Income test for FTB Part A

We use an income test to work out how much FTB Part A you’ll get. The Maintenance Income Test may also apply.

There is also an income test for the FTB Part A supplement.

Income support payment

You may get the maximum rate of FTB Part A if you or your partner get an income support payment. You’ll get it as long as your income support payment doesn’t reduce to zero, due to employment income.

Income $65,189 or less

You may get the maximum rate of FTB Part A if your family’s adjusted taxable income is $65,189 or less.

Income between $65,189 and $115,997

We use an income test if your family’s adjusted taxable income is between $65,189 and $115,997.

This test reduces your FTB Part A by 20 cents for each dollar of income over $65,189. Your payment will stop reducing when it reaches the base rate of FTB Part A.

In some circumstances, there’s an annual income limit to get the base rate of FTB Part A. It depends on the number of children you have and their ages.

Income limits where we’ll pay you the base rate of FTB Part A

We only pay you the base rate of FTB Part A once you reach the income limit. The limit depends on the number of children you have and their ages.

If you have one child

If you have 2 children

If you have 3 or more children, we won’t automatically reduce your payments to the base rate. In most circumstances, you’ll get more than the base rate.

Income limits are higher if you’re eligible for Rent Assistance or the Energy Supplement.

Income over $115,997

We use an income test if your family’s adjusted taxable income is over $115,997.

We’ll reduce the rate of FTB Part A by 30 cents for each dollar of income over $115,997. This applies until your payment is nil.

If your family’s income is close to the annual income limit, you may want to consider either:

• a different payment choice
• claiming as a lump sum.

This can help you avoid an overpayment. If you claim as a lump sum after the end of the financial year, you’ll know your family’s actual income. If you want to claim as a lump sum, you should:

• check your eligibility for FTB Part A
• submit a lump sum claim for FTB.

Read more about the time period for submitting lump sum claims and confirming income.

Income limits where we won’t pay FTB Part A

There are income limits where we’ll no longer pay you FTB Part A. This depends on the number of children you have and their ages.

If you have one child

If you have 2 children

If you have 3 children

If you have 4 children

If you have 5 children

If you have 6 children

We won’t pay FTB Part A once your family income reaches $215,314 if you have 3 children in each age bracket:

• aged 0-12 years
• aged 13-19 years.

We’ll only pay FTB Part A for children 16-19 years if they’re secondary students.

Income limits can vary depending on your family’s circumstances. Income limits may also be higher if you’re eligible for Rent Assistance or the Energy Supplement.

FTB Part A supplement income test

To be eligible for the supplement, your family’s adjusted taxable income must be $80,000 or less. The income test applies to everyone, even if you are getting an income support payment.

If you’re eligible for the supplement, we’ll pay it to you after we balance your payments. We do this after the end of the financial year.

Maintenance Action Test

If you or your partner care for a child from a past relationship, you must take reasonable steps to get child support. You must do this to get more than the base rate of FTB Part A.

We call this the Maintenance Action Test. You can meet this test by applying for a child support assessment.

You or your partner should call us on the Families line if either of these apply:

• there’s anything that makes it difficult for you to apply for child support from the other parent
• you’re unsure of what to do.

If you have a child support assessment, you must apply for an extension to it before the child turns 18. You can do this if you have a child support assessment for a child and both of the following apply:

• the child is in secondary school
• the child is turning 18 this calendar year.

If you don’t, your child support assessment will end when they turn 18. This will mean your FTB will reduce to the base rate.

To apply for an extension, please call us on the Child Support enquiry line.

Read more about child support and your FTB Part A.

Maintenance Income Test

Generally, the more child support you get, or you’re entitled to get, the less FTB Part A we pay you. We use the Maintenance Income Test to work this out.

This test may apply if you meet both of the following:

• you get more than the base rate of FTB Part A
• you or your partner get, or you’re entitled to get, child support or spousal maintenance.

You may be exempt from this test if you or your partner are permanently blind and get either:

• Age Pension
• Disability Support Pension
• a Department of Veterans’ Affairs service pension or income support supplement.

Maintenance Income Free Area

You and your partner can get a certain amount of child support and spousal maintenance before it affects your FTB. We call this the Maintenance Income Free Area. We reduce your FTB by 50 cents for every dollar of child support and spousal maintenance over this amount. We do this until you reach the base rate of FTB Part A.

The amount of your Maintenance Income Free Area depends on both of the following:

• whether both you and your partner receive child support
• the number of child support children in your and your partner’s care.

For each additional child in your and your partner’s care, the Maintenance Income Free Area increases by $653.35.

Your FTB Part A rate may include other payments, such as Rent Assistance. We may reduce these payments as a proportion of your total FTB Part A rate. We’ll do this if you get child support and spousal maintenance over the relevant Maintenance Income Free Area.

Maintenance Income Credit

You may be able to access the Maintenance Income Credit if both of these apply:

• we collect your child support
• you don’t reach your Maintenance Income Free Area from previous financial years.

The Maintenance Income Credit allows you to carry over any unused Maintenance Income Free Area from previous financial years. If you get arrears of child support in a later financial year, we’ll use the available credit. This will reduce the impact on your FTB Part A. We’ll do this when we balance your family assistance payments.

You don’t need to ask us to use your credit. We automatically calculate and apply it.

Example

Carrie has a $500 Maintenance Income Credit from previous financial years. She gets a $400 arrears payment of child support during the next financial year.

When we balance Carrie’s FTB payments, we use the $500 credit to offset the $400 of arrears. As a result, the $400 arrears won’t affect her FTB Part A for the financial year.

Carrie still has $100 of Maintenance Income Credit to use later.