Immunisation requirements for Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A from 1 July 2018 007-18043002

Customers must meet immunisation requirements when in receipt of:

• FTB Part A
• Child Care Subsidy (CCS)

A child meets the requirements when their FTB immunisation status on the Child Immunisation Summary guided procedure displays as Yes. Each time a child receives a vaccination, the provider will update the status. These details are sent to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

If a child does not meet immunisation requirements or is not successfully linked with the AIR, the customer has a 63 day grace period to ensure the child is:

• up to date, or
• successfully linked with the AIR

After this 63 day grace period, the customer may have their FTB Part A reduced (per child).

If a child has missed vaccinations on the childhood vaccination schedule, they will meet the immunisation requirements once they start and remain up to date on a suitable catch up schedule, according to the current Australian Immunisation Handbook.

The child's vaccination provider will update the AIR with the appropriate information, including when the next vaccination is due. The child will meet the immunisation requirements as long as they remain up to date according to this schedule.

Note: catch up schedules are limited to one per lifetime per child. Catch up schedules cannot be extended.

Medical exemptions may apply, see the Resources page for an overview on exemptions.

This does not include school age and adolescent vaccinations on the school programs schedule. For example, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Customers must talk to their child's vaccination provider if they have any questions or concerns regarding this.

School age and adolescent vaccinations on the school programs schedule (such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine) are not included on the childhood schedule. Customers should consult their child's vaccination provider if they have further questions or concerns about vaccinations.

In extremely limited cases, a child may also meet the immunisation requirements if the Secretary determines an exemption from immunisation applies, for example Family and Domestic Violence. For more information, see View and update a child’s immunisation status and assess or update immunisation exemptions for Family Tax Benefit.

Customers can view the information held on the Australian Immunisation Register for a child on their Immunisation history statement.

Customers who do not meet the requirements will receive FTB immunisation reviews and reminder letters.

Customers can request a review of a decision that has been made about their payments. This may include the FTB Part A rate reduction due to immunisation.

Do not record reviews for:

• decisions that have not yet been made, including the start of an FTB immunisation grace period
• general complaints regarding the legislation, or
• customers who want an explanation of the decision or the legislation

See Recording complaints and feedback in the Customer Feedback Tool.