You are here:

• Home > 
• Payments > 
• What Residence Requirements does Carer Allowance (child) have?

What Residence Requirements does Carer Allowance (child) have?

To lodge a claim and qualify for Carer Allowance, both the carer and the child being cared for must be:

• in Australia on the day you lodge your claim, and
• an Australian resident - this means you are living in Australia on a permanent basis and you are either:
  • an Australian citizen, or
  • the holder of a permanent resident visa, or
  • the holder of a Special Category Visa - someone who arrived on a NZ passport and who is not affected by the changes to residence requirements (see below), AND
• have lived in Australia for long enough to satisfy qualifying residence periods or the newly arrived resident's waiting period (whichever applies to the payment being claimed). Please Note: there are some exemptions.

Please Note: Changes to the Australian residence requirements MAY affect New Zealand citizens claiming payments in Australia. Current customers are NOT affected by this change, although a very small number of customers who are living outside Australia MAY be affected if they lose payment for some reason and later wish to reclaim.