WA Dependent Child Rebate (ECES) - first child $360.51

Who Can Claim It

This rule sits inside the WA Energy Assistance Payment parent cluster as the first tier of a two-tier dependent-child uplift on the ECES side. The structural twin is AU_WA_DEPENDENT_CHILD_REBATE_ECES_ADDITIONAL ($94.46 per additional child). The pair mirrors the Synergy First/Additional pair structurally - same dollar values, different administrative pathway.

The eligibility gate has three parts:

• WA residency: state = WA. The rule is funded by the WA state budget and DEMIRS verifies WA residency through the ECES application.
• ECES EAP active: receiving_eap_eces = true. The first-child rebate inherits ECES enrolment - both rebates are reviewed together by RevenueWA on the same application. ECES itself requires the household to use a non-Synergy supply route: Horizon Power retail, Perth Energy / Alinta resale through embedded networks, or off-grid self-generation.
• Dependent child on the card: dependent_children_on_concession_card >= 1. The dependent must be physically printed on the concession card by Services Australia. ECES applications uploaded with a card that does not list the dependent are routed through "no child uplift" by default; correcting the card afterwards requires a fresh application within the same financial year.

The excludes.any block is empty. Renters need 3+ months tenancy or a 3+ month lease to satisfy ECES residency. The 2025-26 application deadline was 30 September 2025; late applications are accepted on a discretionary basis if circumstances changed mid-year (for example, a household new to WA after September).

What You Get

The First-Child ECES Rebate is a fixed $360.51/yr lump sum paid by direct bank transfer once RevenueWA approves the ECES application. Unlike Synergy's daily-credit path, the entire $360.51 lands in one transaction usually 3-6 weeks after application approval.

The amount applies to the household, not per child. The first child triggers the $360.51 tier; second and subsequent children flow through the sister Additional-Child rule at $94.46 each.

Stacking math (1 dependent child, ECES Horizon Power retail, full EAP):

• WA Energy Assistance Payment (ECES): $342.85/yr (lump sum).
• Dependent Child Rebate ECES first child: $360.51/yr (lump sum).
• Subtotal ECES concession stack (1 child): $703.36/yr, paid as two separate annual transfers approximately 1-2 weeks apart.

For a 3-child ECES household: $342.85 + $360.51 + 2 × $94.46 = $891.28/yr as two transfers (EAP $342.85 + combined dependent-child $548.43).

Worked example: Trang lives in Karratha with one 3-year-old child, holds a HCC listing the dependent, runs her Horizon Power account in her name, and is in her second year of ECES enrolment. RevenueWA processes her renewal in early August 2025. Bank transfer of $342.85 (EAP) lands 12 August. A separate transfer of $360.51 (First-Child) lands 24 August. Total: $703.36 in cash, no daily credit on the Horizon Power bill - she pays the standard residential rate then receives the ECES money to offset.

How To Apply

The channel set is online primary, with phone backup. Steps:

1. Establish ECES eligibility first. Review the WA government ECES page (wa.gov.au → Apply for the Energy Concession Extension Scheme). 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 the dependent child 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 (proof of 3+ month tenancy).
3. Apply via RevenueWA Online Services Portal. The single application form covers both EAP and the dependent-child rebate. Tick "I have dependent children listed on my card" and upload the card image. The form asks for the dependent count (the system then routes you to first-child or first+additional rules automatically).
4. Wait for approval. RevenueWA processes 80% of applications within 21 business days. Bank transfer follows approval within 5-10 business days.
5. Renew annually. ECES does NOT auto-roll. The application window opens 1 July each year; the 2026-27 window will open 1 July 2026 and close 30 September 2026. Apply before 30 September or risk forfeiting the year's rebate.

Read the WA government ECES application page

When You'll See It

Once RevenueWA approves the application, both the EAP $342.85 and First-Child $360.51 transfers land in the nominated bank account within 5-10 business days, usually 1-2 weeks apart (EAP first, dependent uplift second). The full $703.36 typically lands within 4-6 weeks of online lodgement.

Late applications (lodged after 30 September) are subject to discretionary acceptance by DEMIRS and may be prorated. A household new to WA in November 2025 lodging in December typically receives a prorated payment of around 8/12 of the annual figure ($235 EAP + $240.34 First-Child = $475.34) reflecting the months remaining in the financial year.

The 2026-27 rule has not yet been published as of the May 2026 review. Historically the first-child tier on the ECES side mirrors the Synergy side; expect a small uplift (typically 2-4%) in the July 2026 ECES fact sheet.

Real-World Scenarios

Scenario 1: Anong, Karratha JobSeeker mother of one, Horizon Power

Anong is 34, a Thai-born JobSeeker recipient living in Karratha with her 4-year-old daughter Mali. Her HCC lists Mali as a dependent. Her Horizon Power retail account is in her own name. Anong applies via RevenueWA on 18 August 2025 - 18 days after the new financial year window opens. Approval lands 11 September. Bank transfer of $342.85 (EAP) lands 16 September. Bank transfer of $360.51 (First-Child) lands 22 September. Total cash boost for September: $703.36. Anong uses the money to clear three months of arrears on her Horizon Power account, which had been about $580 behind due to summer aircon use ($1.2k peak quarterly bills).

