Double Orphan Pension: Eligibility, Current Rate, and How to Apply

When both parents die — or one parent dies and the other is unable to care for their children — the financial burden on grandparents, relatives, or other carers can be immediate and severe. The Double Orphan Pension is a non-taxable fortnightly payment from Services Australia designed to help with the cost of raising children who have lost both parents or who have effectively become orphans due to specific circumstances.

Current Payment Rate

The Double Orphan Pension base rate is $81.60 per fortnight per eligible child (verify the current rate on the Services Australia website, as it is indexed regularly). This payment is made on top of Family Tax Benefit and any other income support the carer receives.

The payment is non-taxable and is not income-tested against the carer's earnings. However, the carer must be receiving Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for the child, or be eligible for it, to receive the Double Orphan Pension.

Who Is Eligible

A child qualifies for the Double Orphan Pension if:

• Both parents have died, or
• One parent has died and the other parent is unable to care for the child due to long-term incapacity, imprisonment (serving a sentence of at least 10 years or an indefinite sentence), or being in a psychiatric institution, or
• One parent has died and the surviving parent's whereabouts are unknown, or
• The child is a refugee under 16 who has arrived in Australia without a parent or guardian

The child must be under 16, or under 22 if in full-time study. Australian residency requirements apply — the child must be living in Australia or temporarily overseas.

Who Can Claim

The carer who has taken on the day-to-day responsibility for the child can claim. This is typically:

• A grandparent
• An aunt, uncle, or older sibling
• A family friend or community member who has assumed care
• A foster carer (though foster care payments may interact differently)

The carer does not need to have formal legal guardianship to claim the Double Orphan Pension, but they must be the person who has the child living with them and is responsible for their care.

How to Apply

Applications are lodged through Services Australia (Centrelink). The process requires:

1. Contact Services Australia on the Families line or visit a service centre to start the claim
2. Provide proof of the child's orphan status — death certificates for both parents, or a death certificate for one parent plus evidence of the other parent's incapacity, imprisonment, or unknown whereabouts
3. Provide proof of care — evidence that the child is living with the carer
4. Ensure FTB eligibility — the carer must be receiving or eligible for Family Tax Benefit for the child

Processing times vary, but the payment can be backdated to the date the child became eligible (the date of the second parent's death, or the date the carer assumed responsibility).

Interaction with Other Payments

The Double Orphan Pension stacks with several other payments:

Family Tax Benefit: The carer should be receiving FTB Part A and potentially Part B for the child. FTB provides significantly more financial support than the Double Orphan Pension alone — it is the primary payment, with the Double Orphan Pension as a supplement.

Child Care Subsidy: If the carer needs childcare to work, they can access the Child Care Subsidy on the same basis as any other family.

Youth Allowance: Once the child turns 16 and is not in full-time study, they may transition to Youth Allowance in their own right. The Double Orphan Pension ceases at 16 (or 22 if studying).

Bereavement payments: If the surviving parent was receiving income support and has now died, the carer may be entitled to a bereavement payment covering the continuation of the deceased parent's payments for 14 weeks.

Special Situations

Single parent dies, other parent is estranged: If one parent dies and the other parent is alive but has had no contact with the child, the Double Orphan Pension may still apply if the surviving parent's whereabouts are genuinely unknown. If the surviving parent is known but simply uninvolved, the payment does not apply — the surviving parent is still legally capable of caring for the child, even if they choose not to.

Death from a workplace accident in the ACT: If both parents (or the sole surviving parent) died in a workplace incident, the carer should also investigate workers' compensation death benefits under the Workers Compensation Act 1951. Dependent children are entitled to weekly pension payments until they reach adulthood, and any lump-sum benefits payable to minors are managed by the ACT Public Trustee and Guardian until the child turns 18.

Death from a motor vehicle accident: The ACT Motor Accident Injuries (MAI) Scheme provides dependant benefits for children who lose a parent in a road accident. These defined benefits are paid directly to the dependant (or their carer) and are separate from any Centrelink payments.

For families in the ACT managing multiple claims across federal and territory agencies, the ACT Survivor Benefits Navigator maps the complete sequence of entitlements — ensuring the Double Orphan Pension, workers' compensation benefits, and territory concessions are all claimed within their respective deadlines.

See more Australian Capital Territory guides →