Calculating the additional Double Orphan Pension (DOP) component 007-06010030

The DOP additional component is the difference between the carer's legislative rate of Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A for the DOP child and the legislative rate of FTB Part A received for the DOP child immediately before they became an orphan.

The DOP additional component is not payable where FTB Part A has been cancelled because the child receives a payment under a prescribed educational scheme.

All assessments for the DOP additional component are carried out by the Double Orphan Pension (DOP) and Bereavement Smart Centre Processing Team. Customers can call the Processing Team for assistance.

In the case of a shared care child, the additional component of DOP is the difference between applying the shared care percentage to the legislative rate of FTB Part A previously received for the child and applying the shared care percentage to the current carer's legislative rate of FTB Part A.

DOP claimants who have shared care of 35% or more will be assessed under the Family Assistance shared care rules. Customers who have actual care of a child for less than 35% of the time are not entitled to either the basic or additional component of DOP. Where the customer has actual care of a child for 14-34% of the time, they will be assessed for ancillary benefits.