payment?

The single parenting payment is not based on the number of hours of paid work that you do. It is based on your total income. This means income from all sources including any payments you get as a gift or allowance, money you earn from employment, or money from financial investments such as property or shares.

Most government payments including Jobseeker (formerly known as Newstart allowance), child support payments, rent assistance, NDIS payments are exempt from the assessable income test.

All payment recipients need to report their income every 14 days.

What benefits are you entitled to as a single parent?

As a single parent with dependent children, the Australian government will provide financial support to you if you are out of work or seeking more hours and the main carer of young children.

This support is known as the Parenting Payment Single and as of the May 2023, the maximum payment amount you could be eligible for is $922.10 per fortnight including the Parenting Payment and the Pension Supplement.

You may be eligible for other benefits subject to meeting the eligibility criteria. You can use Centrelink’s payment and service tool on their website to see what other payments you may be eligible for.

How much do you get for single-parent payments?

All Australian government parenting payments depend on your income and assets.

The payment is also dependent on the number of children you have. The Services Australia website has a calculator so that you can estimate how much you will get. The income limits are reviewed on the 20th of March, 1st of July, and 20th of September each year. As your income increases through part-time work or full-time work, the single parenting payment you get will reduce.

This means you will only get a part payment, rather than the full payment.

Are single parents better off working part-time?

To keep getting your parenting payment you must meet your mutual obligation requirements unless you have an exemption.

Your mutual obligation requirements are activities that you undertake to get a job or to increase your income. They include applying for jobs or undertaking studies.

If you want to update your skills by participating in study then you may be eligible for a youth allowance or ABSTUDY. ABSTUDY is a payment for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australians who are in an approved course and who are not receiving another payment to study or train.