Provision of Tax File Number (TFN) for family assistance and Paid Parental Leave scheme payments 007-07010020

Before a claim for FTB or SBP can be assessed, the TFN of the customer (and their partner) must be obtained. The partner's TFN statement is not required for PPL claims. An Approved Care Organisation (ACO) does not need to provide a TFN.

TFNs are needed for CCS claims.

The customer is required to make a TFN statement on their claim form. The Resources page contains more information about TFN statements.

If the customer has made a TFN statement either within an online claim or in writing on a claim form, the TFN(s) for the customer/partner may be supplied verbally, including over the phone.

If TFN details are not provided within the required timeframe, see new postage timeframes, then, either the FTB/SBP claim is not effective or the PPL claim is not effective and cannot be assessed.

Customers can provide TFNs over the phone if they or their partner have previously made a TFN statement that did not include the TFN and they are now able to provide the TFN.

Where a customer has previously claimed a family assistance payment and a TFN is recorded, the system defaults to an authorisation of 'Yes' to allow claims to be processed without the risk of automatic cancellation for non-provision of a TFN.

If a customer previously only provided a TFN for a social security payment, the customer must complete the TFN statement either in their online claim, on the claim form or provide their or their partner's TFN over the phone.

If the customer (or their partner) does not have a TFN or cannot access their TFN, see Helping customers obtain a Tax File Number (TFN) for Family Assistance.

A newly arrived refugee can authorise Services Australia to obtain a TFN online.

Family Tax Benefit (FTB) or Stillborn Baby Payment (SBP) claimants assessed as meeting the guidelines of experiencing an extreme or urgent circumstance can be assessed for approval to have an override coded, pending receipt of their TFN.

See Obtaining a TFN override for family assistance customers experiencing an urgent or extreme circumstance.

The legislation does not allow exemptions for the customer under any circumstances. However, in limited circumstances, a customer may be exempt from providing their partner's TFN details. The Resources page contains further information on exemptions.

Paper files and documentation containing TFNs must be stored securely to guard against unauthorised access, use or disclosure. TFNs may need to be removed or blacked out from paper records if:

• the records are to be sent to an external organisation, or
• a customer provides a document showing their TFN and Services Australia has not requested their TFN details

If a customer loses their TFN, staff must not disclose their TFN to them. Customers can access their TFN via their myGov account (if they have the ATO linked), or alternatively, they can visit the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website for more information.