If you're having twins, triplets or more, two things are true. First, each baby can get the Newborn Upfront Payment of $708 and the higher, first-child Newborn Supplement of up to $2,125.76. That is $2,833.76 per baby, even if you already have older children. Second, Paid Parental Leave covers one of your babies, not each of them.
Triplets and more also get Multiple Birth Allowance, a fortnightly payment for as long as at least three of the children qualify. Twins don't.
The figures below are for 2026-27 (1 July 2026 – 30 June 2027) and come from the same rates our calculators use. The multiple-birth rules are from Services Australia.
What each payment does with more than one baby
| Payment | Twins | Triplets or more |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn Upfront Payment | $708 for each baby | $708 for each baby |
| Newborn Supplement | Up to $2,125.76 for each baby (the higher, first-child amount) | Up to $2,125.76 for each baby |
| Paid Parental Leave | One baby only | One baby only |
| Multiple Birth Allowance | Not paid for twins | $203.70/fortnight (triplets) or $271.32/fortnight (quadruplets or more) |
| Family Tax Benefit Part A | Paid for each child | Paid for each child |
The Newborn payments and Multiple Birth Allowance both depend on your family getting Family Tax Benefit Part A (FTB Part A). If your family income is too high for FTB Part A, neither is paid. Paid Parental Leave has its own work and income tests instead.
The one rule that shapes everything: Paid Parental Leave is per birth
You can get Paid Parental Leave (PPL) for one child in each multiple birth. If you and your partner share PPL, you both claim it for the same baby.
That doesn't mean the other baby misses out. You can get the Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement for the other baby (or babies), as long as your family gets FTB Part A. What you can't do is get both PPL and the Newborn payments for the same baby.
How it adds up for twins
There are three common situations.
1. You qualify for PPL and your family gets FTB Part A. Claim PPL for one twin and the Newborn payments for the other:
- Paid Parental Leave for one twin: $26,122.20 before tax (26 weeks at $1,004.70 a week)
- Newborn payments for the other twin: up to $2,833.76
2. Neither of you qualifies for PPL, but your family gets FTB Part A. This can happen when neither of you met the PPL work test before the birth. Both twins get the Newborn payments: up to $5,667.52.
3. You qualify for PPL, but your family income is too high for FTB Part A. PPL is paid for one twin. The Newborn payments aren't paid, because they come with FTB Part A.
If you're not sure which applies, our FTB calculator shows whether your family gets FTB Part A, and the Paid Parental Leave calculator checks the work and income tests.
Triplets, quadruplets and more
| Babies | Newborn payments, if no PPL is claimed (maximum) | Multiple Birth Allowance |
|---|---|---|
| Triplets | 3 × $2,833.76 = $8,501.28 | $203.70 a fortnight |
| Quadruplets | 4 × $2,833.76 = $11,335.04 | $271.32 a fortnight |
If you claim PPL for one baby, take one baby's Newborn payments off the total. The others still get them.
Multiple Birth Allowance is paid with your FTB Part A while at least three children from the same birth are under 16, or 16 or over and still in secondary school (Family Assistance Act, Schedule 1, clause 36). It is not tied to a fixed age of 18, and university or TAFE study doesn't count. If fewer than three still qualify, it stops; with quadruplets, it drops to the triplet rate when only three qualify. Services Australia assesses it when you claim Family Tax Benefit, so there's no separate form.
How the Newborn Supplement is paid
The Newborn Upfront Payment arrives as one payment, once your Family Tax Benefit claim is granted. The Newborn Supplement is different: it's added to your fortnightly FTB Part A over the first 13 weeks. With twins on the Newborn payments, the extra each fortnight is roughly double what one baby would bring. Our Newborn Supplement guide walks through the timing.
You can lodge the Family Tax Benefit claim up to 3 months before your due date (Services Australia), so you don't need to wait for birth certificates. Claiming early means the Supplement arrives in those first weeks, when it helps most. If you miss it, Family Tax Benefit, including the Newborn payments, can still be claimed as a lump sum up to the end of the following financial year.
Childcare later on
When two or more children aged 5 or under are in care, the younger ones can get a higher Child Care Subsidy rate. With twins, one child is treated as the standard-rate child and the other gets the higher rate. Our higher Child Care Subsidy guide explains how the rate is worked out.
What to do, in order
- Register each birth with your state or territory's births registry; the Newborn payments depend on it. Add each baby to Medicare too. Our birth registration guide covers both.
- Claim Family Tax Benefit in myGov and add every baby to the one claim. This is how the Newborn payments, and Multiple Birth Allowance for triplets or more, are assessed.
- Decide which baby your Paid Parental Leave is claimed for, if you qualify. If you're sharing it with your partner, you both name the same baby.
- Check your income estimate. FTB Part A is paid on your estimate and balanced after the year ends, so an estimate that's too low can leave a debt later.
The Australian Multiple Birth Association runs local clubs and support for families with twins, triplets and more.
If one of your babies has died, our bereavement support guide lists services that can help, and Services Australia can explain what payments apply.