How to Claim Parenting Payment Through Centrelink in Australia
Claim Parenting Payment through Centrelink if you are the principal carer of a young child and meet the age, residence, income and assets rules. Learn the single and partnered eligibility rules, documents you may need, how to claim through myGov or by phone and when your claim can be backdated.
AU Australia
Benefits & Support ~ 11 min read
13 FAQ
Updated 2026-08-26
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You can claim Parenting Payment if you are the principal carer of a child under 14 when single or under 6 when partnered, meet Australian residence rules and are within the applicable income and assets limits. Only one parent or carer can receive Parenting Payment. You cannot submit a claim before the child is born. The easiest way to claim is through a Centrelink online account linked to myGov; if you cannot claim online, you can call the Centrelink families line. Services Australia generally assesses entitlement from the date you submit your claim and required documents, but payment can be backdated if you submit the claim and documents within 4 weeks of the child's birth or the date the child came into your care.
What you need
- Be the principal carer of a qualifying child.
- If single, the qualifying child must be under 14.
- If partnered, the qualifying child must be under 6.
- Meet the Parenting Payment residence rules.
- Be within the applicable income limits.
- Be within the applicable assets limit.
- Your partner must not currently be receiving Parenting Payment.
- For an online claim, have a myGov account with Centrelink linked or complete the steps to establish and link a Centrelink online account.
- Prove your identity to Centrelink if required.
- Provide your tax file number and any documents Centrelink identifies as required for your circumstances.
- Be ready to provide financial, relationship, residence and employment information where requested.
Eligibility
Parenting Payment is an income support payment for the principal carer of a young child. If you are single, you must be the principal carer of a child under 14. If you have a partner, you must be the principal carer of a child under 6. You must also meet residence rules and the income and assets tests. Only one person can be the principal carer of a child at a time for Parenting Payment purposes, and only one member of a couple can receive Parenting Payment. If you are single and your youngest child is 6 or older, mutual obligation requirements generally apply unless you have an exemption.
How to do it
- Check whether you are eligible for Parenting Payment, including the principal carer, child age, residence, income and assets rules.
- Wait until after the child's birth if you are claiming following a birth. Centrelink does not allow a Parenting Payment claim to be submitted before the child is born.
- Gather the information and documents Centrelink may require, including your tax file number and details about your finances, income, assets, relationship, residence and employment circumstances.
- Create or sign in to your myGov account.
- Link Centrelink to myGov. If you already have a Centrelink Customer Reference Number, use your CRN when linking. If you do not have or know your CRN, follow the online identity process to establish access to Centrelink.
- Sign in to Centrelink through myGov and select Make a claim or view claim status, then Make a claim.
- Under Families or Job Seekers, select Get started, then select Apply for Parenting Payment.
- Complete the questions about your child, caring arrangements, relationship status, residence, income, assets and other circumstances.
- Upload all documents marked as required before submitting the claim. Provide supplementary documents as soon as possible and within the timeframe Centrelink gives you.
- Submit the claim and keep the receipt, claim ID and estimated completion date.
- If you cannot claim online, call the Centrelink families line to make a claim by phone.
- Track the claim through your Centrelink online account or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app and respond promptly if Services Australia asks for more information.
- Check your myGov Inbox or postal mail for the decision. If approved, Services Australia will tell you how much you will receive and when your first payment will be made.
Who can claim Parenting Payment in Australia?
Parenting Payment is the main Centrelink income support payment for a person who is the principal carer of a young child. Eligibility differs depending on whether Services Australia assesses you as single or partnered.
Parenting Payment Single eligibility
If you are single, you must be the principal carer of a child who is under 14. You must also satisfy the residence rules, assets test and income limits.
If your youngest child is 6 or older, you generally have mutual obligation requirements while receiving Parenting Payment Single unless Services Australia gives you an exemption.
Parenting Payment Partnered eligibility
If you have a partner, you must be the principal carer of a child under 6. You must meet the residence rules and remain within the applicable income and assets limits. Your partner cannot also receive Parenting Payment because only one member of a couple can receive the payment.
What does principal carer mean for Parenting Payment?
You are generally the principal carer if you have the greatest responsibility for the child's day-to-day care, welfare and development.
If care is shared, only one person can be treated as the child's principal carer at a time. Where one person provides more day-to-day care, that person will commonly be the principal carer. If two people provide equal care, they need to nominate which person is the principal carer.
What are the Parenting Payment income limits in 2026?
Parenting Payment is income tested. Services Australia generally uses fortnightly gross income before tax and deductions, although some income such as business or real estate income is assessed differently. If you have a partner, their income can also affect your entitlement and payment rate.
