Completing the Claim for Bereavement Payment (FA008) 007-07020010

The Claim for Bereavement Payment (FA008) is issued to customers by the hospital or birthing centre after a stillbirth or neo-natal death. There is also a version of the FA008 which can be issued directly to customers after a child bereavement event.

• A bereavement payment of FTB is available if the customer was eligible for FTB for the child at the time of their death. If the customer is not eligible for PPL, FTB can include Newborn Supplement (NBS) and Newborn Upfront Payment (NBU)
• FTB is not payable for a stillborn child. See Eligibility for Stillborn Baby Payment (SBP) for more information
• PPL is payable for a stillborn child or for a child who has died since birth
• SBP may be payable for a stillborn child if the customer is not eligible for PPL for the child

In most cases, for a stillborn child the hospital or birthing centre will give the customer the FA008 which will contain confirmation the child was stillborn.

The bereavement payment is equivalent to 14 weeks of FTB from the date of the child's death. It can be paid as fortnightly payments over 14 weeks or as a lump sum.

If a customer is eligible for NBS, it will be paid for the relevant NBS period (up to 13 weeks) per the customer's FTB payment choice.

If a second or subsequent child dies on or after 1 January 2021 and before their first birthday, a top-up of NBS may be paid. The top-up is the difference between the lower and higher rate. If a child’s death is advised as part of a FTB claim and the lower NBS rate has not previously been paid for the child, the higher rate of NBS will be paid for the eligible NBS period.

Unless previously provided for the child, acceptable proof of birth is required.

Birth registration requirements do not apply to PPL or SBP claims for a stillborn child.

Points to note in completing the claim:

• The claim form comes with a Notes booklet which should be read before completing the claim
• Customers claiming PPL must meet the PPL income test and PPL work test. PPL cannot be paid as a lump sum payment. Customers can continue to receive PPL after the death of a child even if the customer returns to work
• If the customer is claiming FTB, they must provide an annual income estimate for the current financial year. Customers may choose to receive their FTB bereavement payment as a lump sum or as fortnightly instalments for up to a 14 week period. If a bereavement period crosses into the 2016-17 financial year, the lump sum bereavement payment may be affected by the changes to the eligibility requirements for FTB Part B after 1 July 2016
• If the customer is claiming SBP, they must provide an income estimate for the 6 month period beginning from the date of delivery of the stillborn child. SBP will be paid as a lump sum. For children delivered on or after 1 January 2021 there is a single rate of SBP. The single rate is paid for each stillborn child delivered on or after 1 January 2021. Customers will not be asked information about previous stillborn children in the bereavement claim, this will be sourced from information on the customer record and, if required, a personal discussion with the customer
• If the customer wishes to claim for additional children, they will be required to lodge a separate claim

The claim can be lodged online, in person or by mail. The reply paid address printed on the claim is for the agency's scanning provider. All advice regarding a child who has recently died (including the FA008) is to be urgently processed.

Note: when helping customers complete a claim form, Service Officers must not make any notations, underline or make comments of any sort on a claim form prior to being signed by a customer and lodged. Instead, any notations or explanations to questions on a claim form should be made on a separate sheet of paper and attached to the customer's claim form.