Helping customers provide proof of a child's birth for family assistance, Child Care Subsidy (CCS) and Paid Parental Leave scheme claims 007-03010030

Customers can make an early claim for family assistance and PPL.

On the birth of their baby, the Parent Pack is given to parents by the doctor or midwife. This pack will contain a Newborn Child Declaration (FA081).

When a customer has claimed before their child's birth, the easiest way for them to provide proof of birth is to go online or into the app. For more information, go to Step 3.

Customers who only want to enrol a newborn child in Medicare services can complete using Medicare online accounts, For more information, see Newborn child enrolments in Medicare.

Customers who want to lodge the FA081 in person or by post, will need to fully complete and lodge the FA081.

The Newborn Child Declaration (FA081) will be included in the Parent Pack given to parents by the doctor or midwife.

The back page of the FA081 contains a declaration signed by the doctor or midwife confirming the birth of the child.

Note: customers who have participated in the Newborn Enrolment Trial may not be required to upload the FA081.

FA081 requirements

For the Newborn Child Declaration (FA081) to be used as a proof of birth it must include the unique serial number, and:

• for a hospital birth:
• be stamped with an official hospital stamp or hospital sticker that includes the birth mother's name and date of birth, and
• contain the doctor or midwife's name, signature and qualification
• for a home birth, contain the midwife's name, signature, registration, and contact number

For a lost or incomplete FA081, or where above requirements are not met, go to Step 6.

Online

The easiest way for parents to provide proof of birth to support their claim is to:

• go online, and
• upload a photo of the Doctor/Midwife - Proof of Birth declaration on the back page of the FA081

Note: customers who have participated in the Newborn Enrolment Trial may not be required to upload the FA081. Participating customers must complete the 'Provide your baby's name' task in myGov if their child was not named when they left hospital, see Providing the baby's name. In order to finalise their claim, these customers must complete the Add Newborn or Add Child service to confirm the Electronic Proof of Birth details are correct.

To do this customers will need to be registered online and must also complete one of the following options:

• If they have already lodged a pre-birth claim for family assistance or Parental Leave Pay (PPL), customers can:
• access Centrelink services from their myGov account or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app, and
• select the Add Newborn child service or Add Child service in the mobile app
• go to Step 5
• If they have not yet claimed for their child and want to do so, customers can access Centrelink services from their myGov account and select the Make a claim option. This includes current FTB customers who want to add their newborn child to their FTB payments

When proof of birth is provided online this information will be sent to Medicare for the child's enrolment. There is no need for the customer to also lodge the newborn declaration with Medicare.

Other options

The FA081 (completed in full) needs to be provided when a customer:

• wants to enrol their child in Medicare services only
• is unable to access online services
• is FTB current and is not claiming PPL (the details from their FA081 will be used to reassess their FTB), or

Parents can also provide other acceptable proof of birth for a child. See Item 1 in the Checking proof of child's birth for family assistance claims table.

Customers who claim family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments for a child who has been entrusted to their care will need to provide acceptable proof of birth for the child unless it has previously been provided and is recorded on the child's record. Go to Step 8.

If the child's natural parent has provided a completed Doctor/Midwife declaration on the Newborn Child Declaration (FA081), this can be used as proof of the child's birth for the customer's claim.

If required, the customer can provide acceptable proof of birth for the child online using Upload documents. They can do this when submitting an online claim or after lodging a claim.

For acceptable proof of birth see Item 1 in the Checking proof of child's birth for family assistance claims table.

Parents who have lodged a pre-birth claim for FTB or PPL can use this service to provide details of their child and upload proof of birth so that their claim can be finalised.

Note: the status of the customer's pre-birth claim must be assessed pending proof of birth (for example, benefit status of FTB/PND-POB, FTB/PND-POP and/or PPL/ASS-PCB).

Customers will need to:

• write their Customer Reference Number (CRN) on the back of the Newborn Child Declaration (FA081)
• take a photo of the Doctor/Midwife - Proof of Birth declaration
• access their Centrelink services from their myGov account or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app
• select the Add newborn child option or Add child in the mobile app
• answer all questions presented
• key the serial number shown on the FA081 or FA008
• use Upload documents (this will be presented) to upload the photo of the declaration

Note: customers who have participated in the Newborn Enrolment Trial may not have to upload or provide the serial number of the FA081 as this information is not required under electronic proof of birth provisions.

Where two customers:

• are partnered at the date of the Add Newborn is submitted, and
• both have lodged PPL pre-birth claims, including a combined FTB/PPL pre-birth claim, for the same birth event for a child who is born or adopted on or after 1 July 2023, and
• both claims are linked with the same Approval ID, and
• the relationships between the claimants is either
• birth mother (BMO) - partner of birth mother (BMP)
• adoptive parent (ADP) - partner of adoptive parent (APP), and
• both PPL claims are ASSessed - Pending proof of birth (PCB), and
• child’s birth has been registered on the Child Registration (CHR) screen, and
• proof of birth/placement is verified on the Change Child (CCH) screen

then

• one customer provides proof of birth via an Add Newborn activity and their PPL claim is granted
• the system will assess the same proof of birth for the partner and automatically grant their PPL claim

If any of the above criteria is not met, automatic processing of the partner’s PPL claim will not occur. The partner’s Add Newborn claim will need to be processed manually.

