The 2026 Guide to Australia's Family Tax Benefit (FTB): Part A & B Eligibility, Rates, and Strategies
When our second child was born, a colleague pulled me aside and asked if we were getting Family Tax Benefit. We were — Part A — but she looked at me like I'd left money on the table. "Are you getting Part B as well?" I had no idea there were two separate payments. Turns out we qualified for both, and had been missing Part B for months simply because nobody mentioned it.
It's a surprisingly common situation. The FTB system is genuinely generous, but it's also layered enough that a lot of families either don't claim what they're entitled to, or get caught out by the income estimate trap at reconciliation time. Here's how it actually works.
Part A vs. Part B — What's the Difference?
FTB Part A
Paid per child
- Designed for all families with dependent children
- Amount depends on income, number of children, and their ages
- More children = higher total payment
- Tapers down as household income rises
FTB Part B
Paid per family
- Targets single-income and single-parent households
- Same amount regardless of how many children
- Designed for families where one parent stays home or earns significantly less
- Primary earner hard cut-off at $120,007
You can receive both at the same time if you qualify for each independently — and many families do.
Part A — Rates and Income Thresholds for 2025–26
Centrelink uses your Adjusted Taxable Income (ATI) rather than just base salary. ATI adds in reportable fringe benefits, salary sacrifice super contributions, and any net rental or investment losses — so it can be higher than what you'd expect from your payslip alone.
| Household ATI | What happens |
|---|---|
| $66,722 or under | Maximum rate applies |
| $66,723 – $118,771 | Reduces by 20c per dollar over $66,722 until it hits base rate |
| Above $118,771 | Reduces by 30c per dollar until payment reaches $0 |
Maximum fortnightly rates per child
| Child's age | Max per fortnight | Approx. per year |
|---|---|---|
| 0–12 years | $227.36 | ~$5,911 |
| 13–19 years (in full-time secondary study) | $295.82 | ~$7,691 |
Part B — Rates and Income Thresholds for 2025–26
Part B is where the rules differ depending on your family setup.
Single parents
No secondary income test. You receive the maximum rate as long as your income is $120,007 or under. Straightforward.
Two-parent couples
Two income tests apply simultaneously:
- Primary earner: must earn $120,007 or less. If they earn even a dollar over this, Part B cuts to zero — no taper, just a hard stop.
- Secondary earner: can earn up to $6,935 before payments start reducing. After that, every dollar reduces the payment by 20 cents, cutting off entirely around $34,437 depending on the youngest child's age.
Maximum fortnightly rates
| Youngest child's age | Max per fortnight | Approx. per year |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 years | $193.34 | ~$5,027 |
| 5–18 years | $134.96 | ~$3,509 |
👪 Family Tax Benefit Estimator — 2025–26
Estimate your combined Part A and Part B entitlements.
Per fortnight
$454.72
combined all children
Per year
$11,823
Supplement (est.)
$1,876
lump sum at tax time
Per fortnight
$193.34
Per year
$5,027
Supplement (est.)
$459.90
lump sum at tax time
Annual payments
$16,850
+ Supplements
$2,336
Total est. value
$19,186
Estimates based on ATO/Services Australia 2025–26 rates. Does not account for all ATI adjustments or immunisation compliance. Use as a guide only.
Two Things That Can Cost You the Supplement
The end-of-year supplements — up to $938 per child for Part A and $460 for the family on Part B — are worth chasing. But they're not automatic. Two specific requirements can stop them being paid.
Immunisation ("No Jab, No Pay")
Your child needs to be fully up to date with the national immunisation schedule. If they fall behind on a scheduled vaccine, Centrelink reduces your Part A by about $30 per fortnight per child. That reduction stays in place until their record is updated on the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR). GPs and pharmacies can update the AIR directly — it usually happens automatically, but it's worth double-checking in the AIR portal if you've had a recent vaccine appointment and nothing has changed.
Healthy Start for School (age 4 health check)
When your child turns 4, they need a health check from a GP or community child health nurse before their 5th birthday. If you're also receiving an income support payment, you need to notify Centrelink once that check is done. Miss the notification and you lose the Part A supplement entirely for that year — a meaningful amount when it's nearly $1,000 per child. Diarising this one well before your child's fifth birthday is worth it.
The Income Estimate Trap — and How to Avoid It
When you set up FTB payments, Centrelink asks for an estimated income for the year. Most people just enter their current salary and move on. This works fine if your income is stable — but if it changes during the year (a promotion, extra shifts, a redundancy, a partner going back to work), you can end up in trouble at reconciliation time.
And if your income genuinely changes mid-year — partner returns to work, you get a new job, hours are cut — update your estimate in myGov as soon as possible. It's quick to do and prevents the gap from blowing out.
How to Claim
The simplest way is through myGov linked to Centrelink. You can lodge a claim up to three months before your child's due date, which is worth doing — Centrelink processing times can stretch to weeks or months when backlogs are high, and payments are generally backdated to when you first lodged the intent to claim rather than when it was approved.
Once set up, keep your income estimate current and make sure your child's immunisation records are up to date. Outside of that, the system largely runs in the background.
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