JobSeeker Payment: Rates, Eligibility and How to Claim

What the JobSeeker Payment is🔗

JobSeeker is Australia's primary income support for people who are unemployed or temporarily unable to work due to illness or injury. It is paid by Services Australia (Centrelink) every fortnight, and it replaced the old Newstart Allowance in 2020. It is not meant as a long-term income: it comes with mutual obligations (you are expected to look for work) and it is means-tested against both your income and your assets.

Who is eligible🔗

You need to pass four gates. Miss one and the claim is knocked back.

• Age: 22 or older and under Age Pension age (67 for most people). Under 22, it is usually Youth Allowance instead.
• Residency: an Australian resident, in Australia. Most new migrants face a 4-year waiting period.
• Income and assets: you must pass both tests (below).
• Mutual obligations: actively looking for work, unless a medical certificate temporarily exempts you.

How much JobSeeker pays🔗

The amount depends on your situation. Rates are indexed on 20 March and 20 September each year; these are current from March 2026 (always check Services Australia).

On top of the base rate you may also get Rent Assistance if you rent privately, plus the Energy Supplement and Pharmaceutical Allowance for some recipients. Worth checking what you qualify for when you claim.

The income test: how earnings reduce it🔗

You can earn some income and still get paid. For a single person who is not a principal carer, the first $150 a fortnight is free, then the payment tapers.

Worked example. Single, no children, earning $400 a fortnight from casual work. The first $150 is free. The next $106 (to $256) reduces the payment by $53. The remaining $144 (above $256) reduces it by $86.40. Total reduction $139.40, so you receive $808.70 minus $139.40 = $669.30, plus your $400 wages: about $1,069 in the hand. Working still leaves you clearly ahead.

If you have a partner, their income counts too: your payment reduces by 60 cents for every dollar they earn above the partner free area (around $1,415 a fortnight for a working-age partner).

The assets test🔗

You also have to pass an assets test, and here it is a hard cut-off, not a taper: over the limit and the payment stops. Your family home is exempt, whatever it is worth.

Mutual obligations and the points system🔗

To keep getting paid you agree to a Job Plan: looking for work, attending appointments with your employment provider (usually Workforce Australia), and doing approved activities like training or volunteering. Workforce Australia tracks this with a points-based activation system: you earn points for activities (a job application is typically 5 points) toward a monthly target, often around 100 points. Miss your obligations without a valid reason and demerits, penalties or a payment suspension can follow. Illness, caring duties, family violence and bereavement can all justify a temporary exemption.

Waiting periods🔗

Payment rarely starts the day you claim. Several waiting periods can apply:

• Ordinary waiting period: usually one week (can be waived in hardship).
• Liquid assets waiting period: up to 13 weeks if your cash and savings are above $5,500 (single) or $11,000 (couple/with dependants).
• Income maintenance period: a redundancy or leave payout delays JobSeeker by a period matching the payout size. See our redundancy pay guide.
• Newly arrived residents: most migrants wait 4 years.

The takeaway: claim the day you become eligible. Your start date is generally the date you lodge, not the date it is approved.

How to claim, and a note on tax🔗

Set up myGov and link Centrelink, then lodge the claim online (or call 132 850). You will need ID, bank details, income and asset details, and an Employment Separation Certificate from your last employer if you have one. Once approved, you sign your Job Plan and report your income every fortnight through the Express Plus Centrelink app.

JobSeeker is taxable income. Centrelink does not withhold tax unless you ask, so set up a tax deduction through myGov to avoid a surprise bill. While you are sorting your finances out, our guide to building an emergency fund is the natural next step, and if you are over Age Pension age, see the Age Pension instead.

❓ Frequently asked questions🔗

Keep reading🔗

• Redundancy pay in Australia: what you are owed
• How to build an emergency fund
• Family Tax Benefit explained
• The Age Pension: rates and eligibility
• Carer Payment vs Carer Allowance