Automatic processing of the partner’s PPL claim will also not occur if the birth mother:

• lodges a PPL claim as a single person, and
• advises after the claim submission date that they were partnered to the child’s biological father on a date before the claim submission date

The partner’s Add Newborn claim will need to be processed manually.

Service Officers should first check if the birth mother has an employer determination if the newborn:

• has been completed by the partner of the mother, and
• the child was stillborn or has died

If yes, contact the birth mother to check if they want to change the employer determination to have their PPL paid by Services Australia instead. In this scenario, process the birth mother’s Add Newborn first so the paymaster can be changed. See Delivery of Parental Leave Pay (PPL).

Note: once a customer has submitted their Add Newborn activity and this is processed, in some circumstances their partner's PPL claim will be automatically completed. If this has occurred, the Add Newborn task will no longer display in the partner's online services, as no action is required.

Once proof of birth is received, the customer's claim can be finalised if no additional information is required, and they will be notified of the outcome. A Medicare enrolment activity will be automatically created for customers who notify they wish to enrol their child for Medicare.

See Processing proof of a child's birth.

FA081 is lost

If the form is lost, do not refer customers back to the hospital or midwife for a duplicate form, or to have any missing information completed on the back page.

Ask the customer to provide other proof of birth for the child. See Item 1 in the Checking proof of child's birth for family assistance claims table.

FA081 incomplete

If the form is incomplete, or amendments made without an initial or signature, verbal confirmation from the hospital may be accepted for certain details.

Note: to enrol in Medicare services, advise the customer they will need to lodge their enrolment online using Medicare online accounts or complete and lodge a Medicare Enrolment Application. This is available from the Services Australia website. The Resources page contains a link to the form.

A hospital may be contacted and verbal confirmation sought (including where amendments are made) if in the Doctor/Midwife Proof of Birth declaration in the FA081:

• sex of the child box is not ticked
• mother's name is illegible
• mother's or child's date of birth details are not complete and/or incorrect

If the above information:

• can be confirmed verbally by the hospital, see Processing proof of a child's birth
• cannot be confirmed verbally by the hospital, then an alternate acceptable proof of birth will need to be provided. See Item 1 in the Checking proof of child's birth for family assistance claims table

Seek verbal confirmation from the customer, if:

• they are only required to provide the back page of the FA081, and
• the Doctor/Midwife section is complete, but the customer section is incomplete, and
• the newborn child's name has not already been provided elsewhere (for example, in a claim or in the 'Add newborn child' service)

If the information above has been confirmed verbally by the customer, see Processing proof of a child's birth.

The Resources page contain some examples of what is required where the FA081 is incomplete.

If a customer has been issued an obsolete form, a team leader or senior service officer will need to contact the hospital regarding FA081/FA008 supplies and confirm an old form was used.

In addition, the hospital/birthing centre must be advised to destroy any remaining obsolete forms.

Once proof of birth has been provided for a child for a family assistance, Child Care Subsidy (CCS) or Paid Parental Leave scheme claim, it does not need to be provided again for any subsequent claim for the child, for example, if the child enters the care of another person.

View the proof of birth indicator:

• In Customer First:
• Select the child from the Child Selection (CHS) screen
• Go to the Change Child (CCH) screen
• In Process Direct:
• Select the child from
• Go to the Change Child (CCH) screen

To support their claim for family assistance, Child Care Subsidy (CCS), Paid Parental Leave scheme payments or for Medicare enrolment, customers can provide any of the following as proof of the child's birth:

• A completed Doctor/Midwife Proof of Birth Declaration on the Newborn Child Declaration (FA081). Note: for a FA081 to be used as a proof of birth it must include the unique serial number, and:
• for a hospital birth, be stamped with an official hospital stamp or hospital sticker that includes the birth mother's name and date of birth. It must also contain the doctor or midwife's name, signature and qualification
• for a home birth, contain the midwife's name, signature, registration, and contact number
• Electronic Proof of Birth provided by participating hospitals as part of the Newborn Enrolment Trial
• A birth certificate or certified extract. Note: state/territory issued commemorative birth certificates are not acceptable as proof of birth
• Hospital birth - a letter (usually hospital letterhead) from the doctor or midwife who attended the birth or another appropriate hospital representative. The letter must:
• confirm the doctor or midwife's name, qualification, contact details, and
• has a signature (this may be the appropriate hospital representative or doctor or midwife), and
• provides the details of the parent and child, and the date and place of birth
• Home birth - a letter from the doctor or midwife who attended the birth. The letter:
• confirms their name, signature and qualifications, and
• provides the details of the parent and child, and the date and place of birth
  Note: where a child has been delivered by a midwife, the midwife's registration number is also required
• Freebirth - such as births attended by a doula. (Doulas are trained non-medical caregivers who provide support to women before, during after childbirth). Parents will need to obtain a birth certificate if a doctor or midwife is:
• not present at the birth, or
• unable to verify the birth using a FA081 or similar letter
  Note: evidence of the birth from the doula such as a statutory declaration is not acceptable. (This also includes Live Birth Records registered with third parties, including 'Commonlaw.earth'). This is regardless of whether this evidence is accepted as proof of birth by Births Deaths and Marriages
• Adoption papers that provide the relevant child's name, date of birth and date of adoption
• Other Australian Commonwealth government document that verifies the child's name and date of birth, for example, a passport or naturalisation certificate
• Department of Home Affairs data link verification. Go to Step 3
• Letters from state government departments cannot be accepted as proof of birth for a child as these agencies should have either:
• the child's birth certificate, or
• a letter from the hospital confirming the child's date of birth and child's birth parent/s

