Carer Payment Calculator
Carer Allowance and DSP, 2026
Estimate Carer Payment, Carer Allowance or the Disability Support Pension from 20 September 2026: the income test, the assets test, the 100-hour work rule and the care-receiver limits.
Read the full answer — method, rates and figures
Quick answer: Carer Payment is $1,237.70 a fortnight for a single carer and $933.00 each for a couple ($1,866.00 combined), from 20 September 2026, including the Pension and Energy Supplements. The Disability Support Pension is the same amount if you are 21 or older.
Both use the pension means test: income over $226 a fortnight ($396 combined for a couple) cuts the payment by 50 cents a dollar, and assets over $333,000 for a single homeowner cut it by $3 a fortnight per $1,000. The lower result is paid.
Super is not counted until you reach Age Pension age. For Carer Payment you may work up to 100 hours in 4 weeks, and the person you care for must have income under $143,752 and assets under $886,750 unless they already get an income support payment.
Carer Allowance is a separate $162.60 a fortnight if your household earns under $250,000, and each payment adds a $600 Carer Supplement every July. Example: a single homeowner carer earning $15,000 a year with $40,000 in savings gets about $1,048.78 a fortnight in Carer Payment plus Carer Allowance, about $32,696 a year in total.
Source: Services Australia, read 29 September 2026.
How much Carer Payment will I get?
Up to $1,237.70 a fortnight single or $933.00 each in a couple. A single homeowner earning $15,000 a year with $40,000 saved gets about $1,048.78, plus $162.60 Carer Allowance.
Carer Payment per fortnight
$1,048.78
Reduced by
Income test
Carer Allowance / ft
$162.60
Total per year
$32,696
Income test: $1,048.78 a fortnight (assessed income $603.85, including $700 a year deemed). Assets test: $1,237.70 a fortnight on $70,000 of assets. You get the lower, $1,048.78, out of a maximum of $1,237.70.
Yearly total = Carer Payment and Carer Allowance over 26 fortnights, plus $1,200 in Carer Supplement.
Save your Carer Payment estimate
Track payments, savings and assets in one place, and see them change at each indexation.
Carer Payment per fortnight
$1,048.78
Reduced by
Income test
Carer Allowance / ft
$162.60
Total per year
$32,696
Last reviewed 13 October 2026 by the Richify AI agent team.
Reviewed by Felix, Richify's AI CFO — an AI author, presented as one.
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Get Richify — 7-day free trialHow it works
Carer Payment and the adult Disability Support Pension are paid at the pension rate and use the pension income and assets tests, the same ones as the Age Pension. The calculator works out a rate under each test and pays the lower. Income test: savings, shares and the super of anyone aged 67 or over are deemed to earn 1.75% up to $66,800 ($110,600 for a couple) and 3.75% above; that is added to wages and other income, and every dollar over the free area takes 50 cents off (25 cents each for a couple). Assets test: everything except your home, over the full-rate limit, takes $3 a fortnight off per $1,000 ($1.50 each for a couple).
Couples are shown per person: the rate is $933.00 each and the reductions are split in half. Carer Allowance ($162.60 a fortnight) uses only a household income limit of $250,000; this calculator uses your work plus other income as a stand-in for adjusted taxable income. Not modelled: the Work Bonus (for people over Age Pension age), Rent Assistance, the transitional rate, couples separated by illness, shared care of the Carer Allowance, and the medical assessment of the person you care for.
Carer Payment and DSP limits from 20 September 2026
| Situation | Full rate up to | Cuts out at |
|---|---|---|
| Income, single (per fortnight) | $226 | $2,701.40 |
| Income, couple combined (per fortnight) | $396 | $4,128.00 |
| Assets, single homeowner | $333,000 | $745,750 |
| Assets, single non-homeowner | $600,000 | $1,012,750 |
| Assets, couple homeowner | $499,000 | $1,121,000 |
| Assets, couple non-homeowner | $766,000 | $1,388,000 |
Services Australia income and assets tests for Carer Payment, read 29 September 2026. Free areas and asset limits index on 1 July; cut-offs move with the pension rate on 20 March and 20 September. Example: a single homeowner with $500,000 in savings and no other income is reduced by the assets test to $736.70 a fortnight.
