Changes to the Families Package
Best Start
Best Start is a $60 per week payment (up to $3,120 per year) per child for babies born on or after 1 July 2018.
All eligible families will receive this payment until the child turns one, regardless of their household income. Households whose income is less than $79,000 will continue to receive $60 per week until the child turns three.
Those earning above $79,000 may continue to receive payments at a reduced amount. The upper threshold is $93,858 (for one child) when payments stop.
Find out more about Best Start
Applying for Best Start is easy; you can just do it while registering the birth of your baby through the SmartStart website or by completing a Working for Families Tax Credits registration (FS1) form online or by hand and posting it to us.
Paid Parental leave
Paid parental leave is extending from 18 weeks to 22 weeks from 1 July 2018 for babies born or expected to be born on or after 1 July 2018.
This also means the number of keeping-in-touch hours is increasing from 40 hours to 52. Keeping-in-touch hours allow an employee, who is on parental leave, to stay connected with their employer and perform work from time to time, such as attending a team day.
Find out more about paid parental leave, eligibility and how to apply.
Working for Families tax credit
A higher payment rate and widening of the eligible income range is being introduced from 1 July 2018.
If you’re an existing Working for Families customer you will receive a new Notice of Entitlement in June that will include your new payment amount.