In formal foster care situations, a letter from an authorised party confirming proof of birth for a foster care child cannot be accepted as proof of birth but can be accepted as proof of a change in care. Formal foster carers are able to access the child's birth certificate from the relevant organisation who placed the child in care, for example Child Protection Services.

In the event of a newborn child there may be a delay while the relevant authorised party applies for the child's birth certificate. Formal foster carers should liaise with their case manager/authorised party to obtain the proof of birth.

It is not appropriate for the foster parent nor the department to contact the hospital where the child was delivered to obtain alternate proof of birth.

If a pre-birth claim was made - Customers can upload acceptable proof of birth documents using Upload documents. The customer will be required to use the 'Add newborn child' service online or the 'Add child' service via the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app to complete their claim. Alternately they can lodged a fully completed Newborn Child Declaration form (FA081) with the back page included.

If a pre-birth claim was not made, customers can:

• claim online and upload acceptable proof of birth using Upload documents, or
• claim using the Claim for Paid Parental Leave and Family Assistance (FA100) form and include the back page from the FA081

All images uploaded must be clear and legible and must be provided with the child's details and any required claim information.

If a copy of a proof of birth document, for example a birth certificate, is provided, it must be a clear and legible copy. If there are concerns about the legitimacy of the document, a request to provide the original document is to be made.

If the customer advises that the hospital had not issued them with a FA081 at the time of birth, refer the case to Level 2 Helpdesk for further advice before finalising the claim.

Acceptable proof of the child's birth for family assistance and Paid Parental Leave scheme claims can include any of the following:

• Australian Citizenship by descent certificate
• Child's passport (Australian or otherwise)
• Department of Home Affairs data link verification. (ImmiCard can be used to confirm datalink). Go to Item 3
• Birth certificate issued by the government of the country in which the child was born

Note: it is preferred that a child's date of birth is verified using an Australian immigration document compared to a birth certificate issued by the country in which the child is born. If no Australian document can be provided, a foreign birth certificate or other suitable documents that verifies the child's date of birth may be used.

When a document in another language is presented for Identity Confirmation or proof of birth purposes, it must be referred to the Language Services for translation (unless it is accompanied by another acceptable identity confirmation document) even if the customer provides their own translated version. See Translation of documents.

Service Officers can check details on the Immigration Link Details (CHIML) screen in Customer First.

The child's date of birth is confirmed if the Match result: field displays one of the following:

• CPM - CIS Perfect Match manually matched record
• APM - system has auto matched the record

If the Match return: field displays Auto multi-match this means that a Department of Home Affairs match is delayed and may be available in 2 calendar days - check this screen again before rejecting the claim.

For the Department of Home Affairs data link, ensure that all 'known' names of the child are recorded on the Change Child (CCH) screen.

If proof of birth for a newborn child is provided online via the Add Newborn task or within a Post Birth claim the following occurs:

• the customer's claim for family assistance and/or Paid Parental Leave scheme payments will be allocated to an appropriately skilled officer and finalised if all required information is available. The customer will be advised of the claim outcome
• the FA081 scanned document will be allocated to an appropriately skilled officer and will be finalised if all required information is available
• a newborn Medicare enrolment activity will be automatically created for customers who notify they wish to enrol their child for Medicare

FCC Processing staff

• If the FA081 is lodged in person or by post, check that it is fully completed and signed by the customer. See Processing proof of a child's birth
• If a current FTB customer (including CZR) has not followed instructions on the FA081 to use online services, the details from their FA081 can be used to reassess their FTB without the need to lodge a claim. See Processing proof of a child's birth

Non FCC Processing staff

Check the classification of the proof of birth. If the proof of birth is classified as:

• FA081: this will be allocated to an appropriately skilled Service Officer. Procedure ends here
• UNS002 or other:
• Reclassify the document to a FA081. DOC the record of the customer contact. See Viewing Centrelink customers' digital images
• When the proof of birth is classified as a FA081, it will be allocated via WLM to an appropriately skilled Service Officer
• Procedure ends here

For urgent escalation due to crisis or financial hardship see Helping customers in crisis or financial hardship claim family assistance.