Rent Assistance Calculator
Rates From 20 September 2026
Work out how much Commonwealth Rent Assistance you can get on top of your Centrelink payment or Family Tax Benefit, from your rent and family situation.
Read the full answer — method, rates and figures
Quick answer: From 20 September 2026, Rent Assistance pays 75 cents for every dollar of fortnightly rent above a minimum, up to a maximum. A single person with no children gets nothing until rent passes $157.80 a fortnight and reaches the maximum of $223.80 a fortnight at $456.20; a single person paying $400 a week ($800 a fortnight) gets $223.80.
A couple with one or two children paying $500 a week gets $263.06 a fortnight. It is paid only on top of an income support payment such as JobSeeker, Youth Allowance or the Age Pension, or with Family Tax Benefit Part A.
Rates index every 20 March and 20 September. Source: Services Australia, checked 27 October 2026.
How much Rent Assistance can I get?
75c for every dollar of rent above your threshold, up to the maximum. Single, paying $400 a week: $223.80 a fortnight.
Rent Assistance / fortnight
$223.80
Per year
$5,819
Rent threshold
$157.80
Maximum
$223.80
Your rent of $800.00 a fortnight is above $456.20, so you get the maximum $223.80 a fortnight — about $5,819 a year.
Save your Rent Assistance estimate
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Per fortnight
$223.80
Per year
$5,819
Rent threshold
$157.80
Maximum
$223.80
Weighing up renting against buying? The rent vs buy calculator runs the numbers. Families with children in care can also check the Child Care Subsidy calculator, and retirees the Age Pension calculator — the ASFA Retirement Standard publishes separate, higher budgets for retirees who rent, because rent is the cost the home-owner budgets leave out. Carers and people on the Disability Support Pension who rent get Rent Assistance on top of their pension; the Carer Payment and DSP calculator estimates the pension itself. Families can check the Part A amount Rent Assistance is added to with the Family Tax Benefit calculator.
Last reviewed 10 November 2026 by the Richify AI agent team.
Reviewed by Felix, Richify's AI CFO — an AI author, presented as one.
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Your rent is converted to a fortnightly amount (weekly × 2, monthly × 12 ÷ 26). Rent Assistance is 75% of the rent above your threshold, capped at your maximum. The thresholds and maximums are Services Australia's rates from 20 September 2026, checked 27 October 2026.
The calculator does not check your eligibility for the underlying payment, and some situations (board and lodging, couples separated by illness or respite care, retirement villages) have their own rules.
Rent Assistance rates from 20 September 2026 (per fortnight)
| You are | Rent above | Max from rent of | Maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, no children | $157.80 | $456.20 | $223.80 |
| Single, sharing accommodation | $157.80 | $356.74 | $149.20 |
| Couple, no children (combined) | $255.80 | $537.14 | $211.00 |
| Single, 1 or 2 children | $207.34 | $558.09 | $263.06 |
| Single, 3 or more children | $207.34 | $603.82 | $297.36 |
| Couple, 1 or 2 children | $306.60 | $657.35 | $263.06 |
| Couple, 3 or more children | $306.60 | $703.08 | $297.36 |
With income support payments or ABSTUDY (no children) and with Family Tax Benefit Part A (with children). One of a couple separated by illness, respite care or prison is paid at the single row; one of a couple temporarily separated gets up to $211.00 once rent reaches $439.14.
How much Rent Assistance at $200, $400 or $500 a week?
Fortnightly Rent Assistance for common weekly rents, from Services Australia's 20 September 2026 rates. Rent is doubled to a fortnight, then 75c is paid for each dollar above the threshold, up to the maximum. A dash means the rent is below the threshold.