Scenario 2: Niran, Esperance LIHCC father in apartment block on Alinta resale

Niran is 47, a Vietnamese-born father working part-time at the Esperance grain port, holds a Low Income Health Care Card. He lives with his 8-year-old son in a 2-bedroom apartment serviced by Alinta as the building's resale operator (the apartment block is on a single building meter). Niran has no Synergy account - his electricity costs are bundled into the strata fees. He qualifies for ECES because Alinta resale is an embedded-network arrangement. He applies via RevenueWA on 23 July 2025 with his strata fee statement (which itemises the electricity component) plus his LIHCC and son's birth certificate. RevenueWA approves 14 August. EAP transfer $342.85 lands 19 August; First-Child transfer $360.51 lands 28 August. Niran receives $703.36 cash to offset the embedded-network electricity component of his strata fees, which run approximately $145/month.

Scenario 3: Kamol, missed the 30 September deadline, late application Pilbara

Kamol is 39, a Thai-born father of a 5-year-old son, lives in a Newman caravan park serviced by Horizon Power for the park's central meter (embedded-network resale). He arrived in WA in October 2025 and only learned about ECES from the park manager in late November. He lodges a late application 8 December 2025. RevenueWA reviews under the discretionary late-application provision and approves a prorated payment of 7/12 of the annual figures (months December through June): $200 EAP + $210 First-Child = approximately $410 total. The transfers land in mid-January 2026. Kamol marks his calendar to apply in early August 2026 for the next full-year cycle.

Common Mistakes

• ECES customer applying via Synergy form: A common mis-step. ECES customers (Horizon, Perth Energy / Alinta resale, off-grid) cannot apply through Synergy's online concessions form - that form rejects non-Synergy account numbers. Use RevenueWA Online Services Portal instead, which accepts all non-Synergy retailer accounts and off-grid invoices.
• Missing the 30 September deadline: ECES is annual, NOT auto-rolled. Households that received ECES in 2024-25 must re-apply between 1 July 2025 and 30 September 2025 for the 2025-26 year. Late applications are discretionary and may be prorated. Mark the calendar for 1 July each year.
• Renting tenants under 3 months: ECES requires 3+ months tenancy or a 3+ month lease for renters. New tenants who moved in after July often miss out on the first-child rebate even when their card lists the dependent. The fix is to wait until the 3-month threshold is met then apply mid-year (acceptance is discretionary).
• Card lists no dependent at application time: RevenueWA checks the dependent flag on the card at application date. New parents whose card has not been re-printed yet will be approved for EAP only ($342.85) but denied the First-Child uplift. The fix is to call Centrelink (132 468) for FTB-A re-issue then re-apply for the dependent uplift in a fresh ECES application within the same financial year.
• Switching from Horizon to Synergy mid-year: A household moving from Karratha (Horizon) to Perth (Synergy) loses the ECES delivery path on the disconnect date. The pre-paid ECES lump sum stays with the household, but the next year's rebate must be claimed via the Synergy daily-credit path - register for Synergy EAP within the new financial year.
• Bank account details outdated: RevenueWA pays only to the BSB / account on file. Households whose bank changed since the previous year's application must update bank details in the new application. Mismatched details delay payment by 4-8 weeks while RevenueWA's Treasury team reconciles the failed transfer.

Related WA Energy and Family Benefits

• WA Dependent Child Rebate (ECES) - each additional child $94.46 - the structural twin. Activates from the second dependent child onwards on the same ECES application; calculated as (children_on_card - 1) × $94.46 and paid as part of the same lump-sum transfer.
• WA Dependent Child Rebate (Synergy) - first child $360.51 - the parallel rule for Synergy SWIS-grid customers. Same dollar value, different administrative path - daily credit on the Synergy bill rather than annual lump sum.
• WA Energy Assistance Payment - ECES (non-Synergy/Horizon customers) - the $342.85/yr parent rebate that this rule sits on top of. The single ECES application form covers both rebates together.
• WA Energy Assistance Payment - Horizon Power customers (regional WA) - the Horizon Power-specific path inside ECES. Horizon retail customers receive EAP through the same ECES application, but with retailer-confirmed account validation.
• WA Hardship Utility Grant Scheme (HUGS) - emergency grant up to $605/yr through community partners (Anglicare, St Vincent de Paul) for households facing disconnection. ECES is the structural concession; HUGS is the crisis layer for households that cannot pay the rest.
• WA Seniors Rates Rebate - separate concession for WA Seniors Card holders aged 60+ on council rates. Many regional ECES households also hold the Seniors Card and qualify for both concession streams independently.

Frequently Asked Questions