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Centrelink enquiries for Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) 101-03030000

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This document outlines the procedure for staff assisting customers enquiring about the CDBS.

CDBS eligibility requirements

CDBS provides eligible children and teenagers, aged 0 to 17 years inclusive, with access to benefits for basic dental services, over 2 consecutive calendar years.

The amount is indexed annually and is currently capped at $1,132 for 2025.

The eligibility criteria for CDBS must be met each calendar year. If the whole amount is not used in the first year the remaining cap balance can only be used in the second calendar year if the child/teenager continues to meet the eligibility criteria for CDBS.

To be eligible for CDBS, a child/teenager must meet all the following criteria:

  • be aged 0 to 17 years for at least one day in the calendar year
  • be eligible for Medicare, and
  • the child/teenager’s parent or guardian receives:
    • Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A
    • Parenting Payment (PP), or
    • Double Orphan Pension (DOP), or
  • the child/teenager’s parent or guardian's partner receives FTB Part A or Parenting Payment Partnered (PPP), or
  • a child/teenager receives:
    • Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A
    • Youth Allowance (YA)
    • ABSTUDY
    • Disability Support Pension (DSP)
    • Parenting Payment (PP)
    • Special Benefit (SpB)
    • Carer Payment (CP)

Where FTB A is claimed as a lump sum, eligibility for CDBS is for the calendar year immediately following the financial year the FTB Part A lump sum claim was for. For example, if a customer submits an FTB sum claim for the 2023-2024 financial year, their CDBS eligibility will be from the 1 January 2025.

The Resources page contains an example of eligibility for FTB Part A lump sum claimants.

If the customer is eligible for Medicare, qualifying payments also include Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) payments for the Veteran's Children Education Scheme (if the child is over 16) and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act Education and Training Scheme (if the child is over 16). This information will be provided from DVA to Medicare for the purposes of CDBS.

See the Resources page for links to CDBS information and examples of CDBS enquiries.

Role of Centrelink and Medicare

The Centrelink system automatically checks to see if a child/teenager meets eligibility requirements for CDBS, and transfers age and payment eligibility details to the Medicare system.

Eligibility for a child/teenager is determined using client data from Centrelink, Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and Medicare.

Medicare generates CDBS eligibility notifications in January each year. Eligibility notifications are also sent for newly eligible children throughout the year.

Checking eligibility

Customers can check their CDBS eligibility and remaining benefit cap amount for the child/teenager by accessing their Medicare online account via myGov, the myGov app or by calling Medicare.

Dentists can also check the eligibility and remaining benefit cap for the child via Health Professional Online Services (HPOS).

If Centrelink Service Officers receive enquiries about CDBS, confirm eligibility to a CDBS qualifying payment and direct any further queries to Medicare.

Requesting an eligibility notification

If a customer requests an eligibility notification, they must be directed to Medicare.

Customers do not need to take their eligibility notification to the appointment to be able to claim for a dental service.

The Resources page contains CDBS enquiry examples, frequently asked questions and links to contact details for Medicare, Services Australia website and the myGov website.

Patient eligibility for Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) in Medicare