Income test if you are single
From 1 July 2026, a single parent's Parenting Payment begins to reduce when fortnightly income exceeds $232.60 for one child, $257.20 for two children or $281.80 for three children. For more than three children, the threshold is $281.80 plus $24.60 for each additional child.
The payment reduces by 40 cents for each dollar of income above the applicable threshold. For a single parent with one child, Parenting Payment reaches $0 when fortnightly income exceeds $2,898.35. The cut-off increases by $24.60 for each additional child. Different limits may apply if you have reached Age Pension age.
Income test if you have a partner
For partnered recipients, both your own income and your partner's income can affect Parenting Payment. The calculation differs depending on whether your partner receives an income support payment and whether that payment is a pension. Because the thresholds and payment rates are indexed, use the current Services Australia Parenting Payment income test when claiming.
What is the Parenting Payment assets limit in 2026?
Services Australia also applies an assets test. From 1 July 2026, the Parenting Payment assets limit is $333,000 for a single homeowner and $600,000 for a single non-homeowner. For couples, the combined limit is $499,000 for homeowners and $766,000 for non-homeowners, including where only one partner is eligible.
Assets can include property and possessions you or your partner own or have an interest in, debts owed to you and overseas assets. Your principal home is generally excluded from the assets test, subject to the applicable rules.
What are the residence rules for Parenting Payment?
On the day you claim Parenting Payment, you must generally be living in Australia, physically present in Australia and an Australian resident. To continue receiving the payment, you generally need to continue living in Australia as an Australian resident.
If you recently became an Australian resident, waiting periods can apply. Services Australia states that a newly arrived resident may need to wait 2 or 4 years for Parenting Payment, depending on the applicable rules, and a 2-year qualifying residence period also applies. Exemptions exist and are not identical for the two residence waiting requirements. Social security agreements can also affect eligibility in some circumstances.
Can you claim Parenting Payment before your baby is born?
No. Services Australia does not allow you to submit a Parenting Payment claim before the child's birth.
For most claims, Parenting Payment is assessed from the date you submit the claim and required documents. However, if you submit your claim and documents within 4 weeks of your child's birth, or within 4 weeks of the date a child came into your care, Services Australia can backdate the payment to the relevant date.
How to claim Parenting Payment online through myGov
The easiest way to claim is through Centrelink online services linked to myGov.
Sign in to myGov and open Centrelink. Select Make a claim or view claim status, then Make a claim. Under Families or Job Seekers, select Get started, then choose Apply for Parenting Payment and follow the prompts.
Do you need a Centrelink CRN to claim Parenting Payment?
If you already have a Centrelink Customer Reference Number, you can use your CRN to link Centrelink to your myGov account. In myGov, choose View and link services, select Centrelink, choose the option indicating that you have a CRN and follow the prompts.
If you do not have or cannot remember a CRN, Centrelink provides an online process for proving your identity and establishing access. A strong Digital Identity can be used for the current online identity process. If you cannot prove your identity online, contact the Centrelink families line.
What identity documents may you need?
The exact identity process depends on how you establish your Centrelink account. Centrelink may use details from Australian identity documents such as a passport, birth certificate, citizenship certificate or visa, together with other identity evidence such as an Australian driver licence, ImmiCard or Australian Citizenship by Descent Certificate.
Follow the current identity instructions displayed by Centrelink when linking your account because the documents and verification steps required depend on your circumstances.
What documents do you need for a Parenting Payment claim?
Centrelink tells you which documents are required as you complete the claim. Documents marked as required must normally be provided before the online claim can be submitted. If required evidence is not provided, the claim may be rejected.
Tax file number
You will need your tax file number. If you do not have one, you can apply for a TFN through the Australian Taxation Office.
Financial information
Depending on your circumstances, Centrelink may ask for bank account details and evidence of savings, term deposits, mortgage offset accounts, overseas bank accounts, investments, insurance arrangements, real estate, income streams and other assets.
Partner and relationship information
If you have a partner, you may need to provide information about their citizenship, employment, study, income, bank balances and other financial circumstances. If you are separated, Centrelink may require separation information.
Residence information
If you or your partner have lived outside Australia, Centrelink may ask for visa information, citizenship dates and details of periods lived in other countries.
Employment information
If you or your partner stopped work or moved from full-time to casual work, Centrelink may ask for an Employment Separation Certificate and payslips. You may also need to provide information about employment income, business income or rental income.
How long do you have to provide supporting documents?
Documents identified as required in the online claim normally need to be provided before the claim can be submitted. Other documents may appear as supplementary documents. Services Australia advises providing these at the same time where possible, but supplementary documents can generally be submitted within 14 days after lodging the claim.
If Services Australia later asks for further information while assessing the claim, it will usually give you 14 days to respond. The claim may be put on hold while Centrelink waits for the information and may be rejected if you do not respond.
Can you claim Parenting Payment by phone?
Yes. If you cannot claim online, Services Australia allows you to claim Parenting Payment by calling the Centrelink families line. You do not need to visit a service centre merely to lodge the claim by phone.
After a phone claim, Centrelink will contact you if more information is required and will notify you of the outcome.
How long does a Parenting Payment claim take?
Services Australia does not publish one guaranteed processing period for every Parenting Payment claim. After submitting an online claim, you receive a receipt showing the claim ID and an estimated completion date. You can track progress through your Centrelink online account linked to myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink app.
If your claim is approved, Services Australia states that you will generally receive your first Parenting Payment within 2 weeks of the claim outcome. Waiting periods may delay payment in some circumstances.
What happens after you submit a Parenting Payment claim?
For an online claim, Centrelink provides a receipt showing the claim ID and estimated completion date. Services Australia may contact you if further information or documents are needed.
The outcome is generally sent to your myGov Inbox if you receive electronic correspondence, or by mail otherwise. If the claim is successful, Centrelink tells you when your first payment will be made and how much you will receive.
What if your Parenting Payment claim is rejected?
If you believe Services Australia made an incorrect decision, you can contact the Centrelink families line to discuss it. If you still disagree with the decision, you can ask Services Australia to review the decision under its review process.
Is Parenting Payment the same as Parental Leave Pay?
No. Parenting Payment is an income support payment for the principal carer of a young child and is subject to income, assets and residence rules. Parental Leave Pay is a separate Australian Government payment with its own eligibility and claim rules.
Parenting Payment is also separate from Family Tax Benefit and Child Care Subsidy. Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for more than one type of family assistance, but each payment has its own eligibility rules.
Frequently asked questions
Who can get Parenting Payment in Australia?
You must be the principal carer of a child under 14 if you are single or under 6 if you have a partner. You must also meet residence rules and the applicable income and assets tests. Only one parent or carer can receive Parenting Payment.
Can I claim Parenting Payment before my baby is born?
No. Services Australia states that a Parenting Payment claim cannot be submitted before the child's birth.
Can Parenting Payment be backdated after a baby is born?
Yes. Services Australia can backdate Parenting Payment if you submit your claim and required documents within 4 weeks of the child's birth or within 4 weeks of the date the child came into your care.
What age must my child be for Parenting Payment Single?
If you are single, you must be the principal carer of a child under 14.
What age must my child be for Parenting Payment Partnered?
If you have a partner, you must be the principal carer of a child under 6.
Can both parents get Parenting Payment?
No. Only one parent or carer can receive Parenting Payment, and only one person can be treated as a child's principal carer at a time.
How do I apply for Parenting Payment through myGov?
Sign in to myGov, open Centrelink, select Make a claim or view claim status, choose Make a claim, select Get started under Families or Job Seekers, then choose Apply for Parenting Payment and follow the prompts.
Do I need a Centrelink CRN to claim Parenting Payment?
If you already have a CRN, you can use it to link Centrelink to myGov. If you do not have or cannot remember a CRN, follow Centrelink's current online identity process to establish or recover access, or call the Centrelink families line if you cannot complete the process online.
What documents do I need for Parenting Payment?
Centrelink tells you the documents required for your circumstances during the claim. Common information can include your tax file number, bank and financial information, income and assets, relationship details, residence information, employment records and documents for your partner where relevant.
What is the assets limit for Parenting Payment in 2026?
From 1 July 2026, the assets limit is $333,000 for a single homeowner and $600,000 for a single non-homeowner. For couples, the combined limits are $499,000 for homeowners and $766,000 for non-homeowners.
Can I claim Parenting Payment by phone?
Yes. If you cannot claim online, you can call the Centrelink families line to make a Parenting Payment claim by phone.
How long does a Parenting Payment claim take?
There is no single guaranteed assessment timeframe. An online claim receipt gives you an estimated completion date. If approved, the first Parenting Payment is generally paid within 2 weeks of the claim outcome, although waiting periods can apply.
Is Parenting Payment the same as Parental Leave Pay?
No. Parenting Payment is an income support payment for the principal carer of a young child. Parental Leave Pay is a separate payment with different eligibility and claim rules.
Official sources
Services Australia - Parenting PaymentServices Australia - Who can get Parenting PaymentServices Australia - How to claim Parenting PaymentServices Australia - Principal carer rules for Parenting PaymentServices Australia - Income and assets tests for Parenting PaymentServices Australia - Residence rules for Parenting PaymentServices Australia - Supporting documents for your Centrelink claimServices Australia - When you need an Employment Separation CertificateRelated procedures
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