Imagine a Government that helps all mothers who work – not just those with traditional, full-time company jobs. We’re talking about mums balancing casual or part-time work, helping in a family business, or running (or starting) their own company, who don’t have the regular payslips of a “normal” job.
Well, it turns out the Government does help these mums…to the tune of more than $25,000, increasing to more than $27,500 from 1 July next year. If this is a surprise to you, you’ve got some work to do.
While many families may be well aware of the upper income limit for eligibility, $373k for a family or single parent, it’s the mum’s with irregular income that will really get a leg up from doing the work to know if they qualify.
Here’s the thing: I have not seen a single newspaper column devoted to this opportunity. Real money, real support. And there are plenty of parent-related podcasts, websites and newspaper articles. So why is nobody talking about this?
I’ve been helping older Australians make Government claims for more than 20 years, and complex eligibility stops a lot of people from claiming. It also makes a lot of politicians, accountants and financial advisors go quiet, because the rules are just as complex for them as they are for the people the money is set aside for.
What I did read last year is that 1 in 3 mothers in small business are not getting the money. That’s right, money sitting on the table. And because the eligibility is complicated, it goes unclaimed.
This figure came from a Government report and still, not one news article. So, in talking to Liam from The Tawny Frogmouth, we decided it might be a good idea to get in contact with as many part-time, casual-working, start-up, family-business, entrepreneur mums-to-be as possible, and see if we can fine-tune a service to help them plan their application for the money that was put aside for them in one of Labor’s big election promises.
And it gets better. Not only is there the chance to make sure you actually claim what the Government has set aside for new families, there’s also a real opportunity in how you use it.
Parental Leave Pay is basically 120 payments of around $190 – going up to 130 payments next year, and with an added bonus of a contribution to your super. These can be paid to you or your partner, and shared between you for up to 20 days, anytime over a two-year period.
That means plenty of opportunities to take the payment when it benefits you most, including when you’re paying less tax. Even a short conversation about timing could help your family’s bottom line.
Do you have a baby on the way, or planning one?
Let’s connect and make sure YOUR MONEY isn’t left on the table, but in the hands of young families where it was destined to be.
To get on board, go to parentalleavepay.com.au and register for updates. Let’s ensure new families can easily access the support designed specifically for them.
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Head here for more Tawny Frogmouth articles , news and updates from Brendan Ryan, Certified Financial Planner and Founder of Later Life Advice