Family Tax Benefit · guide
Family Tax Benefit as your child becomes a teenager
Three birthdays and one school leaving date change what a family receives. Some go up, some stop.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
A child's 13th birthday moves them to the higher maximum rate of Family Tax Benefit Part A, $306.46 a fortnight instead of $235.48 in 2026-27, an increase of about $71 a fortnight for a family on the maximum rate. The same birthday ends Part B for a couple when that child is the youngest, so a two-parent family on a single income can see its total fall rather than rise. From 16, a young person counts for Family Tax Benefit only while in full-time secondary school or an approved equivalent, up to age 19; once they leave, Part A for them stops, and Part B for a single parent continues only to the end of the calendar year the youngest turns 18, if still at school. A teenager who has left school may then claim Youth Allowance in their own right, with its own income tests.
FTB for an only child as they get older
FTB A and B per fortnight
$306
| Part A | $306 |
| Part B | Nil |
| Assumed | Family income $60,000, in secondary school from 16 |
At 13: one payment up, one down
The higher maximum rate for teenagers reflects what they cost: food, sport, school excursions and phones. A family on the maximum rate of Part A gains about $71 a fortnight from the birthday onwards. A family already reduced to the base rate gains nothing, because the base rate is the same at every age.
For couples the birthday has a second effect when the child is the youngest in the family. Part B is not payable to a member of a couple once the youngest child turns 13 (Family Assistance Guide 3.1.9.10). A couple with a single child and one income of $70,000 receives about $369 a fortnight of Family Tax Benefit at 12 and about $300 at 13: Part A goes up, Part B disappears, and the total moves by -$69. Single parents, grandparents and great-grandparents keep Part B.
From 16: school decides
A 16 to 19 year old is a Family Tax Benefit child only while in full-time secondary study, or a course the guides treat as equivalent, and only up to the end of the year they turn 19 in most cases. Part-time school, a gap year, a full-time apprenticeship or a TAFE certificate outside the secondary system all end Family Tax Benefit for that young person. The higher Part A rate continues for as long as they remain at school.
Part B has its own rule. A child who has turned 16 is ignored for Part B unless they are a senior secondary school child, and only until the end of the calendar year they turn 18. A single parent whose only child is 17 and in Year 12 still receives Part B for that year; once the child finishes school, Part B for that child stops even if Part A continues for a younger sibling.
| Age of the child | Part A (maximum) | Part B, couple | Part B, single parent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | $235.48 | yes, if youngest | yes |
| 13 to 15 | $306.46 | no, if youngest | yes |
| 16 to 18, full-time school | $306.46 | no | to the end of the year they turn 18 |
| 16 to 19, left school | nil | nil | nil |
| 19, still at school | $306.46 | nil | nil |
When the teenager leaves school
The day study ends, Family Tax Benefit for that young person stops, and they become a possible Youth Allowance claimant in their own right: as a job seeker from 16 to 21, or as a full-time student or apprentice from 16 to 24 (Social Security Guide 1.2.1.20). A young person still at secondary school is generally not of Youth Allowance age until 18 unless independent or required to live away from home. Dependent Youth Allowance is subject to a parental income test, which this site does not model; the Youth Allowance calculator shows the rate for an independent young person.
Twins, siblings and the mix of ages
In a family with several children, each child is assessed on their own age for Part A, while Part B depends only on the youngest. A family with a 14-year-old and a 9-year-old receives the higher Part A rate for the first and the lower one for the second, and Part B continues for a couple until the 9-year-old turns 13. When an older sibling leaves school, the family loses that child's Part A but nothing else changes, unless the departure brings the number of children down from three to two, which lowers the Rent Assistance maximum.
Older children and Child Care Subsidy
Teenagers are outside Child Care Subsidy, which stops once a child finishes primary school, so the family's support at this stage comes almost entirely from Family Tax Benefit and, where relevant, Rent Assistance inside Part A. With three or more children, the Rent Assistance maximum is higher, $7,752.60 a year against $6,858.35, and it drops back when an older child stops counting.