This article will discuss the basic information about parenting payments and how much is single parenting payment in Australia.
The road to single parenthood is often unexpected and winding, but it is also a road paved with resilience, courage, and love. In Australia, there are over 2 million single parents raising children, and their stories are as diverse as the country itself.
Some single parents become single through divorce or separation, while others are widowed or never married. They come from all walks of life, and they have different financial resources and support networks. But what they all have in common is a deep love for their children and a determination to give them the best possible life.
How Much Is Single Parenting Payment: Payments You May Get
Note that Services Australia makes some changes every year on September 20. Check the website here for recent updates. Since March 2024, the single parenting payment is $987.70 (maximum) per fortnight.
If you’re eligible for the Single Parenting Payment, you can also get:
- Energy Supplement. This is a financial assistance that will help you pay your energy costs. How much Energy Supplement you get depends on your circumstances and the payment you get. To know more about this benefit, check out Services Australia’s website.
- Rent Assistance. This financial assistance will help single parents pay their rent. If you’re eligible, you will get it automatically.
You must pay a certain amount of rent in order to receive rent assistance. You will receive 75c for each $1 beyond this amount that you pay in rent. More than the maximum amount is not possible.
There are also other payments you can avail but it will depend on your circumstances. Service Australia will evaluate you whether you are eligible to receive these payments:
- Pharmaceutical Allowance
- Telephone Allowance
- Education Entry Payment
- Pensioner Education Supplement
- Mobility Allowance
- Remote Area Allowance.
To claim your Parenting Payment, click here. There are many other payments available depending on your circumstances, such as:
- Child care assistance in the way of the Child Care Subsidy (if your child is attending an approved child care service)
- Rent assistance
- The Family Energy Rebate
- Carer allowance if your child has a medical condition; and
- Various other government payments or rebates to help with the cost of living.
Criteria You Must Meet to Get a Single Parenting Payment
Aside from knowing how much is single parenting payment in Australia, you must know if you are eligible to receive it. These are the criteria that you must meet in order to be eligible for a single parenting payment in Australia:
You must satisfy the principal carer rules.
To get Parenting Payment you must be the main carer of a young child or children. Moreover, the child you are taking care of must be either younger than:
- 14 years of age, if you’re single
- 6 years of age, if you have a partner.
Furthermore, you are considered the principal carer of a child if you have the most amount of responsibility for all of their:
- day to day care
- welfare
- development.
Single parents and carers can remain on Parenting Payment Single until their youngest qualifying child turns 14.
You must meet the residency requirements.
When you claim your single parenting payment, you must meet the residency rules. You must be:
- living in Australia;
- physically present in Australia; and
- an Australian citizen.
In order to continue to receive these payments, you must continue living in Australia as an Australian resident. However, as an exception, if you are claiming under the Social Security Agreement, you can still do so if you don’t meet the residency requirements.
This is because there are international social security arrangements between Australia and other countries for social security payments.
Can You Avail This Payment if You Recently Arrived as Resident in Australia?
Yes, if you meet the residency requirements, you can avail this payment. However, authorities require that you may need to wait for two to four years to get this payment. To know more about the waiting periods for newly-arrived residents, click here.
You must not have claimed before the birth of the child.
The rules prohibit the claiming of this pay before the child is even born.
You must meet the assets test and be under the income limits.
Your assets can only be worth up to a certain amount at any given time. If the asset test determines that you have in excess of the allowed amount of assets, you will not be eligible for payment.
These are the assets that may affect your single parenting payment:
- items and property you own
- items and property you have interest in
- any debts owed to you
- any assets overseas.
As the term ‘asset test limit’ suggests, the assets you possess must not be worth than a certain limit in order for you to qualify for the parenting payments. What are the things that can affect the asset test limit? For example, the assets limit for a single, homeowner is valued at $314,000; and the asset limit for a single, non-homeowner is valued at $566,000 (these figures are subject to change – check the website of Services Australia for the up-to-date numbers).
As to Your Income Limits
An income is an amount you earn, derive or receive for your own use or benefits, profits, or some regular payments you get as a gift or allowance. Moreover, it can be in the form of money, goods, services or other benefits in return for an item, action or promise.
The amount of the parenting payment you get depends on your income. Services Australia use the gross amount of your income for the income test. The gross amount is the total amount before the deductions, such as tax, are made.
If your income comes from a business or real estate, they use the net of the amount.
Your assessable income is the amount of income that Services Australia count in your income test. Assessable income can include employment income such as:
- wages
- bonuses
- penalty rates and overtime
- commissions
- fringe benefits
- amounts you sacrifice
- director’s fees.
For single parents, the income you can have before we reduce your payment depends on how many children you have. Moreover, your payment will reduce by 40 cents for every dollar of income you have over the income amount below (These numbers are subject to change, please check the Services Australia page for updated information).
| Number of children | Income per fortnight before your payment starts to reduce |
| 1 | $220.60 |
| 2 | $245.20 |
| 3 | $269.80 |
| More than 3 | $269.80 plus $24.60 for each extra child |
What Is the Family Tax Benefit?
The Family Tax Benefit is designed to assist with the cost of raising children. It is a two-part payment:
- Part A is aimed at all families in general.
- Part B is for single parents or single carers or couples with one main income support payment.
Do You Have Issues With Your Single Parenting Payments?
Single parenting is not easy. It can be financially challenging, emotionally demanding, and logistically complex. But it is also incredibly rewarding.
If you have no idea how much is single parenting payment and you’re struggling with a legal issue regarding such, don’t hesitate to consult JB Solicitors.
Our family lawyers are willing to assist you by:
- Helping you understand the eligibility requirements for single parenting payments.
- Helping you apply for single parenting payments.
- Representing you if your application for single parenting payments is denied.
- Helping you negotiate a parenting plan with your ex-partner.
- Representing you in court if there is a dispute about single parenting payments.
Contact us today to get more information about financial support for parenting payments.
