In Australia, single parents can receive Parenting Payment (Single) until their youngest child turns 14, a significant extension from the previous age of 8, allowing for longer financial support while caring for young children before potentially moving to other payments like JobSeeker. Eligibility depends on income, assets, and meeting principal carer rules, with the payment ceasing if you exceed income/asset limits or your youngest child reaches 14.
From 1 January 2013, transitional arrangements were abolished, and all parents could only receive PP until their youngest child turned 6 years (PPP), or 8 years (PPS). From 20 September 2023, the age of the youngest child to qualify for PPS was changed from under 8 years to under 14 years.
Parenting payment is a payment that cuts off when child is 14 if parent is single and 6 years old if parent has a partner.
If you're single
If your income is over the cut-off point of $2,841.35 a fortnight, we pay you $0 for that fortnight. The cut-off point increases by $24.60 per child if you have more than one child. If you're Age Pension age or older, the income limit may be different.
When your youngest child turns 7, you will have to apply for a new payment as your One-Parent Family Payment will end. If you are not in employment, then you can apply for the Jobseeker's Transitional Payment (JST). This is a payment for lone parents whose youngest child is between 7 and 13 years.
For couples it will increase by $22.40 each, resulting in a total fornightly payment of $888.50 per person. Single parents will receive a $16.20 boost and partnered parents will get an extra $11.40.
A father can apply to the court for guardianship, access, custody, or joint custody in respect of his child. Separate applications must be made for each right though all applications can be heard at the same time.
If you receive Parenting Payment Single
If you return to work, and you receive the Parenting Payment Single you must report your income. If you don't, you may be overpaid, and could wind up accumulating a debt. Single mothers can earn an income up to a certain amount before their payments are reduced.
What financial help can I get as a single parent?
If you submit a pre-birth claim for a child before 1 July 2026, your Parental Leave Pay day balance will be 120 days. Once we get proof of birth or adoption confirming your child was born or adopted from 1 July 2026, we'll add an extra 10 days to your balance to bring it to 130 days.
Normally child support stops when your child turns 18. If your child's in secondary study, you can apply to extend it to the end of the school year.
How long do I have to pay child support? The legal duty of support continues until the child turns 18 years of age, and has graduated from high school; or turns 19 years old, whichever occurs first; marries; dies; or is legally free in some way, such as joining the military.
If you report employment income and your total income is over the cut off point, your Parenting Payment reduces to $0. We call this a nil rate payment period. You can have up to 12 fortnights in a row of $0 payment before we'll suspend or cancel your payment.
7 and under – Should never be left alone for an extended time. This includes leaving children alone in automobiles, playgrounds, and backyards. 8 to 10 years – Should not be left alone for more than 1 or 2 hours and only be left alone during daytime and early evening hours.
Standard Backdating Periods:
Regular cases: Up to 18 months from application date. Cases involving domestic violence: Up to 7 years. Cases where parentage was unknown: From date of parentage confirmation.
If a child under the age of 18 leaves school, starts full-time employment or becomes financially self-sufficient, you may be able to stop paying child support. However, this is not automatic. You will need to contact Services Australia and may need to request a formal reassessment of your obligations.
It's common for single parents to overcompensate, solving every problem, avoiding disappointment, or doing everything to keep their child happy.
For single mums in Australia, Centrelink's main payment is the Parenting Payment (Single), providing fortnightly support for primary carers of children under 14, with rates varying based on age of youngest child and meeting income/asset tests. Other potential payments include Family Tax Benefit (FTB) and help with childcare costs via the Child Care Subsidy, with claims made through a linked Centrelink online account and myGov.
Financial support
You could also be entitled to universal credit, council tax support, child benefit, and help with childcare and school costs.
Single parents can claim Universal Credit if they are responsible for a child under the age of 16 (or under 20 if they are still in education or training). The amount you can receive will depend on your income and circumstances, and it can include a basic allowance, a child element, and a housing element.
If you are also getting the Working Family Payment (WFP), your WFP rate will stay the same. However, if the number of hours you work is reduced to below 19 hours a week (38 hours a fortnight), you are no longer entitled to WFP.
Child Support & Child Care
The child-support scheme can provide financial certainty and strengthen resilience in the children's primary household. Child Support has the potential to assist in more secure housing, provide the basics for children and reduce hardship.
The biggest mistake in a custody battle is losing sight of the child's best interests by prioritizing parental conflict, anger, or revenge, which courts view very negatively. This often manifests as bad-mouthing the other parent, alienating the child, refusing to cooperate, or involving the child in disputes, all of which signal poor co-parenting and harm the case.
This includes: