If you have lost a loved one in a transport accident we’re so sorry for your loss. We are here to help. We offer financial support with funeral costs and counselling services. We'll give you as much information and advice as we can.

We can also provide financial support for dependants.

Accessing TAC support

To access support from the TAC, you will need to complete a Funeral and dependency benefits claim form. This form asks about the person who has died and about the accident. We use this information to look at the support we can give you.

The TAC support coordinators can help you complete this form and will let you know if there is any other information you may need to give us.

How we can help

Our support coordinators are here to help you to understand how to get financial support from us.

Your benefits will depend on your family's circumstances. When you have an accepted TAC claim and a claim number, talk to your support coordinator for more information about a particular service. You can contact them on 03 5225 6200 or by email at familybenefits@tac.vic.gov.au.

Support with funeral, burial and cremation expenses

The TAC can contribute a maximum amount of $16,830 towards the cost of a funeral, including burial, cremation and monument.

Travel and accommodation expenses to attend a funeral, burial or cremation

The TAC can pay up to $5,610 per family to cover the reasonable cost of travel and accommodation expenses within Australia for the immediate family members attending the funeral of a TAC client.  To be eligible, the family member must live more than 100kms from the place where the funeral, burial or cremation is held.

To make a claim, please complete the Travel and Accommodation expenses form.

Support with family counselling

The TAC can pay for family counselling services required after the death or severe injury of a family member. This benefit is available to the spouse or partner, parents, children, brothers and sisters, grandparents and grand children of the person who has died.

To be eligible, a registered doctor, psychologist or qualified social worker must provide the counselling service. The TAC can pay up to a maximum of $17,850* per family.

Any family member who is diagnosed with a mental or physical injury as a result of the transport accident may be eligible to lodge their own claim. Please contact the TAC on 1300 654 329 if you or another family member wants to find out about lodging a claim.

*  This amount applies when a claim for family counselling is made for the first time on or after 1 July 2022.

Support for a dependent spouse or partner

If your spouse or partner was contributing to your family's income or caring for your children, we can provide financial support to help you.

Lump sum payment

The TAC can pay a one-off lump sum benefit to a dependent partner. This amount can be up to $200,140 depending on the person's age, family circumstances or any prior impairment payments. Depending on your situation, you may also be eligible to receive other benefits.

In addition to a lump sum payment, a dependent partner may receive a fortnightly benefit and/or support at home. The benefit you receive will depend on what your partner's responsibilities were before the accident.

If your partner was employed and providing financial support

The TAC can pay an ongoing, regular payment, equivalent to 80% of your partner's earnings, up to a maximum of $1,500 gross per week. You may be eligible for this benefit even if you were working at the time of the accident. To claim these benefits, you will need to provide information about your partner's income.

AND

If your partner was caring for children or responsible for housework

The TAC can contribute to the cost of employing a person to help out with the childcare and household tasks for which your partner was responsible. There are limits to the amount of weekly hours the TAC can pay for, the duration and the rate of reimbursement.

If your partner was also in paid employment, please contact your TAC support coordinator to find out which benefits apply to your situation.

TAC support for dependent children

Please note: These benefits will not apply if the child's surviving parent is first entitled to a benefit as a dependent spouse or domestic partner.

If both parents, a sole parent or a supporting parent died in the accident, payments can be made for the dependent children of the deceased. For accidents on or after 6 July 2022, if both of a child’s parents die in the same transport accident, the child will receive the payments in respect of each parent who died in the accident.

The dependent children may receive the following benefits.

Lump sum payment

The TAC can pay a one-off lump sum of up to $200,140 to the dependent children. The amount we pay will depend on the age of the person who died and their family circumstances. This sum is held with the State Trustees until the children reach 18.

A dependent child is defined as being under 18 years of age, or aged 18 to 25 and a full-time student or apprentice*, but does not include a child who has a spouse or partner.

If there is more than one dependent child, this lump sum will be divided equally between the dependent children.

Fortnightly payment

The TAC can also pay the adult who the responsible person for the child $211 each week for each dependent child under 18 years of age.

Education allowance

The TAC can also pay an education allowance of $3,190 per year to the adult who is the responsible person for a child for each full-time student, up to 18 years of age.

Obligations on responsible persons and persons receiving payments on behalf of children to notify

In circumstances where children are eligible for dependency payments but are under the age of 18, dependency benefits will be paid to the most appropriate person for the benefit of the child. The person receiving the payments should be the person who has the day-to-day care of the child and is known as the ‘responsible person’.

If a person receiving payments on behalf of the child ceases to have day-to-care of the child, they are required to notify the TAC without delay.

If another person begins having the day-to-day control of the child, they must also notify the TAC so the TAC has the relevant information required to deliver payments to the most appropriate person for the benefits of the child.*

*The obligations to notify apply following the commencement of amendments on 6 July 2022.