WA Dependent Child Rebate (ECES) - each additional child $94.46

Who Can Claim It

This rule is the structural sister to AU_WA_DEPENDENT_CHILD_REBATE_ECES_FIRST. The pair lives inside the WA Energy Assistance Payment parent cluster on the ECES side. The first child triggers the $360.51 tier; every child after the first triggers $94.46 through this rule. Both rebates are reviewed together by RevenueWA on the same single application form.

The eligibility gate has three parts:

• WA residency: state = WA. The rule is funded through the WA state budget; interstate movers lose both first-child and additional-child credits on the next financial-year application cycle.
• ECES EAP active: receiving_eap_eces = true. The Additional-Child rebate inherits ECES enrolment - the same lump-sum bank transfer mechanism applies. ECES requires the household to use a non-Synergy supply route: Horizon Power retail, Perth Energy / Alinta resale, or off-grid generation.
• Two or more dependent children on card: dependent_children_on_concession_card >= 2. The dependents must be physically printed on the concession card by Services Australia. ECES counts the dependent flag at application date; a new sibling added to the card after application requires a fresh ECES application within the same financial year to capture the additional uplift.

The excludes.any block is empty. Renters need 3+ months tenancy or a 3+ month lease (same residency rule as the First-Child sister). The 2025-26 deadline was 30 September 2025; late applications discretionary and prorated.

What You Get

The Additional-Child ECES rebate is a per-child uplift of $94.46/yr. The formula multiplies $94.46 by (children_on_card - 1), so the first child does not count here (the First-Child rule pays $360.51 separately).

Credit table by household size (full ECES enrolment):

• 1 child: $342.85 (EAP) + $360.51 (First-Child) = $703.36/yr. Additional-Child rule does not fire.
• 2 children: $342.85 + $360.51 + $94.46 = $797.82/yr.
• 3 children: $342.85 + $360.51 + 2 × $94.46 = $892.28/yr.
• 4 children: $342.85 + $360.51 + 3 × $94.46 = $986.74/yr.
• 5 children: $342.85 + $360.51 + 4 × $94.46 = $1,081.20/yr.
• 6 children: $342.85 + $360.51 + 5 × $94.46 = $1,175.66/yr.

The full annual amount lands in the household bank account in two transfers (EAP and combined dependent-child uplift) within 5-10 business days of RevenueWA approval. ECES does not stagger payments through the year - the entire amount is paid up-front at the start of the financial year, and the household is responsible for budgeting it across the year's electricity costs.

The per-child step is intentionally smaller than the first-child tier - the WA budget weights heavily on the "any child = significant uplift" idea, with marginal additions for siblings. A 6-child ECES household receives only ~3.4× the per-child cash boost of a 1-child household.

How To Apply

The channel set is online primary, with phone backup. The single ECES application form covers EAP, First-Child rebate, and Additional-Child rebate together - there is no separate form for additional children. Steps:

1. Establish ECES eligibility first. Confirm your retailer category - Horizon Power, Perth Energy / Alinta resale, or off-grid. Synergy customers do NOT use ECES.
2. Gather evidence. Recent concession card showing all dependent children by initial; recent electricity bill or invoice (or off-grid power invoice / equipment statement); BSB and account number for direct deposit; lease or rates notice if renting.
3. Apply via RevenueWA Online Services Portal. The form asks "How many dependent children are listed on your concession card?" Enter the total count. The system applies the First-Child rule to child #1 and the Additional-Child rule to children #2 onwards automatically.
4. Wait for approval. RevenueWA processes 80% of applications within 21 business days. Bank transfer follows within 5-10 business days.
5. Renew annually. ECES does NOT auto-roll. The application window opens 1 July each year; closes 30 September. Apply before 30 September or risk forfeiting the year's rebates.

Read the WA government ECES application page

When You'll See It

Once RevenueWA approves the application, the EAP $342.85 and the combined dependent-child uplift (First $360.51 + Additional × (count - 1)) land in the nominated bank account within 5-10 business days, usually 1-2 weeks apart. A 3-child household with full ECES typically sees $342.85 land first, then $549.43 ($360.51 + 2 × $94.46) approximately 7 days later.

If a new dependent is added to the card mid-year (a new sibling birth registered with Centrelink), the household can lodge a fresh ECES application to claim the additional $94.46 uplift for the remaining months. The supplementary lump sum is prorated to the months remaining in the financial year. A new sibling registered in February 2026 might trigger a $39.36 supplementary transfer (5/12 of $94.46).

The 2026-27 rule has not yet been published as of the May 2026 review. Expect a small uplift (typically 2-4%) in the July 2026 ECES fact sheet.

