Healthy Start for School

If your child is turning 4, they may need a health check. If they don’t have one, your Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A rate may reduce.

Who needs a health check

Your child may need to have a health check if both of these apply:

If your child needs a health check, we’ll send you a letter during the financial year they turn 4.

We’ll let you know what you need to do before it affects your payments.

If your child doesn’t have a health check, your FTB Part A payment rate may reduce.

What a health check is

A health check assesses your child’s physical health and general wellbeing. It includes checking their height, weight, hearing, and sight. It helps make sure they’re healthy and ready to learn when they start school.

Your child can have a health check from when they turn 3. A recognised health professional can complete the health check. This may include any of the following:

  • a general practitioner (GP)
  • a nurse practitioner
  • a registered Aboriginal health worker
  • a community child health worker.

The Medicare Healthy Kids Check is a health check option for children aged 3. This check also meets the Healthy Start for School requirements for FTB Part A.

Health checks available where you live

There are health checks available in each state or territory that meet the Healthy Start for School requirements. Select your state or territory to find out which checks apply.

Your child can have:

  • a Medicare Healthy Kids Check when they’re aged 3
  • a health check when they’re 3 to 3 and a half, as outlined in their Personal Health Record, sometimes called the Blue Book
  • a general health check after they turn 3, provided by a GP or community health clinic.

Your child can have:

  • a Medicare Healthy Kids Check when they’re aged 3
  • a health check when they’re 3, as outlined in their Personal Health Record, called My First Health Record
  • a general health check after they turn 3, provided by a local GP or community health clinic
  • a 4-year-old health and development check in early childhood education and care.

Your child can have:

  • a Medicare Healthy Kids Check when they’re aged 3
  • a health check when they’re 3 under the Healthy Under 5 Kids Program
  • a general health check after they turn 3, provided by a local GP or community health clinic
  • a compulsory health check completed under the NT emergency response.

Your child can have:

  • a Medicare Healthy Kids Check when they’re aged 3
  • a health check when they’re 3 to 3 and a half, or 4 to 5, as outlined in their Personal Health Record, sometimes called the Red Book
  • a general health check after they turn 3, provided by a local GP or community health clinic.

Your child can have:

  • a Medicare Healthy Kids Check when they’re aged 3
  • a health check when they’re 3, or a preschool check when they’re 4, as outlined in their Child Health Record, sometimes called the Blue Book
  • a general health check after they turn 3, provided by a local GP or community health clinic.

Your child can have:

  • a Medicare Healthy Kids Check when they’re aged 3
  • a health check when they’re 3 and a half, completed by a Tasmanian family and child health nurse
  • a general health check after they turn 3, provided by a local GP or community health clinic.

Your child can have:

  • a Medicare Healthy Kids Check when they’re aged 3
  • a health check when they’re 3 and a half, completed by a Victorian maternal and child health nurse
  • a general health check after they turn 3, provided by a local GP or community health clinic.

Your child can have:

  • a Medicare Healthy Kids Check when they’re aged 3
  • a general health check after they turn 3, completed by a Western Australian community health nurse or an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health worker
  • a general health check after they turn 3, provided by a local GP or community health clinic
  • a school entry health assessment when they’re 3 and a half.

What you need to do

Arrange a health check for your child

Arrange one of the health checks listed for your state or territory.

Talk to your GP, health professional or community health clinic to arrange the check.

Tell us your child has had a health check

Tell us your child has had a health check before their fifth birthday.

We’ll send a notification to your Centrelink online account when you need to complete the Healthy Start for School review.

If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov, you can sign in now to complete the review.

Sign in to myGov

If you can’t complete the review online, call the families line as soon as possible. You may be able to update the health check information using our automated phone service. You can also speak with a service officer and tell them your child has had a health check.

We’ll only record the date your child had the health check. We don’t record the details of the check.

How a health check affects your payments

You have until your child’s fifth birthday to tell us that they’ve had a health check. If you don’t, we may reduce your FTB Part A payments for your child.

Your FTB Part A payments may reduce by up to $36.54 per fortnight. This amount may change each year in line with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The reduction will start on your child’s fifth birthday. We may reduce your payments for up to 26 fortnights. How long we reduce your payments depends on how long you got FTB Part A while you or your partner also got an income support payment in the financial year your child turned 4.

Example of how the payment reduction works

Nat’s child turned 4 on 1 November 2025. Nat got both an income support payment and FTB Part A for 3 months in the 2025-26 financial year.

Nat took her child to the local community health clinic to have a health check when they turned 3. This meets the requirements, but Nat still needs to tell us the health check has been done.

Nat has until 31 October 2026, the day before her child’s fifth birthday, to tell us.

If Nat doesn’t tell us, we’ll reduce her FTB Part A payments for that child for 3 months from 1 November 2026. The reduction lasts for 3 months because that’s how long Nat got these payments in the financial year her child turned 4.

Contact numbers available on this page.

Centrelink families line

Use this line if you need help with family payments, such as Family Tax Benefit, Child Care Subsidy, Parental Leave Pay, Foster Child Health Care Card. Use this line if you already have a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card.

136 150
Monday to Friday 8 am to 8 pm

If your child’s Youth Allowance payment has been suspended, it may be because we still need information about your income. We may have sent your child a letter asking for this in September or October, read how you can update your income details online.

There are other ways you may want to contact us.

Page last updated: 1 November 2026.
QC 29276