Rent Assistance for families with children
If you have dependent children, you usually receive Rent Assistance with Family Tax Benefit Part A, rather than with an income support payment. The structure is the same — 75 cents for every dollar of fortnightly rent above the threshold, up to a maximum — but the thresholds and maximums are set for families, and the qualifying test is different: you must receive more than the base rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A.
The family rates, from 20 September 2026
| Family situation | Fortnightly rent must be more than | Rent for the maximum payment | Maximum, per fortnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, with 1 or 2 children | $207.34 | $558.09 | $263.06 |
| Single, with 3 or more children | $207.34 | $603.82 | $297.36 |
| Couple, with 1 or 2 children | $306.60 | $657.35 | $263.06 |
| Couple, with 3 or more children | $306.60 | $703.08 | $297.36 |
Separated couples with children use the single thresholds and maximums in the separated situations listed on the rates and thresholds page. A single parent with 1 or 2 children paying $500.00 a fortnight in rent, for example, has rent above the threshold of $292.66, and $292.66 × 0.75 = $219.50 a fortnight, which is below the $263.06 maximum, so $219.50 is payable before any other adjustment.
The base-rate test
Receiving Family Tax Benefit Part A at exactly the base rate is not enough. Rent Assistance through Family Tax Benefit requires more than the base rate. That is because the base rate is the minimum Family Tax Benefit Part A amount, and Rent Assistance is an addition for families whose Family Tax Benefit Part A is above that floor. If your Family Tax Benefit Part A is at the base rate, or if you do not receive Family Tax Benefit Part A at all, Rent Assistance through this route is not payable, even if your rent is high. You may still qualify through an income support payment, if you receive one, under the rules on the who qualifies page.
Regular care children
There is an exception for a person who would receive Family Tax Benefit Part A except that they have care of a regular care child. In that situation, Rent Assistance can still be payable. Care arrangements and shared care can also change the rate that applies, because a person with a shared care percentage for their children may be assessed under shared-carer rules. Shared care is one of the areas where the standard family table does not tell the whole story, so families with shared care should check the rate Services Australia has applied to their case rather than assuming the standard table figure.
Children, rent, and reporting
The number of children in your care changes both the threshold and the maximum: the step from 1 or 2 children to 3 or more children raises the maximum, and for couples it also changes the rent needed to reach it. A child starting or leaving your care, a change in care percentage, or a partner moving in or out must therefore be reported promptly, as covered on the reporting changes page. An out-of-date child count on record is a common cause of a family receiving the wrong Rent Assistance amount for months.