Family Tax Benefit Part B - youngest child aged 5 to 18

What Is This Payment?

Family Tax Benefit Part B is a federal per-family fortnightly payment for single-income or sole-carer households. This rule covers the older-youngest-child band: the youngest child must be at least 5 and not yet 19. Inside the rule database it is tagged as a monetary primary Federal benefit in the Family Tax Benefit cluster, with single-income tagging that reflects the structural target audience. The entitlement scope is per household, which is the most important structural difference from FTB Part A: a family with three children produces a single $134.96 fortnightly amount, not three.

The administering body is Services Australia. FTB Part B claims are lodged on the same FTB form as Part A, so families do not lodge twice when both Parts are eligible. Payment is made fortnightly into the bank account on the Centrelink record, with the same year-end reconciliation against actual ATO-assessed family income that applies to Part A. The FTB-B Supplement is also paid as a year-end lump sum for families that retain entitlement through reconciliation.

This rule sits alongside the under-5 sibling rule. Under-5 pays a higher per-family rate ($193.34 per fortnight) because the youngest child is presumed to limit the secondary earner's working capacity. Once that youngest child turns 5, the rate steps down to $134.96 per fortnight under this rule, reflecting school start and increased secondary earner capacity. The two rules are mutually exclusive and the conflicts list captures that handoff.

How Much Can You Get?

The amount block is defined as a formula paid fortnightly. The per-family maximum rate is $134.96 per fortnight, which annualises to $3,508.96 over 26 fortnights. The rule note records this as the March 2026 verified figure cross-checked against the DSS Family Assistance Guide. Compared with the under-5 sibling rule at $193.34 per fortnight, this rule pays $58.38 less per fortnight per family.

The income test has two distinct legs that work very differently from each other. The primary earner test is a hard cliff: when primary_earner_income_annual is at or below $120,007, the family is in; above that figure, the family is out. There is no $1-by-$1 taper above $120,007, no graduated reduction. A primary earner on $120,007 keeps the full $134.96 per fortnight; a primary earner on $120,008 receives nothing under this rule.

The secondary earner test is a soft taper that only runs when the family is partnered. When secondary_earner_income_annual is above $6,935, the per-family rate is reduced by $0.00769 per fortnight per $1 above the threshold. The reduction floor is $0 - if the secondary earner's income is high enough, the entire $134.96 per fortnight is wiped out. A single carer skips this taper entirely because the nested any-clause inside eligibility is satisfied by partner_status = single.

To audit any estimate produced by this rule, walk through five steps. First, confirm the per-family base of $134.96 per fortnight. Second, check the primary earner cliff: above $120,007, the answer is zero. Third, if partnered, check secondary earner income against $6,935; if at or below, the full base applies. Fourth, if partnered and secondary income is above $6,935, compute excess and multiply by 0.00769 to get the fortnightly reduction. Fifth, subtract the reduction from $134.96 and apply the $0 floor.

The rule stores empty multiplier, reduces_if, and date_windows. There are no seasonal modifiers, conditional adjustments, or per-child uplifts on the $134.96 base. The cliff at $120,007 is captured inside the eligibility block rather than as a reduction step, which is why it shows up as a clean entry/exit decision rather than a taper - the system treats a primary earner above the cliff as not eligible at all.

Eligibility Conditions

The eligibility block is an all set, so every item must pass; the nested any branch at the end is satisfied if either side holds.

1. Dependent children: dependent_children = true.
2. Residency status: residency_status in [australian_citizen, permanent_resident, special_category_visa, other_eligible_visa].
3. Presence: living_in_australia = true.
4. Youngest child age range: youngest_child_age >= 5 and youngest_child_age <= 18. The 13 to 18 segment additionally requires the youngest to be in full-time secondary study, per the rule note.
5. Primary earner cliff: primary_earner_income_annual <= 120,007. This is a binary gate; one dollar above kills the entitlement entirely.
6. Either single, or secondary earner income is low: the nested any-clause is satisfied by partner_status = single OR secondary_earner_income_annual <= 6,935. Single applicants are routed through the first branch and never test their own income against the $6,935 free area.

Required fields for assessment are dependent children, residency status, partner status, youngest child age, family income annual, primary earner income annual, secondary earner income annual, and living-in-Australia status. The two earner-specific income fields are crucial: a single combined family income figure is not enough because the cliff and the taper are tested against the primary and secondary components separately.

The exclude block is empty in this rule. The conflict list declares one mutually exclusive sibling: the FTB Part B under-5 rule. Both rules cannot apply to the same family at the same time, and the youngest child's age determines the routing. On the youngest child's fifth birthday the under-5 rule stops and this rule starts, with no overlap.

The age range upper bound at 18 should be read together with the application notes. From age 13 the youngest child must be in full-time secondary study to keep FTB Part B alive. A youngest who finishes Year 12 mid-year and stops studying ends the family's FTB Part B from the next assessment fortnight. Once the youngest child turns 19, FTB Part B for the household ends regardless of any other condition.

