To qualify for Working for Families, you need to have a dependent child living with you for at least a third of a 4-month period of time.
Dependent child - definition
A dependent child is a child, aged 18 years or under, who is in your care and is:
- aged 15 years or younger
- aged 16 or 17 years and depends on you financially
- aged 18 years, financially dependent on you and still at school or a tertiary institution (like a university or polytechnic)
- not married, in a civil union or de facto relationship.
Independent child
An independent child is aged 16 years and over, and does not depend on you financially. This means they are in any of these situations:
- working 30 hours or more a week
- receiving a student allowance, main benefit or other government assistance
- living apart from you and are not in your care
- not qualifying as a dependent child for Working for Families payments.
Last updated:
24 Oct 2025