Youth Allowance rates
Rates from 1 January 2026. Next change 1 January 2027.
Income support for full-time students and Australian Apprentices aged 16 to 24, and job seekers aged 16 to 21. These are basic rates: the energy supplement and other extras add to them, and the income and assets tests can reduce what you get.
Basic rate, single, living away from home
$677.20a fortnight
$17,607.20 a year.
- Rate change on 1 Jan
- +$13.90 (2.1%)
- Next change
- 1 January 2027
How the rate has moved
Dollars a fortnightYouth Allowance basic rates from 1 January 2026
Basic rates, before Rent Assistance, the energy supplement and other extras you may also be paid.
| Situation | A fortnight |
|---|---|
| Single, 16 or 17, living at home | $418.90 |
| Single, 18 or older, living at home | $482.40 |
| Single, living away from home | $677.20 |
| Single, with children | $854.20 |
| Couple, no children, each | $677.20 |
| Couple, with children, each | $733.20 |
Has it kept up with prices?
Ten years ago, in July 2016, the most you could get was $433.20 a fortnight (away from home). It's $677.20 now, 56.3% more. Prices rose 34.7% over the same stretch, going by the ABS consumer price index from the September quarter 2016 to the June quarter 2026, so it has more than kept pace.
Since July 2016
- The rate, away from home+56.3%
- Prices, by the consumer price index+34.7%
The last ten changes
| From | Away from home | 16 or 17, at home |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2026 | $677.20 | $418.90 |
| 1 Jan 2025 | $663.30 | $410.30 |
| 1 Jan 2024 | $639.00 | $395.30 |
| 20 Sept 2023 | $602.80 | $372.90 |
| 1 Jan 2023 | $562.80 | $332.90 |
| 1 Jan 2022 | $530.40 | $313.80 |
| 1 Apr 2021 | $512.50 | $303.20 |
| 1 Jan 2021 | $462.50 | $253.20 |
| 1 Jan 2020 | $462.50 | $253.20 |
| 1 Jan 2019 | $455.20 | $249.20 |
Next change: 1 January 2027
Indexed to the Consumer Price Index once a year, on 1 January.
The Department of Social Services sets these rates in its Social Security Guide; Services Australia pays them through Centrelink. Your own rate depends on your income, assets, living arrangements and other payments, so check it with Services Australia before you plan around it.
Questions people ask
- How much is the Youth Allowance?
- From 1 January 2026, the basic rate is $677.20 a fortnight (single, living away from home), or $17,607.20 a year. These are maximum rates: the income and assets tests can reduce them.
- When does the Youth Allowance go up next?
- On 1 January 2027. Indexed to the Consumer Price Index once a year, on 1 January. The new rates appear here when the Department of Social Services publishes them.
- How much did the Youth Allowance go up on 1 January 2026?
- The maximum rate rose $13.90 a fortnight, 2.1%, from $663.30 to $677.20 (away from home).
- What was the Youth Allowance ten years ago?
- In July 2016, the maximum rate was $433.20 a fortnight (away from home), set on 1 January 2016. It is $677.20 now.
- Has the Youth Allowance kept up with inflation?
- Ten years ago, in July 2016, the most you could get was $433.20 a fortnight (away from home). It's $677.20 now, 56.3% more. Prices rose 34.7% over the same stretch, going by the ABS consumer price index from the September quarter 2016 to the June quarter 2026, so it has more than kept pace.
- Where do these rates come from?
- The Department of Social Services' Social Security Guide, which sets out the rates Services Australia pays through Centrelink. We read it daily and update this page when it changes. Check your own rate with Services Australia: it depends on your income, assets and circumstances.
Source: Department of Social Services, Social Security Guide, sections 5.1.1.20 and 5.2.1.50, © 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. Basic rates before the income and assets tests. General information, not financial advice.