How To Apply

Application metadata defines three channels: online, service centre, and phone. The same FTB claim form covers Part A and Part B. The apply URL is the official Services Australia FTB claim page.

Evidence requirements are explicitly listed in the rule and should be prepared in advance:

• identity document (Centrelink Customer Reference Number where available, plus standard photo identification)
• tax file number for the claimant and partner where applicable
• family income estimate for the financial year, capturing both primary and secondary earner annual income separately
• proof of children, typically a birth certificate or recognised guardianship document

Two practical tips help. First, partnered families should record primary and secondary earner incomes accurately and not just the household total - the cliff at $120,007 only watches the primary earner, and the taper at $6,935 only watches the secondary earner; using the combined figure for either test produces materially wrong results. Second, families with a 16 to 18-year-old youngest child should track school enrolment status; FTB Part B stops on the day the teen leaves full-time secondary study, not at year-end.

Lodge an FTB claim through Services Australia

Rule-Based Scenarios

Scenario 1: single parent, youngest aged 9, mid-range income

Esme is a single carer with one child aged 9. Her annual employment income is $58,000. Because partner_status = single the nested any-clause is satisfied without testing any secondary earner figure. Her primary earner income is well below the $120,007 cliff. She receives the full $134.96 per fortnight, equal to about $3,508.96 per year, plus the year-end FTB-B Supplement she retains through reconciliation.

Scenario 2: partnered family at the secondary earner taper

Hugo earns $95,000 as the primary earner; his partner Ottilie earns $14,000 part-time. Their youngest child is aged 7. Hugo is below the $120,007 cliff, so eligibility passes. Secondary earner excess above $6,935 is $7,065. Reduction per fortnight is $7,065 multiplied by $0.00769, equal to about $54.33. Subtracting from $134.96 leaves $80.63 per fortnight for the family, or about $2,096.38 per year before the year-end supplement.

Scenario 3: primary earner above the cliff

Ainsley has three children aged 8, 11, and 13, all in school. Her partner earns $125,000 as the primary earner; Ainsley earns $5,000 part-time. The primary earner is above the $120,007 cliff by $4,993. The eligibility test fails and the family loses the entire $134.96 per fortnight - there is no taper above the cliff. Even though Ainsley's secondary income is below the $6,935 free area, that branch never gets to apply because the primary earner gate fails first.

Scenario 4: youngest child turns 5 mid-year

Pita and his partner have been receiving the under-5 FTB Part B rate of $193.34 per fortnight while their youngest was 4. On the youngest's fifth birthday the under-5 rule stops and this rule starts at $134.96 per fortnight. The transition is automatic; the family does not need to relodge. The fortnightly rate drops by $58.38 from the next assessment cycle, with all other tests carrying across unchanged.

Common Mistakes

• Reading $120,007 as a taper: the primary earner test is binary, not graduated. A primary earner on $120,008 receives nothing; one on $120,007 receives the full base. Treating the threshold as the start of a slope produces estimates that overstate entitlement at high incomes.
• Assuming youngest equals oldest test: FTB Part B watches only the youngest child's age. A family with a 6-year-old and a 16-year-old in this rule pays $134.96 per fortnight; the 16-year-old does not push the family into the upper band because the youngest child is the band-setter.
• Counting Part B per child: the entitlement is per family, not per child. A household with three children in school still receives a single $134.96 per fortnight, not three.
• Single carers retesting their income against the secondary free area: the nested any-clause is satisfied by partner_status = single, so a single carer's wage runs through the primary earner cliff only. Applying the $6,935 secondary free area to a single carer's salary halves their estimated entitlement incorrectly.
• Stopping at age 16: the rule extends the youngest's age to 18, contingent on full-time secondary study from age 13. Stopping FTB Part B early at 16 misses up to two years of entitlement for the household.
• Combining incomes for the secondary test: the secondary earner taper at $6,935 watches the secondary earner's annual income only, not the household's combined income. Plugging combined family income into the secondary test wipes out entitlement that should be retained.

Related Benefits

This rule sits inside the Family Tax Benefit cluster, with strong sibling links to Part A and the under-5 Part B path. Use these links to navigate the surrounding rules.

• Family Tax Benefit Part B - youngest child under 5 - the predecessor rule that applies until the youngest turns 5, paying a higher per-family base of $193.34 per fortnight.
• Family Tax Benefit Part A - child aged 0 to 12 (maximum rate) - the per-child Part A rule for primary-school-age children, paid alongside this Part B amount.
• Family Tax Benefit Part A - child aged 13 to 19 (maximum rate) - the per-child Part A rule for teens; pays per qualifying teen on top of the per-family Part B in this rule.
• Family Tax Benefit Part A - base rate (higher income families) - the higher-income FTB Part A path; many families on Part B base rate also fall onto Part A base rate.
• Parenting Payment Single (PPS) - companion income support for sole carers; PPS ends at youngest age 8 but FTB Part B continues to age 18.
• Health Care Card (HCC) - auto-issued with qualifying payments - automatic concession card that follows FTB Part A receipt above base rate; FTB Part B alone does not issue the HCC.

Frequently Asked Questions