Eligibility for Carer Allowance (CA) (child) when a carer is claiming or receiving CA only 009-03020010

CA (child) is an income supplement for people who provide additional daily care and attention for a child with a disability or medical condition. CA is not taxable or assets tested, however there is an income test. CA can be paid in addition to wages, or another income support payment.

To be eligible for CA a carer must be providing additional care and attention for a child (under 16 years), who needs care permanently or for a minimum of 12 months. CA for child care receivers provides two levels of assistance depending on the care needs of the child.

The first level of assistance for CA (child) provides a Health Care Card (HCC) only and no fortnightly payment. The second level provides an income supplement and a Health Care Card for a child care receiver.

Eligibility for CA (child) is determined by the Disability Care Load Assessment (Child) Determination (DCLAD) (2020). The DCLAD (2020) assesses the functional ability, behaviour, and special care needs for eligibility Carer Payment (CP) (child) and/or CA (child) claims.

A person may qualify for CA even if they are utilising the services of a commercial carer to assist with care provided by the carer. See Example 1 in the Resources page.

Commercial carers do not qualify for CA. Additionally, the care provided by a commercial carer cannot be used towards qualifying another person for CA. See Example 2 in the Resources page.

Note: while there are no legislative age limits for carers, claims from carers under 18 years of age, or 80 years of age or older, require careful consideration. It is necessary to make sure that the carer can and does provide the care receiver with the care and attention that is required on a daily basis. Where the carer is under 18 years of age or aged over 80 years, they must be referred to a social worker for assessment of the care situation. This may require a phone call or a home visit with the carer.

There are no legislative age limits applicable to carers, however, claims from carers under 18 years of age, or 80 years of age and over, require a referral to a social worker.

• For carers under the age of 18, a pre-grant referral is required
• For carers 80 years of age and over, a post-grant referral is required

It is necessary to make sure that the carer can and does provide the care receiver with the level of care and attention on a daily basis that is required. A very young or elderly carer may have difficulty accessing support services and resources. A social worker can provide assistance in this regard.

Social workers provide information that contribute to decisions about qualification. They do not make the final decision regarding qualification.

Referrals to a social worker can be done in Process Direct using > > Referral, or in Customer First using the Social Work guided procedure, by selecting from the options:

• Under 18 years of age, or
• Over 80 years of age

See Social worker assessment of care situations for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) claims.

CA (auto) is payable automatically to carers who are paid Carer Payment (CP) (child).

Note: carers should be encouraged to apply for CA (child) when they apply for CP (child), so that if their CP (child) is rejected they can still be considered for CA (child).

If the carer is not eligible for CP (child) and therefore CA (auto) is not payable, the customer may test their eligibility for:

• 1 carer and 1 care receiver for a payment of CA
• 1 carer and 1 care receiver for the Health Care Card (HCC) only level of CA
• 2 carers who share the care of 1 care receiver, or
• 1 carer who provides care for 2 care receivers under 16 whose combined disabilities have a significant impact when assessed against the Disability Care Load Assessment Determination (DCLAD)

If a carer is in receipt of CA (child) and the child care receiver turns 16, the carer will need to test their eligibility for Carer Allowance (CA) for a person aged 16 years or over.

To qualify for CA for a child under 16 years of age the following must apply:

• The care receiver must be a dependent child of the carer and be aged under 16 years
• Both carer and care receiver are Australian residents
• The care receiver's condition is:
• Permanent, or
• Expected to last a minimum period of 12 months
• The carer provides care and attention on a daily basis in a private home that is the shared residence of both the carer and care receiver
• The care receiver has a recognised disability, or has been given a qualifying rating of intense under the DCLAD (2020). The References page contains links to Guide to Social Security Law 1.1.R.90 Recognised disability (CA (child)), Guide to Social Security Law 1.1.R.95 Recognised medical condition (CA), and 3.6.12 DCLA (child)

Note: if the care is not being provided in the residence of both the carer and the care receiver because the care receiver is temporarily hospitalised, the procedure Hospitalisation provisions for Carer Payment (CP) and Carer Allowance (CA) contains further information.

If a care receiver does not qualify their carer for payment of CA and the carer meets the CA income test, consideration is given to CA Health Care Card (HCC) only, where no payments are made, but recognition is given to the high cost of medications, and a HCC is issued for that purpose. To qualify for CA HCC only, the condition must be either permanent or expected to last 12 months or more.

The carer is not required to describe the effects of the disability or the level of care that is provided. Once the claim is completed and lodged, the entitlement will be assessed, and the claim granted or rejected.

To be eligible for CA, the carer’s and their partner’s combined Adjusted Taxable Income (ATI) must be under $250,000 a year. This includes deemed amount from account-based income streams if the account holder is 60 years of age or more. The same income limit applies if the carer does not have a partner. The income test does not affect the rate of CA.

CA Adjusted Taxable Income (ATI) details are collected in a CA claim or combined Carer Payment (CP) and CA claim unless the claimant is already exempt from providing their income details for the CA income test at the time they complete their claim.

A CA claimant can become exempt or lose their exemption from providing their income details for the CA income test.

• If the claimant is not already exempt at the time they complete their claim, they may become exempt due to being granted CP or when they or their partner are granted a payment or card that qualifies for an exemption
• A CA claimant may be exempt at the time they complete their claim but when it is processed they have lost their exemption - in this case the Service Officer will manually issue a Carer Allowance adjusted taxable income details (SA489) form by selecting Request Documents through the More Options icon located in Process Direct. The Resources page contains a link to this form

For more information see Carer Allowance (CA) income test - determining reference tax year and assessable income components.

Other assistance available for carers:

• Detailed information relating to eligibility for the Carer Supplement (CS) can be found in the procedure Carer Supplement (CS)
• Carers receiving the Carer Allowance (CA) (child) payment may be entitled to the annual Child Disability Assistance Payment (CDAP)