Family Tax Benefit and Rent Assistance Eligibility

Family Tax Benefit and Rent Assistance Eligibility    

Effect of FTB Part A on rent assistance eligibility

Generally, a person is not entitled to receive rent assistance with their service pension, income support supplement (ISS) or veteran payment if:

• they or their partner are entitled to Family Tax Benefit A, and
• the maximum Part A rate of their FTB or the FTB of their partner includes an amount of rent assistance.

However, there are some circumstances in which a person entitled to rent assistance as part of their FTB Part A can be eligible for rent assistance with their service pension, income support supplement or veteran payment. These circumstances are outlined below.

Payment arrangements for dual rent assistance eligibilities

The circumstances in which a person who is entitled to rent assistance with their FTB Part A is also entitled to receive rent assistance with service pension, ISS or veteran payment are very limited. These are where:

• a decision has been made to pay a person rent assistance with their service pension, ISS or veteran payment,
• that decision is made before a decision is made to include rent assistance in the person's or their partner's FTB Part A, and
• the day/s in respect of which rent assistance is payable with the person's pension is earlier than the day on which the determination was made to pay rent assistance with the FTB rent assistance.

Note: In these circumstances, the rate of FTB rent assistance payable will be reduced by the amount of rent assistance which has been paid for the period with the person's (and, where relevant) the person's partner's service pension, ISS or veteran payment.