Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 178B

One-parent family payment – transitional provisions in certain circumstances where child attains the age of 14

Section 178B provides transitional protection for one-parent family payment recipients who were affected by the lowering of the qualifying child age limit from 18 to 14 years introduced in April 2011.

• Applies to claimants receiving one-parent family payment immediately before 27 April 2011 who would otherwise lose entitlement solely because their youngest child reached age 14.
• Payment continued under a phased reduction: until the child turned 18 (up to July 2013), then 17 (up to July 2014), then 16 (up to July 2015).
• Payment could extend beyond these ages if the youngest child was aged 18 to 21 and in prescribed full-time education, but only until the end of the 2012–2013 academic year.
• The entire transitional provision ceased to have effect on 2 July 2015.