Financial help for new parents in Australia

The two newborn payments

Australia's baby payments sit inside the Family Tax Benefit system rather than standing alone, which is why they are easy to miss.

The Newborn Upfront Payment is a lump sum of $708 per child. It is not taxable. The Newborn Supplement is an ongoing payment for up to 13 weeks, also not taxable, and the amount depends on how many children you have and on your family's income. For a first child the maximum total is $2,125.76 over the 13 weeks. For subsequent children the maximum total is $709.80.

These are the rates published by Services Australia on its payment rates page, last updated 1 July 2026, which is the start of the 2026 to 2027 financial year. Family assistance rates are reviewed and indexed, so check before you budget against them.

How much of the supplement you get depends on Family Tax Benefit Part A. If you are eligible for the FTB Part A base rate or more, you receive the maximum rate of Newborn Supplement. If you are eligible for less than the base rate, you receive a reduced rate. If you stop being eligible during the 13 weeks, the payments stop.

The choice you have to make

To receive either newborn payment you must be caring for a baby or child who has recently come into your care, be eligible for Family Tax Benefit Part A, and not be receiving Parental Leave Pay for the same child.

That last condition is the decision point, and it is worth doing the arithmetic rather than guessing. Parental Leave Pay is generally the larger amount for a parent who meets the work test, but it is taxable and it is contingent on that work test, whereas the newborn payments are untaxed and depend only on FTB Part A eligibility. Where two parents are involved, the family can sometimes structure claims so that different children or different carers access different payments — ask Services Australia rather than assuming the answer.

Twins, triplets and higher multiples can attract Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement, with the amounts depending on your circumstances. Shared care and blended families are also handled case by case.

You do not claim them separately

There is no separate application. When you claim Family Tax Benefit for your child, Services Australia checks whether you are eligible for Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement and pays them in line with your FTB Part A payment choice.

The same claim can enrol your baby in Medicare if you attach the signed Newborn Child Declaration from the Parent Pack your hospital or midwife gives you, and Services Australia will also add your baby to the Australian Immunisation Register. One claim, several outcomes, which is a strong argument for lodging it promptly rather than in the fog of month two.

The supplement with the income test people forget

Family Tax Benefit Part A carries an end-of-year supplement, paid when Services Australia balances your payments after the financial year. To receive it, your family's adjusted taxable income must be $80,000 or less. That threshold is published by Services Australia on its FTB Part A eligibility page, last updated 15 June 2026.

Two conditions sit alongside it. You must lodge your tax return, or tell Services Australia you do not need to, within the required period. And your child must meet the immunisation requirements, or your FTB Part A can be reduced by up to $36.54 per fortnight per child. Being on an approved catch-up schedule counts as meeting the requirement, so a child who is behind does not have to cost you the payment.

Child Care Subsidy, when you get there

Child Care Subsidy is the largest ongoing family payment most parents will claim, and it also has an immunisation condition: a claim can only be approved once your child's immunisation status is up to date on the Australian Immunisation Register, and if your child later stops meeting the requirements you have 63 days to fix it before the subsidy stops and you must lodge a new claim.

It is worth registering an intention early even if you are not using care yet, because the subsidy is paid to the provider and the enrolment paperwork takes time.

The other payments worth checking

Family Tax Benefit itself comes in two parts. Part A is paid per child and tested on family income; Part B is an extra payment for single parents and for couples with one main income, and depends on the age of your youngest child. Both are claimed on the same form as the newborn payments, so there is one application rather than four.

Beyond Services Australia, states and territories run their own schemes — things like free or subsidised car seat checks, energy concessions and pram or equipment programmes — and none of them are triggered by your Centrelink claim. They have to be found and applied for separately, usually through your state government's family services pages.

What to do, and in what order

Claim Family Tax Benefit as soon as you can after the birth, attaching the Newborn Child Declaration. That single step tests you for Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement, enrols your baby in Medicare and puts them on the immunisation register. Decide between Parental Leave Pay and the newborn payments before you lodge, because you cannot hold both for the same child. Keep your income estimate current during the year, since Family Tax Benefit is reconciled afterwards and an optimistic estimate becomes a debt. And check every figure at source before you rely on it, because these rates move.