The Finance Algorithm

Centrelink payment rates from 20 September 2026

The maximum rate of each main payment, what the pension is made of, and every rate back to 1942, from the Social Security Guide. Updated the day the department publishes new rates.

Every paymentWhat you could get, at Services Australia
Age Pension, single
$1,237.70a fortnight, the maximum with the pension and energy supplements
JobSeeker Payment, single
$824.90a fortnight with no children, the basic rate
Next change
1 January 2027for Youth Allowance and Carer Allowance

The most each payment pays, a fortnight

Rates from 20 September 2026
  1. Age PensionSingle$1,237.70
  2. Disability Support PensionSingle$1,237.70
  3. Carer PaymentSingle$1,237.70
  4. Parenting PaymentSingle$1,080.20
  5. JobSeeker PaymentSingle, no children, basic rate$824.90
  6. Youth AllowanceSingle, living away from home, basic rate$677.20
  7. Rent AssistanceSingle, no children$223.80
  8. Carer AllowanceMaximum rate$162.60
Income supportPaid on top of another payment

Maximum rates a fortnight, before the income and assets tests. JobSeeker Payment and Youth Allowance are basic rates, before the energy supplement and other extras. One bar per payment, for the situation its page leads with.

Every payment, a fortnight

Before the income and assets tests. Each payment's page has every situation, the history and when it changes next.

Age PensionIncome support for people who have reached Age Pension age, 67, and meet the residence rules and the income and assets tests.$1,237.70 single$933.00 couple, eachFrom 20 Sept 2026Next change 20 Mar 2027JobSeeker PaymentIncome support for people aged 22 to Age Pension age who are looking for work, or are sick or injured and can't do their usual work for a while.$824.90 single, no children$883.30 single, with childrenFrom 20 Sept 2026Next change 20 Mar 2027Disability Support PensionIncome support for people aged 16 or over who can't work 15 hours or more a week because of a permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition.$1,237.70 single$933.00 couple, eachFrom 20 Sept 2026Next change 20 Mar 2027Carer PaymentIncome support for people who give constant care to someone with a severe disability or illness, or who is frail aged.$1,237.70 single$933.00 couple, eachFrom 20 Sept 2026Next change 20 Mar 2027Parenting PaymentIncome support for the main carer of a young child: single parents until their youngest turns 14, partnered parents until their youngest turns 6.$1,080.20 single$755.10 partnered, eachFrom 20 Sept 2026Next change 20 Mar 2027Youth AllowanceIncome support for full-time students and Australian Apprentices aged 16 to 24, and job seekers aged 16 to 21.$677.20 single, living away from home$482.40 single, 18 or older, living at homeFrom 1 Jan 2026Next change 1 Jan 2027Rent AssistanceAn extra amount paid with another Centrelink payment or Family Tax Benefit Part A to people who rent privately or in community housing.$223.80 single, no children$149.20 single, no children, sharingFrom 20 Sept 2026Next change 20 Mar 2027Carer AllowanceA fortnightly supplement for people who give daily care at home to someone with a disability or medical condition, or who is frail aged.$162.60 maximum rateFrom 1 Jan 2026Next change 1 Jan 2027

When rates change

Twice a year for most payments, once for students and carers. Pensions, JobSeeker Payment, Parenting Payment and Rent Assistance are indexed on 20 March and 20 September. Pensions rise with the higher of the Consumer Price Index and the Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost Index, and are kept in line with wages; JobSeeker Payment and Rent Assistance follow the Consumer Price Index. Youth Allowance and Carer Allowance are indexed once a year, on 1 January.

  1. Next change1 January 2027Youth AllowanceCarer Allowance
  2. Next change20 March 2027Age PensionJobSeeker PaymentDisability Support PensionCarer PaymentParenting PaymentRent Assistance

Questions people ask

How much are Centrelink payments from 20 September 2026?
The maximum Age Pension is $1,237.70 a fortnight for a single person and $933.00 each for a couple. JobSeeker Payment is $824.90 a fortnight for a single person with no children. Each payment's page has every rate.
When do Centrelink payments go up?
Pensions, JobSeeker Payment, Parenting Payment and Rent Assistance are indexed on 20 March and 20 September each year. Youth Allowance and Carer Allowance move on 1 January.
Why might I get less than the maximum?
Most payments are means tested: income above a free area, and for pensions assets above a threshold, reduce the rate. What you get also depends on your age, living arrangements, partner and children. Services Australia works out your own rate.
Where do these rates come from?
The Department of Social Services' Social Security Guide, which sets out the rates Services Australia pays through Centrelink, licensed CC BY 4.0. We read it daily and check every current rate against the history table that records it before anything changes here.

Source: Department of Social Services, Social Security Guide, part 5 (rates), © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed CC BY 4.0, read 8 Oct 2026 and arranged by The Finance Algorithm. Not affiliated with Services Australia or Centrelink. Maximum rates before the income and assets tests. General information, not financial advice.