Working age, students and new parents · guide
Parenting Payment single
The main payment for single parents with a child under 14. How much, how earnings reduce it, and what happens at the 14th birthday.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Parenting Payment single pays a single principal carer whose youngest child is under 14 up to $1,080.20 a fortnight since 20 September 2026, a figure that includes the pension supplement basic amount and the Energy Supplement. Its income test is the most generous of the working-age payments: the free area is $208 a fortnight plus $24.60 for each child, $257 with two children, and above it the payment falls by only 40 cents per dollar. A single parent of two keeps some Parenting Payment until earnings reach about $2,958 a fortnight. Child support received is not counted, assets above the free area stop the payment, and while it is paid, Family Tax Benefit is worked out without the family income test. On the youngest child's 14th birthday it ends, and a parent still on income support usually moves to JobSeeker at a lower rate.
Parenting Payment single with your earnings
Parenting Payment per fortnight
$943.08
| Income free area | $257.20 |
| Reduction (40c in the dollar) | $137.12 |
| Payment stops at | $2,958 |
The rate and what is in it
The maximum rate of $1,080.20 a fortnight is built from three parts: the maximum basic rate, the pension supplement basic amount of $798.20 a year, and the Energy Supplement of $312 a year (Social Security Guide 5.1.8.10). A single parent who has reached Age Pension age receives a slightly higher amount, $1,139.80, with the full pension supplement. The basic rate is benchmarked to wages as well as prices and moves on 20 March and 20 September; the next change is on 20 March 2027.
A free area that grows with the family
Parenting Payment single is the only main payment whose income free area depends on the number of children. The base is $5,408 a year, $208 a fortnight, and each dependent child adds $639.60 a year, $24.60 a fortnight (Social Security Guide 4.10.4.10). Above the free area, each dollar of income reduces the payment by 40 cents, not the 50 and 60 cents of JobSeeker (section 4.2.4.10).
| Earnings per fortnight | Parenting Payment | Earnings plus payment |
|---|---|---|
| $0 | $1,080.20 | $1,080 |
| $300 | $1,063.08 | $1,363 |
| $600 | $943.08 | $1,543 |
| $900 | $823.08 | $1,723 |
| $1,200 | $703.08 | $1,903 |
| $1,600 | $543.08 | $2,143 |
| $2,000 | $383.08 | $2,383 |
The third column climbs steadily: each dollar earned above the free area leaves 60 cents in the parent's pocket before tax. The payment stops at about $2,958 a fortnight with two children, $2,933 with one and $2,982 with three.
The 14th birthday
Parenting Payment single ends when the youngest child turns 14 (Social Security Guide 1.2.4.10). A parent who still needs income support is generally moved to JobSeeker at the single rate with a dependent child, $883.30 a fortnight plus the Energy Supplement, with the allowance income test: $150 free and 40 cents per dollar for a single principal carer. With $600 of earnings a fortnight and two children, the payment would drop from about $943.08 to about $712.80. Family Tax Benefit stays at the maximum as long as some JobSeeker is paid. Mutual obligation requirements also change with the move.
Assets and other income
Parenting Payment single is subject to the allowance assets test: it is not paid if assets, excluding the home, exceed $333,000 for a homeowner or $600,000 for a non-homeowner. Savings below the limit still produce deemed income, which counts in the income test with wages, business income and rent received.
Working more as the children grow
Because the taper is 40 cents rather than 60, extra hours pay off more on Parenting Payment single than they would on JobSeeker. Moving from $600 to $1,200 a fortnight of earnings with two children lifts the household's earnings-plus-payment from $1,543 to $1,903. Family Tax Benefit stays at its maximum throughout, as long as some Parenting Payment remains. Child Care Subsidy covers at least 72 hours a fortnight of care for each child whatever the hours worked, and 100 hours once work and other recognised activity pass 48 hours a fortnight.
The years before the youngest turns 14 are therefore a good time to build up work. A parent already earning near the cut-out when Parenting Payment ends loses little; a parent with no earnings moves to the lower JobSeeker rate with stricter conditions.
Living arrangements
Single for Parenting Payment means not a member of a couple. Services Australia looks at the whole relationship, including finances, the household, social aspects, sexual relationship and commitment, not only who lives at the address. A parent separated under the same roof can be assessed as single; a new partner who moves in usually turns the payment into Parenting Payment partnered, or ends it if the youngest child is 6 or older.