Farm Household Allowance
Farm Household Allowance (FHA) provides eligible farmers and their partners experiencing financial hardship with assistance through planning and training for long-term financial improvements as well as income support for up to three years.
Management of FHA policy and payments is shared across multiple government departments.
The Department of Agriculture and Water Resources manages the policy. Read the guidelines relating to the administration of FHA.
Available support
Eligible farmers and their partners can access, for up to four years:
- Income support allowance
- Dedicated case management to help a recipient assess their situation and develop a plan for the future
- A financial assessment and assessment of their farm enterprise called a Farm Financial Assessment (FFA), including up to $1,500 to assist with completing that assessment
- A plan to address the challenges facing them and their farm enterprise called a Financial Improvement Agreement (FIA), including up to $4,000 to undertake activities identified in the FIA
- Ongoing support from the Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS)
Eligible farmers and their partners can access up to four cumulative years of payment. This is designed to give recipients the time to take steps to improve their circumstances. Farmers and their partners are not required to use their three years in one go.
On 29 July, the Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud announced a review of the FHA, which provides help for farmers facing hardship, particularly during drought. The Federal Government then signed off emergency special payments for eligible farmers who are under intense financial strain due to relentless drought conditions.
In addition to the recent extension to FHA program to four cumulative years (effective 1 August 2018), pending the passage of legislation the Australian Government has announced further significant changes to the program – with two lump sum supplementary payments worth up to $12,000 for eligible households and changing the assets threshold to allow thousands more farmers to access support.
Applications for Farm Household Allowance are managed by the Department of Human Services (DHS). Applicants are encouraged not to self-assess their eligibility. As FHS terms of reference constantly change, seek advice on eligibility or how to apply for assistance by contacting Carrick Aland on 07 4669 9800 in the first instance.
