How to claim

You can apply for the maximum 18 weeks of Parental Leave Pay. You need to apply for Parental Leave Pay within 34 weeks of the birth or adoption of your child.

The best time to apply is before the birth or adoption of your child. Read more about when to claim.

We can’t pay you before the birth or adoption of your child. Before your payments can start, you need to:

• make a claim
• provide all supporting documents including proof of birth or adoption.

The work test for Parental Leave Pay changed on 1 January 2020. If we rejected your pre-birth claim because you didn’t meet the work test, you may be able to claim again. You can do this if all the following apply:

• your child’s expected date of birth or adoption was before 1 January 2020 in your pre-birth claim
• your child’s actual birth or adoption date was on or after 1 January 2020
• you think you’ve met the work test requirements in place since 1 January 2020.

Steps to claim Parental Leave Pay

1. 

    

   1. Talk to your employer

   Talk to your employer at least 10 weeks before your child's expected date of birth or adoption. Negotiate your leave and tell them if you want to claim Parental Leave Pay.

   Your employer needs to register with us and read the Parental Leave Pay information for employers.

2. 

    

   2. Get ready to claim

   The easiest way to claim is online. To claim online, you need a myGov account linked to Centrelink. If you don’t have a myGov account or a Centrelink online account you’ll need to set them up.

   You may need to prove your identity with us before you start your claim.

   If you can’t claim online either:

   • print and complete the Claim for Paid Parental Leave and Family Assistance form
   • call us on the Families line
   • go to a service centre.
3. 

    

   3. Get your documents ready

   You’ll need to get some supporting documents ready to help answer some of the questions in the claim.

4. 

    

   4. Make your claim

   1. Sign in to myGov and go to Centrelink.
   2. Select Payment and Claims from the menu, then Claims, then Make a claim.
   3. Under Families, select Get started.
   4. Select Apply for Family Assistance (including Paid Parental Leave).
   5. Answer all the questions. Each screen has information to help you complete the claim. This includes how to submit your supporting documents.
   6. Submit your claim.

   When you're ready:

   Sign in to myGov

5. 

    

   5. Track your claim

   After you submit your claim online, you’ll get a receipt telling you:

   • the ID number of your claim
   • the date we estimate your claim will be complete
   • a link to track its progress.

   You can track the progress of your claim online. Sign in to myGov and go to Centrelink, or use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.

   We’ll let you know the result of your application. We’ll send a message to your myGov Inbox.

   If you don't get electronic letters, we'll send you a letter in the mail.

   If we need more details we’ll ask you for them.

   In most cases your employer will pay into your bank account. Otherwise we’ll pay you directly.

   If you think we’ve made a mistake you can ask us to review our decision.

Next: How to manage your payment

Your options and obligations for Parental Leave Pay.