Eligibility

You may be eligible for Double Orphan Pension for a child if:

• both the child's parents or adoptive parents have died, or
• one of the child's parents is dead and the other parent is in long term imprisonment or on remand for an offence that is punishable by long term imprisonment, is living in a psychiatric institution or nursing home on a long term basis, or their whereabouts is unknown, or
• the child is a refugee and has never lived in Australia with either or both parents, and whose parents are outside Australia or their whereabouts are unknown, and
• you have at least 35% care and control of the child, and
• the child is aged under 16 years (or is a full-time student aged 16–21 years who does not get Youth Allowance) and
• you are eligible for Family Tax Benefit for the child (or you would be except for the Family Tax Benefit income test).

More information

• Family Tax Benefit Part A
• Family Tax Benefit Part B
• Factors affecting payment rates and eligibility
• Double Orphan Pension section