Half a million face family tax benefit cut

More than half a million families will lose access to Family Tax Benefit Part B payments if stalled budget measures pass parliament.

The government wants to cut households off the parenting payment when their youngest child turns six to save $3.5 billion, and has made new childcare measures contingent on the plan.

About 576,000 families will lose eligibility for the payment from July 2017 under the measure, a Senate estimates hearing was told on Thursday.