Carer Allowance is a fortnightly supplement if you give additional daily care to someone who has a disability or a medical condition.
A young person under the age of 16 with a “45 decibels or more hearing loss in the better ear, based on a 4 frequency pure tone average (using 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 4,000Hz)” is automatically considered to be a child with a disability. You may also be eligible if you have more than one child who has hearing loss or a child who has additional needs. See the above DSS guide.
Carer Allowance for a child with higher needs for 2024 is $153.50 each fortnight, and your child is also eligible for a Health Care Card.
Services Australia (see link) has a step-by-step guide for the claim process.
Carer Payment is an income support payment if you give constant care to someone with a disability or a severe medical condition and, therefore, cannot work full time.
Carer payment rates are reviewed on 20th March and 20th September each year.
You may be able to get both Carer Payment and Carer Allowance at the same time.
Check out the Services Australia link to see if you and your child are eligible.
Download the Real Life Tip infographic.
More information:
- Carer allowance – guide to the list of recognised disabilities | Department of Social Securities
- Carer allowance | Services Australia
- Carer payment | Services Australia
- Getting payment if you are a carer | Services Australia
- How to claim carer allowance | Services Australia
- Carer Allowance vs Carer Payment | Association for Children with a Disability (ACD)
- Financial assistance for families with a child with disability
