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There are payments to support you if your baby was stillborn.
We understand this is a difficult time for you and your family. If you experience pregnancy loss, or neonatal death, there are support services and information you may find helpful.
How we define stillbirth for our payments
To be eligible for this payment, a stillbirth needs to meet our definition. A stillborn baby is one who had not breathed since delivery and had no heartbeat after birth.
To be considered stillborn, a baby also had to have a gestation period of at least 20 weeks or weighed at least 400 grams at their birth.
What the differences are between payments
You need to decide what to claim if your baby was stillborn. If their delivery was before 1 July 2023, your family may be able to get Dad and Partner Pay and either:
- Parental Leave Pay
- Stillborn Baby Payment.
If their delivery was from 1 July 2023, your family may be able to get either:
- Parental Leave Pay
- Stillborn Baby Payment.
When deciding between the payments, there are some key differences.
| Parental Leave Pay if your baby’s delivery was before 1 July 2023 | Parental Leave Pay if your baby’s delivery was from 1 July 2023 | Stillborn Baby Payment |
|---|---|---|
| Higher amount up to a total of $15,889.50. Parental Leave Pay is currently $882.75 per week. You can get it for up to 18 weeks. |
Higher amount up to a total of $17,655.00. Parental Leave Pay is currently $882.75 per week. Your family can get it for up to 20 weeks. If you have a partner, part of it will be reserved to share with them. |
A one-off lump sum payment of $4,059.17. |
| Is a taxable payment. | Is a taxable payment. | Is not a taxable payment. |
| Uses an individual income test. | Uses either an individual or a family income test. | Uses an estimate of your family’s adjusted taxable income. |
| You must meet a work test. | You must meet a work test. | No work test. |
What the income tests are
Parental Leave Pay for a child whose delivery was before 1 July 2023 uses an individual income test.
Parental Leave Pay for a child whose delivery was from 1 July 2023 uses an individual income test. However, if you don’t meet the individual income test you will be assessed using a family income test.
You must have earned $156,647 or less in the 2021-22 financial year or you must have earned $168.865 or less in the 2022-23 financial year. The family income limit is currently $350,000 or less in the applicable financial year. There are additional rules that describe which financial year we use. Find out more about meeting the Parental Leave Pay income test.
Stillborn Baby Payment uses an estimate of your family’s adjusted taxable income test.
Your family must earn no more than $72,400 in the 6 months after your baby’s birth.
How to claim
You can claim Parental Leave Pay or Stillborn Baby Payment online using your Centrelink online account.
You can read more about how to claim Parental Leave Pay for a child born or adopted before 1 July 2023.
You can read more about how to claim Parental Leave Pay for a child born or adopted from 1 July 2023.
You can also read more about how to claim Stillborn Baby Payment.
What to do if you did a pre-birth claim
If you claimed Parental Leave Pay before the birth of your child, you can complete the claim online. Sign in to your Centrelink online account through myGov and select Add Newborn. As part of this, we’ll ask if your child was stillborn. You’ll be asked to give us proof of birth.
If their expected date of birth was on or after 1 July 2023 and your child’s birth was before 1 July 2023, we’ll contact you. We’ll only do this once you’ve provided proof of birth for your child. We’ll discuss and update your claim for Parental Leave Pay.