Family Tax Benefit Calculator

Part A versus Part B, what is actually different

Most people assume Family Tax Benefit is one payment. It is not. Part A and Part B are two separate payments with different purposes, different rates and different income tests.

Part A is paid per child. The more children you have, the more you can receive. For 2026-27 the maximum fortnightly rates are $235.48 for a child aged 0 to 12, and $306.46 for a child aged 13 to 15 or aged 16 to 19 in approved secondary study. The base rate, the floor the payment sits on before it runs out entirely, is $75.60 per child per fortnight. Part A is open to single parents and couples alike, with no requirement for anyone to be out of the workforce.

Part B is paid per family, not per child, and it exists to support households where one parent earns little or nothing. It pays $200.34 a fortnight when your youngest is under 5, and $139.86 when your youngest is 5 to 18. Single parents under the income limit get the maximum automatically. Couples only qualify while the youngest child is under 13, the higher earner must be on $124,327 or less, and the lower earner can make $7,154 before the payment starts falling by 20 cents in the dollar.

The short version: Part A is about how many kids you have. Part B is about whether one of you is at home or working part time.

Your income estimate is the most important number you enter

Centrelink pays Family Tax Benefit through the year based on the income you estimate. At the end of the financial year, once your tax return is lodged, it balances your account and compares what you were paid against what you actually earned. Underestimate, and you were overpaid. That becomes a debt, and Centrelink will want it back.

This catches families out constantly. A pay rise in February, a bonus, a redundancy payout, an investment property that did better than expected, any of them can push your adjusted taxable income above the figure you nominated in July.

The Part A income test runs in three stages. At or below $69,131 you get the maximum rate. Between $69,131 and $123,078 the payment falls by 20 cents for every dollar over, down to the base rate and no further, which is why it plateaus in that band. Above $123,078 the base rate itself starts falling, by 30 cents in the dollar, until there is nothing left. Use your realistic estimate, not your optimistic one, and update it through myGov the moment your income changes.

The two supplements, and the $80,000 cliff

On top of the fortnightly payments there are two annual supplements, paid after the financial year ends and your income is confirmed. The Part A supplement is worth up to $970.90 per child for 2026-27. The Part B supplement is up to $478.15 per family. Neither is paid fortnightly. They arrive with your balancing payment, usually somewhere between July and November once both partners have lodged.

Here is the part that stings. The Part A supplement is only paid if your family adjusted taxable income is $80,000 or less. At $80,001 you lose it entirely. There is no taper, no partial payment, it is a cliff. For a family with two children that is up to $1,941.80 gone because the income crept over the line, which happens more often than you would think when someone picks up extra shifts in the second half of the year. If you are hovering near $80,000, a deductible super contribution before 30 June can be worth far more than the tax deduction alone.

What this calculator does not cover

This gives you a solid estimate of Part A and Part B. Several payments can sit on top of that figure, and they are not modelled here because they depend on circumstances the calculator does not ask about.

Rent Assistance is the big one. If you get Part A and you pay private rent, you may be eligible, and for many families it is not a small amount. Newborn Supplement is a higher rate of Part A for the first 13 weeks after a child joins your family, with the amount depending on whether you also get Parental Leave Pay. Multiple Birth Allowance is a separate fortnightly payment for triplets or more. Energy Supplement is a small top-up paid to some recipients depending on payment type.

The Maintenance Income Test matters most for separated parents. If the child support you receive exceeds the Maintenance Income Free Area, $2,080.50 a year for a single parent or a member of a couple receiving maintenance, your Part A reduces by 50 cents for every dollar over, down to the base rate. That runs on top of the standard income test and can move your payment substantially. If any of these apply, use the Services Australia Payment and Service Finder for the full picture.