Effect of Children on Remote Area Allowance (RAA)

Last amended: 1 July 2009

Additional RAA for children

A service pensioner or income support supplement recipient who resides in a remote area and has a Family Tax Benefit (FTB) child or regular care child may be paid an additional amount of remote area allowance (RAA).

Where the person's partner has an FTB child or regular care child but is neither receiving service pension, income support supplement, social security pension or social security benefit nor additional RAA, the person is eligible for additional remote area allowance in respect of that child.     

Family Tax benefit (FTB) Child

Section 5F(1) of the VEA defines FTB child as having the meaning given by Subdivision A of Division 1 of Part 3 of the Family Assistance Act.  In most cases a child considered to be an FTB child under the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 will also be a dependent child under the Social Security Act 1991.  There are some cases where this will not be true.  A comparison between FTB child and a dependent child defined by the Social Security Act is available from the Guide.     

Regular Care child

Section 5F(1) of the VEA defines regular care child as having the meaning given by subsection 3(1) of the Family Assistance Act.  A regular care child of an individual is a child who:

• is in the individual's care for at least 14%, but less than 35%, of the time, and
• would be an FTB child of the individual but for the child being in the individual's care for less than 35% of the time.

RAA in respect of absent pensioner

A pensioner normally ceases to be eligible for RAA if absent from the remote area for more than 8 weeks. However, if that person's RAA includes an additional amount for an FTB child, the Commission can make a determination that while the person has an FTB child, they will be eligible for RAA.    

RAA in respect of an absent child

Additional remote area allowance is paid irrespective of whether the FTB child is actually in the remote area, providing the child is physically present in Australia.  If the child is temporarily absent from Australia, additional remote area allowance is payable for the first 8 weeks of that absence.