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Trang, Pilbara mother of three on Horizon Power

Trang is 38, a Vietnamese-born mother of three children aged 4, 7 and 11, lives in Karratha and runs a Horizon Power retail account in her own name. She holds a HCC after JobSeeker grant, with all three children listed as dependents. Trang lodges her ECES application on 22 July 2025. RevenueWA approves on 18 August. Bank transfer #1: $342.85 (EAP) lands 25 August. Bank transfer #2: $549.43 (combined dependent-child = $360.51 first + 2 × $94.46 additional) lands 1 September. Total annual cash: $892.28. Trang sets aside $74/month from this lump sum into a separate "electricity savings" account to cover her Horizon Power bills (which average ~$280/month due to summer aircon).

Scenario 2: Niran, Perth retirement village serviced by Perth Energy resale

Niran is 51, a Vietnamese-born grandfather looking after two grandchildren (aged 6 and 9) full-time after their parents passed. He receives Carer Payment with both grandchildren listed as dependents on his PCC. He lives in a 2-bedroom unit in a Northam retirement village - the village is on a single building meter, and Perth Energy operates as the embedded-network reseller. Niran applies for ECES on 4 August 2025 with his PCC, the village's rental statement (which itemises electricity), birth certificates of both grandchildren, and his bank details. RevenueWA approves 27 August. EAP $342.85 + First-Child $360.51 + Additional-Child $94.46 = $797.82 total cash transfer arrives in two payments by 8 September. The ECES money offsets his electricity-component recharge from the village (~$160/month).

Scenario 3: Anong, off-grid Kimberley single mother of 4, late ECES application

Anong is 33, a Thai-born nurse who relocated to a remote off-grid station in the Kimberley region in November 2025 with her 4 children (aged 2, 5, 8, 13). She holds a HCC listing all 4 children. The property runs on a 12 kW solar array with battery backup plus a diesel generator for the wet season. She had no ECES coverage prior to relocation (was previously in Queensland). Anong learns about ECES from the local community health nurse in February 2026 and lodges a late application 11 February with her solar-system invoice, generator fuel receipts, and HCC. RevenueWA reviews under discretionary late-application provision and approves a prorated payment of 5/12 of the annual figures (months February through June): $142.85 EAP + $150.21 First-Child + $118.07 Additional-Child (3 × $94.46 × 5/12) = approximately $411 total. Transfers land in mid-March 2026. Anong applies promptly in early August 2026 for the full 2026-27 year.

Common Mistakes

• ECES customer applying via Synergy form: ECES customers (Horizon, Perth Energy / Alinta resale, off-grid) cannot apply through Synergy's online form. Use RevenueWA Online Services Portal which accepts all non-Synergy retailer accounts and off-grid invoices. The Synergy form silently drops applications with non-Synergy account numbers.
• Counting one child twice across both rules: The First-Child and Additional-Child rules together cover every child on the card - the first child fires only the First-Child tier ($360.51), not also $94.46. Households often misread the rule as "$94.46 per child including the first" - the correct formula is $360.51 + (count - 1) × $94.46.
• Card not updated for new sibling at application time: RevenueWA counts dependents on the card at application date. A new sibling added to the card after lodgement is not retroactively included. The fix is to lodge a fresh ECES application within the same financial year once the new card lists the additional dependent; RevenueWA pays the supplementary uplift prorated to remaining months.
• Missing the 30 September deadline: ECES is annual, NOT auto-rolled. Households must re-apply between 1 July and 30 September each year. Late applications discretionary. Mark the calendar for 1 July.
• Switching from Horizon to Synergy mid-year: A household moving from regional WA (Horizon) to Perth (Synergy) loses the ECES route on the disconnect date. The pre-paid annual ECES lump sum stays with the household; the next year's rebate is via the Synergy daily-credit path. No double-payment occurs.
• Older child ages out unnoticed: Children typically lose dependent status at age 16 (or 22 if studying full-time on FTB-A). When the eldest ages out, the next year's ECES application captures the reduced dependent count and the Additional-Child component drops by $94.46. Households often discover this only when comparing year-on-year ECES totals.

Related WA Energy and Family Benefits

• WA Dependent Child Rebate (ECES) - first child $360.51 - the structural twin that always fires alongside this rule for households with 2+ dependents on the ECES route. Both reviewed in the same single ECES application.
• WA Dependent Child Rebate (Synergy) - each additional child $94.46 - the parallel rule for Synergy SWIS-grid customers. Same dollar value, different administrative path - daily Synergy bill credit instead of annual ECES lump sum.
• WA Energy Assistance Payment - ECES (non-Synergy/Horizon customers) - the $342.85/yr parent rebate. The single ECES application form covers EAP, First-Child and Additional-Child rebates together.
• WA Energy Assistance Payment - Horizon Power customers (regional WA) - the Horizon Power-specific path inside ECES for direct retail customers (not embedded-network).
• Federal Family Tax Benefit Part A - the FTB-A receipt that flags family_tax_benefit_a_holder = true as a card-equivalent path for ECES eligibility, particularly important for blended households without a PCC.
• WA Regional Pensioner Travel Card - separate cluster of regional concessions for Horizon Power-region pensioners (Karratha, Broome, Esperance, Pilbara). Many ECES households in regional WA also qualify for this travel concession.

Frequently Asked Questions