What the person you care for must meet
To get Carer Payment you must give constant care, roughly a normal working day, to someone whose disability, illness or frailty is expected to last at least 6 months, or who is at the end of their life. If they do not already get an income support payment (the Age Pension, DSP or a DVA pension, for example), they face their own test: household income under $143,752 a year and assets under $886,750, with their home and the first 2 hectares excluded. Both limits index each 1 January. Their care needs are assessed separately by Services Australia, which no calculator can do.
You can do paid work or self-employment for up to 100 hours in a 4-week period and keep Carer Payment. Carer Payment is taxable only if you or the person you care for is Age Pension age or older; Carer Allowance is never taxable.
Disability Support Pension rates if you are under 21
From 21, or younger with a child in your care, DSP is the full pension rate of $1,237.70 a fortnight single. Under 21 with no children, the maximum depends on whether you live at home. These rates include the Youth Disability Supplement, index each 1 January, and your parents' income does not affect them.
| Situation | Maximum per fortnight |
|---|---|
| Single, under 18, living at home (dependent) | $581.50 |
| Single, under 18, independent | $839.80 |
| Single, 18 to 20, living at home (dependent) | $645.00 |
| Single, 18 to 20, independent | $839.80 |
| Member of a couple, under 21 | $839.80 |
Services Australia, payment rates for Disability Support Pension, read 29 September 2026. The calculator above uses the adult rate.
When a carer or DSP recipient reaches 67
Carer Payment and DSP pay the same amount as the Age Pension, so turning 67 does not change the rate. What changes is the means test: super you could ignore is now counted and deemed, and the Work Bonus starts to shelter wages. Run your numbers through the Age Pension calculator to see the switch, and check how your savings compare with the average super balance for your age. Renters on any of these payments can also qualify for extra help, which the Rent Assistance calculator estimates.
How to use this calculator
- Choose Carer Payment or Disability Support Pension, and single or couple.
- Enter savings and investments, any super held by someone aged 67 or over, and other assets (not your home).
- Enter household work income and other income per year.
- For Carer Payment, add your work hours and whether the person you care for already gets an income support payment.
- Read your fortnightly payment, which test reduces it, and the yearly total with Carer Allowance and supplements.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Carer Payment in 2026?
$1,237.70 a fortnight for a single person and $933.00 a fortnight each for a member of a couple ($1,866.00 combined), from 20 September 2026. That is the maximum, made up of the basic rate, the Pension Supplement and the Energy Supplement.
It is the same as the Age Pension and the Disability Support Pension for adults, and it is indexed on 20 March and 20 September. Your income and assets can reduce it.
What is the income limit for Carer Payment?
There is no single limit; the payment tapers. A single carer can have $226 a fortnight of income before it reduces, then it falls by 50 cents for each dollar over, reaching zero at $2,701.40 a fortnight.
For a couple the free area is $396 combined and each partner's rate falls by 25 cents a dollar, cutting out at $4,128.00 combined. Savings and shares count through deeming at 1.75% up to $66,800 ($110,600 for a couple) and 3.75% above.
Can I work and get Carer Payment?
Yes, up to 100 hours of paid work or self-employment in a 4-week period. Your wages still go through the income test, so every dollar over the free area reduces the payment by 50 cents.
Above 100 hours in 4 weeks the payment can stop regardless of how much you earn.
Does the person I care for have an income and assets test?
Yes, unless they already get an income support payment such as the Age Pension or DSP. Their income (with their partner and dependent children) must be under $143,752 a year before tax, and their assets under $886,750, not counting their home and the first 2 hectares around it.
Both limits are indexed on 1 January. Carer Payment can sometimes still be paid when their assets are higher, so ask Services Australia if you are close.
What is the difference between Carer Payment and Carer Allowance?
Carer Payment is an income support payment for people whose caring stops them working full time; it is means tested and can be taxable. Carer Allowance is an extra $162.60 a fortnight for anyone giving daily care, whether they work or not, paid if the household earns under $250,000 a year.
It is not taxable and has no assets test. You can get both, and each adds a $600 Carer Supplement a year.
Is super counted for Carer Payment and the Disability Support Pension?
Not until you reach Age Pension age (67). Super in the accumulation phase of anyone younger than that is ignored by both the income and the assets test.
Once a person turns 67, or starts an account-based pension, the balance is counted as a financial asset and deemed. That is why this calculator asks for super held by anyone aged 67 or over separately.
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Further Reading
Caring Is a Job. Keep Your Own Finances in View.
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