Having a child in Australia.

kfc1210

Hi Folks,

I usually post here but under a different name but for obvious reasons i dont want people knowing who i am.

Just found out the girlfriend is pregnant and were going to have the child here. We are on a 457 and wondering does anyone know are we entitled to anything like baby bonus, family tax benefit, rental assistance or child care rebate.
Also from what i have read i think she will get half wages for maternity provided by the government, correct me if im wrong.

Any info would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

ellaq

Have a look at the centrelink website and give the family assistance office a call. A lot of shopping centres have offices so if you are around one tomorrow just drop in.

As far as I know you are not entitled to baby bonus and family assistance on a 457. Not sure about the child care rebate. But I could be wrong and the rules may have changed since my friends were in your situation.

And I forgot to say Congratulations.

kfc1210

yea i think your right i had a look on the familyassit.gov.au and as far as i can see were not entitled to family tax benefit A or B or the baby bonus.

Residency Requirements - General

To be eligible for family assistance the claimant must meet the residency requirements. This means that the claimant must be residing in Australia and be:

• an Australian citizen;
• the holder of a permanent visa;
• a New Zealand citizen who arrived in Australia on a New Zealand passport; or
• the holder of a temporary visa subclass: 070, 309, 310, 447, 451, 695, 785, 786, 787, 820 or 826 or the holder of a Criminal Justice Stay Visa issued specifically for the purpose of assisting in the administration of criminal justice in relation to the offence of people trafficking, sexual servitude or deceptive recruiting.

The relevant child must also meet the above requirements or must be living with the claimant.
Please note: From 9 August 2008, holders of the temporary visa subclasses 785, 447, 451 and 695 became eligible for a visa subclass 851 Resolution of Status (Permanent) (Class CD) visa as these temporary protection visa subclasses were abolished from this date. Visas, however, already issued under these subclasses will remain valid until they expire or the holders are granted another visa.

Childcare benefit or rebate may be something and theres paid parental leave.

Wasnt aware that them centers are in the shopping centers i will check it out tomorrow.

Thanks.

laoisforliam

Congrats dude

kfc1210

Cheers Liam, spare a dollar lol

Zambia

Babies are not that pricey in the initial phase. If you need any advice feel free to PM me. We had our son 4 Months ago.

Ozeire

Congrats man . As Zambia said not that expensive in the begining it's when they get to childcare level it gets expensive. Paying out a mortage on childcare isn't nice but you do what u need too.

As everyone is saying go into the office n they will tell you what you can get.

Is this your first . If so good luck . Everything changes man don't let anyone tell you it doesn't but it's all worth it.

kfc1210

Thanks Zambia, im still finding info out about this and will give a decent updated post when i find out more, may help a few others out

kfc1210

Just an update on this info from what i have found out.

Because were on 457's we are not entitled to the baby bonus, working parents tax breaks A or B or child care rebate. Its a temporary visa and you need to be on a permanent visa.

We are entitled to ante-natal visits and all public hospital care for the birth, thank god cause its expensive !! Irish recpirocal agreement.
we can also claim back some money for ultrasounds and bloods i think from medicare but we have yet to apply for this.

Hopefully this will help some other people, happy xmas :D:D

ellaq

If you find a doctor that bulk bills then you shouldn't have to pay for your ultrasound and bloods. That is the way it is with my doctor in WA and it is a private clinic that does the ultrasound and bloods.

Are you entitled to the paid parental leave?

kfc1210

Forgot to add that one in, not entitled to it either. I think im entitled to a week unpaid paternity leave but i have to look into that a bit more.

You can get it from your employer if your with them over 12 months, unfortunately the woman's not!

Thanks for the info on the bulk billing i think theres only one ultrasound left so were a bit late

TopTeach

Hi KFC, I'd be interested in seeing how things work out for you as I'm I'm same boat myself 475 and pregnant. I haven't looked into child benefit etc as I've been on a high since finding out but I must start looking into it.

I'm assuming you're from Ireland? If so you'll not be eligible for Medicare anyway (Irish only eligible if you have PR) so you won't have missed out on anything with the ultrasounds (unless you're from NI). Even if a place bulk bills it won't help you as they'll have no Medicare number for you to claim the money back so won't just give it to you free. What some places will do is charge you the amount, less what they would have gotten from medicare. For me it's 180-71 so i pay 109. Just in case you're feeling like you should have got onto Medicare beforehand- they'll just say you're not eligible. But not to worry, the reciprocal agreement will cover all other birth expenses, bar ultrasound and bloods, as long as its in a public hospital. It would be very handy to have Medicare (as doctors' app aren't covered by reciprocal) but in a way it's handy as you don't have to worry about claiming back money etc. Trying to see the positives lol!

Congrats and best of luck!