Money, leave, paperwork

Day eleven, I sat at the kitchen table at 6am with a coffee, three browser tabs open, and a baby asleep on my chest. I had been told to 'sort the paperwork' by my partner. I did not know what most of the paperwork was. I started a list. The list grew.

The Australian system is not bad. It is just spread across four government agencies, two state governments, and roughly six logins. If you do it in the right order it takes about three hours total. If you do it in the wrong order you will redo half of it.

Here is the right order.

Step one: register the birth

The hospital will give you a parent pack with the forms inside. The birth must be registered with your state's Births, Deaths and Marriages office.

• It is free if done within 60 days. There is a fee if you delay.
• You can do it online in most states (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, SA all have online portals).
• You will need both parents' details and the hospital information.
• The official birth certificate (the printed one) costs around fifty dollars and you order it as part of the same process. You need this for almost everything else.

Do this in the first three weeks. The certificate takes a few weeks to arrive in the post.

Step two: Medicare

Baby needs to be on a Medicare card before the first GP visit (which is usually around week one or two for the heel-prick test follow-up).

• Use the Medicare 'Newborn Enrolment' form (the hospital usually gives you this too).
• Submit it through myGov, linked to Medicare. Faster than posting.
• You can add baby to either parent's card, or both. Most families add to both.
• Once enrolled, you also have access to the Australian Immunisation Register for baby's vaccination schedule.

Do this in the first two weeks.

Step three: Centrelink and DAPP

Centrelink runs the federal payments. There are several relevant ones for new parents.

Dad and Partner Pay (DAPP):

• Around two weeks of pay at the national minimum wage (the rate changes, check Services Australia for current).
• Means-tested on your individual income (the threshold is around the $150k mark, check current).
• You must be on leave from work or not working during the pay period.
• Apply through myGov, Centrelink section.
• You can apply up to three months before baby arrives. You can also apply after, but earlier is easier.

Parental Leave Pay (PLP):

• Up to around 20 weeks at minimum wage, can be split between partners.
• Means-tested similarly.
• Most families use this for the birth parent's leave, but the rules around splitting it have changed in recent years (worth a fresh check).

Family Tax Benefit (FTB) Part A and B:

• Means-tested.
• Paid fortnightly or as a lump sum at end of financial year.
• Apply once you have the birth certificate and baby's details in your Centrelink record.

Do a single sitting at the laptop in week three or four to set all of this up. It takes about an hour if you have the documents ready.

Step four: your employer leave

DAPP is the government scheme. Your employer may offer paid parental leave on top.

Things to find out, in writing, before baby arrives:

• How many weeks of paid leave does your employer offer for partners/non-birth parents?
• Can it be taken concurrently with DAPP, or sequentially?
• Can it be taken as a continuous block, or split across the first year?
• Does it cover superannuation?
• What happens to your annual leave during this time?

Larger employers (corporates, government, big NGOs) increasingly offer 12 to 26 weeks of paid leave for non-birth parents. Smaller employers often offer nothing on top of the government scheme. Either is legal. Know what you have before you plan the year.

If your employer offers nothing, you can still take unpaid leave under the Fair Work Act. You are entitled to up to 12 months of unpaid parental leave, with a right to request another 12 months. Your job is protected.

Step five: childcare waitlists

This one shocks first-time fathers more than any other. Childcare waitlists in most Australian cities are 12 to 24 months long. In some inner-city areas they are longer.

If you plan to use childcare in the first 18 months:

• Get on waitlists in the first month after baby is born. Yes, that early.
• Get on at least three waitlists. Do not assume your first choice will come through.
• Some centres charge a small holding fee. Pay it for your top two.
• Family day care has shorter lists than centre-based care, in most areas.
• Council-run centres often have the longest lists but are usually well-regarded.

The Childcare Subsidy (CCS) is means-tested and reduces the hourly cost. You apply through myGov once you have a place. It is calculated based on combined family income and the activity test (hours of work, study, or volunteering of both parents).

Step six: insurance and super

A few things to update once the dust has settled:

• Add baby to your private health insurance (most funds give you a window of around 60 days to add without waiting periods).
• Update your beneficiary on your superannuation if you have not already (your partner or your child).
• Update your will. If you do not have one, write one. It does not have to be expensive. NSW Trustee, VIC State Trustees, and similar in other states do straightforward wills cheaply.
• Check your life insurance and income protection. The cover you needed at 30 with no kids is not the cover you need now.

Do this in month two or three, not in week one. It can wait until your head is clearer.

A note on hedging

All the dollar figures and week numbers above shift each year. Rates change. Thresholds move. The Services Australia website (servicesaustralia.gov.au) and the Fair Work Ombudsman (fairwork.gov.au) are the two sources to trust over anything you read on a forum. Check these in the month before you apply.

The list, in order

1. Register the birth (week 1-3, free if under 60 days).
2. Order the printed birth certificate (around $50).
3. Add baby to Medicare via myGov (week 1-2).
4. Apply for DAPP, PLP, FTB via Centrelink (week 3-4).
5. Confirm your employer leave in writing.
6. Get on three childcare waitlists (month 1-2).
7. Add baby to private health (within 60 days).
8. Update super, will, life insurance (month 2-3).

Three hours over three weeks. A spreadsheet, a coffee, a sleeping baby on your chest. Done.

Further watching

• 5 Easy Steps to Get Your Money Ready for a New Baby
• Maternity & Paternity Leave: How to Plan Your Income During Time Off