Family Tax Benefit Decoded — Australia's Family Tax Benefit in plain English

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Family Tax Benefit (FTB) is the Australian Government payment that helps families with the cost of raising children. It is paid by Services Australia, it has no assets test, and it comes in two parts that work very differently: Part A is paid per child and depends mainly on family income, while Part B is paid per family and helps single parents and single-income couple families. You can receive one part, both parts, or neither, depending on your circumstances.

In 2026–27, from 1 July 2026, the maximum Part A rate is $235.48 a fortnight for a child aged 0 to 12 and $306.46 a fortnight for a child aged 13 to 19, with a base rate of $75.60 a fortnight per child. The maximum Part B rate is $200.34 a fortnight when your youngest child is under 5 and $139.86 a fortnight when your youngest child is aged 5 to 18. On top of the fortnightly amounts, end-of-year supplements of up to $970.90 per child (Part A) and $478.15 per family (Part B) are paid after balancing, subject to the conditions on the rates pages (including the $80,000 family-income cap on the Part A supplement).

Key numbers at a glance (2026–27, from 1 July 2026)

Part A maximum: $235.48 a fortnight (child 0–12); $306.46 a fortnight (child 13–19).
Part A base rate: $75.60 a fortnight per child — the floor the payment can fall to before the second taper, not a separate payment.
Part B maximum: $200.34 a fortnight (youngest under 5); $139.86 a fortnight (youngest 5–18), per family, not per child.
Supplements: up to $970.90 per child (Part A) and $478.15 per family (Part B), paid after the end of the financial year.
Part A income test: maximum rate up to $69,131 family income; 20 cents per dollar above that; 30 cents per dollar above $123,078.
Part B income test: higher earner $124,327 or less; lower earner up to $7,154 with no reduction, then 20 cents per dollar.
Care share: 35% to 65% care may share the rates; 14% to 34% care cannot receive these rates.
Claim window: up to 3 months before the expected birth or entry into care; lump-sum claims within 12 months after the end of the financial year.

The two traps that turn FTB into a debt

The first trap is the income estimate. Fortnightly FTB is paid on an estimate of your income for the financial year. If your real income ends up higher — a promotion, extra shifts, a partner returning to work — Services Australia balances your payment after 30 June and you may have to repay the difference. The payment-choices page explains how electing a lower rate through the year, or taking the lump sum instead, reduces that risk.

The second trap is silence. FTB is balanced on what Services Australia knows: your income, your care arrangements, your child's immunisations and health checks, and any child support you receive or are entitled to receive. If any of those change and you do not tell Services Australia, the balancing can produce a debt months later, even though every fortnight felt correct at the time. The changes page lists exactly what to report, and the maintenance page explains the test that quietly caps many separated parents at the base rate.

An honest note about the rates you may see elsewhere

Many websites still show $227.36 and $295.82 as the Part A rates, and $193.34 and $134.96 as the Part B rates. Those are the 2025–26 rates. From 1 July 2026 they are $235.48 and $306.46 for Part A, and $200.34 and $139.86 for Part B. If a page you are reading quotes $227.36 for this financial year, it has not been updated. This site uses only the 2026–27 figures, checked against the Services Australia payments guide at build time, and it prints no figures for a future year.

How this site is organized

Start with who can claim for the care, residence and age rules, then Part A rates and Part B rates for the money, and the income tests for how payments taper. The maintenance action test is the page separated parents should read first, and how to claim walks through the claim itself. The remaining pages cover payment choices, changes and debts, comparisons, and myths.

Not the same benefit as elsewhere. Australia's Family Tax Benefit is not the United Kingdom's Child Benefit and it is not Canada's Canada Child Benefit. Different countries, different payers, different rules — the comparisons page keeps them apart so that a search result for one country is never mistaken for another.

General information only. This page explains Family Tax Benefit in plain English. It is not legal, financial, or tax advice, and it cannot decide whether you qualify. Only Services Australia can decide a claim. Rates and rules change over time — the figures here are for 2026–27, from 1 July 2026 — so always confirm the current position with Services Australia before you act on it. Contact: hello [at] tapetoolhq.com.