Good news: that’s not what we’re asking you to do. Balancing is much simpler and it happens after the end of each financial year.
Now that we’ve ticked over to July, it’s time for Services Australia to check families got the right amount of financial support over the past year.
If you get Family Tax Benefit (FTB) or Child Care Subsidy (CCS), balancing is how we do that.
It’s where we compare the income estimates you gave us during the financial year with what you actually ended up earning, so we can make sure everything lines up.
It’s important because incomes can change during the year.
Maybe you picked up extra shifts, changed jobs, took time off, or your circumstances shifted in ways you didn’t expect.
Most families get a top‑up or supplement when we balance their payment—that’s extra money landing in their account once everything is finalised. For others, there’s no change. And in some cases, balancing may show you were paid too much and need to repay some money.
It’s also important to know FTB and CCS are balanced separately, and each follows its own process and timing.
What families need to do
For most families, it starts with confirming your income.
If you got FTB, were single and got an income support payment (like Parenting Payment) for the full 2025-26 financial year with no gaps, you don’t need to do anything. We’ll balance your FTB after you get your last payment for the year.
If you need to confirm your income, you can do this by lodging your tax return with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), or by letting us know if you don’t need to lodge one.
If you have a partner, they’ll need to do the same.
I strongly encourage you to lodge from late July if you can wait. That’s when Centrelink and other income information pre-fills in ATO services – helping to avoid mistakes that can delay processing and refunds.
If you or your partner aren’t required to lodge a tax return, you can confirm your incomes using ‘Advise non-lodgement of tax return’ in your Express Plus Centrelink mobile app or Centrelink online account through myGov.
Just remember, if you get both payments, you’ll still need to confirm your income to balance your CCS, even if you didn’t need to do anything for your FTB balancing to happen.
How long does it take?
Balancing doesn’t happen all at once. We start balancing FTB from July, and CCS from mid‑August.
This is because we need information from child care providers before we can begin the CCS process.
After you lodge your tax return, the ATO will confirm your income with us—but this doesn’t happen instantly. It can take up to 28 days for that information to come through.
You can track progress through the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
What happens if you’ve separated?
If you separated from your partner during the financial year, we can balance your FTB once you’ve confirmed your income.
We’ll use the income estimate already provided for your ex‑partner if they haven’t lodged a tax return yet—you don’t need to contact them.
If you get CCS, we still need to confirm your ex-partner's income. You don’t need to contact your ex-partner for these details. Call us on 136 150 to discuss confirming their income.
And if you pay or receive child support, you’ll need to confirm your income in your Child Support online account through myGov if you’re not lodging a tax return.
Worried you might get a debt?
We know things can change over the year, and that’s often how overpayments happen.
You’ll get a letter explaining your balancing outcome, either in your myGov Inbox or by mail.
We’ll also outline your options if you need to pay money back.
If you owe Services Australia or the ATO money, we can use any top‑ups or FTB supplements to help reduce what you owe. CCS top-ups can only be used to reduce child care debts. This can happen even if you have a repayment arrangement in place.
For the balance of any money you owe, you can change or set up a repayment plan that suits your circumstances, through your Centrelink online account.
Please talk to us if you’re experiencing financial hardship or worried about paying back a debt.
How to avoid a debt next year
Looking ahead, there are a few simple things you can do to stay on track.
Keep your family income estimate up to date and let us know whenever your circumstances change.
You can also choose how much FTB you receive during the year—whether that’s all, part or none of your payment fortnightly. Any remaining amount you’re entitled to will be paid after balancing.
For CCS, we automatically withhold 5% to help reduce the risk of an overpayment. You can increase this percentage in your online account if you want a bit more buffer.
These small steps throughout the year can make a big difference when it comes to balancing time.
Originally published by Yahoo Finance on 12 July 2026.