No children
| Rent a week | Single | Single sharer | Couple |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | $31.65 | $31.65 | – |
| $150 | $106.65 | $106.65 | $33.15 |
| $200 | $181.65 | $149.20 | $108.15 |
| $250 | $223.80 | $149.20 | $183.15 |
| $300 | $223.80 | $149.20 | $211.00 |
| $350 | $223.80 | $149.20 | $211.00 |
| $400 | $223.80 | $149.20 | $211.00 |
| $450 | $223.80 | $149.20 | $211.00 |
| $500 | $223.80 | $149.20 | $211.00 |
| $600 | $223.80 | $149.20 | $211.00 |
| $700 | $223.80 | $149.20 | $211.00 |
With children (paid with Family Tax Benefit Part A)
| Rent a week | Single, 1–2 | Single, 3+ | Couple, 1–2 | Couple, 3+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $100 | – | – | – | – |
| $150 | $69.50 | $69.50 | – | – |
| $200 | $144.50 | $144.50 | $70.05 | $70.05 |
| $250 | $219.49 | $219.49 | $145.05 | $145.05 |
| $300 | $263.06 | $294.50 | $220.05 | $220.05 |
| $350 | $263.06 | $297.36 | $263.06 | $295.05 |
| $400 | $263.06 | $297.36 | $263.06 | $297.36 |
| $450 | $263.06 | $297.36 | $263.06 | $297.36 |
| $500 | $263.06 | $297.36 | $263.06 | $297.36 |
| $600 | $263.06 | $297.36 | $263.06 | $297.36 |
| $700 | $263.06 | $297.36 | $263.06 | $297.36 |
Green = the maximum for that situation. Amounts are per fortnight.
How much Rent Assistance does a pensioner get?
Rent Assistance is added to the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension or Carer Payment at the same rates as any other payment. A single pensioner paying $350 a week ($700 a fortnight) is above the $456.20 level, so they get the maximum $223.80 a fortnight, about $5,819 a year. A pensioner couple paying $250 a week gets $183.15 a fortnight between them (the couple maximum is $211.00, reached at $268.57 a week).
Sharing changes the answer for some pensioners. The single sharer rate (maximum $149.20) applies only with these payments: ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Age Pension, Austudy, Farm Household Allowance, JobSeeker Payment, Special Benefit, Youth Allowance. So a single Age Pensioner sharing a house at $350 a week gets $149.20, while a single person on the Disability Support Pension or Carer Payment in the same house keeps the full single rate of $223.80.
The Age Pension calculator estimates the pension the Rent Assistance is paid on top of, and the Carer Payment and DSP calculator does the same for carers and people with disability. Every payment calculator, from Family Tax Benefit to Child Care Subsidy, is on one page in our Centrelink calculators hub.
How Centrelink works out your Rent Assistance
- Your rent is turned into a fortnightly figure: weekly rent × 2, or monthly rent × 12 ÷ 26.
- Your threshold is set by your family situation: $157.80 for a single person, $255.80 for a couple, $207.34 for a single parent and $306.60 for a couple with children.
- Centrelink pays 75c for each dollar of rent above the threshold. A single person paying $400 a week: ($800.00 − $157.80) × 0.75 = $481.65, capped at the $223.80 maximum, so $223.80.
- It is paid with your income support payment, ABSTUDY or Family Tax Benefit Part A, so you need to qualify for one of those first. There is no separate Rent Assistance claim.
Renters who get none of those payments cannot claim Rent Assistance, but a low income can still qualify for a concession card: the Low Income Health Care Card calculator checks the income test, which is under $826 a week before tax for a single person over the last 8 weeks, with no assets test.
Rent Assistance is a federal payment, so it is the same in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and every other state and territory.
How to use this calculator
- Choose your family situation.
- Enter your rent and whether it is weekly, fortnightly or monthly.
- Read your fortnightly Rent Assistance, the threshold and the rent at which you reach the maximum.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How much Rent Assistance will I get?
75 cents for every dollar of fortnightly rent above your threshold, up to your maximum. For a single person with no children that is nothing below $157.80 a fortnight, rising to $223.80 a fortnight once rent reaches $456.20.
The calculator shows the threshold, the maximum and your amount for each family situation.
Who can get Rent Assistance?
You must pay rent (or site, mooring or board and lodging fees) and get an eligible payment from Services Australia — an income support payment such as JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance, Austudy, the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension or Carer Payment, ABSTUDY, or Family Tax Benefit Part A at more than the base rate. People in public housing (paying rent to a state or territory housing authority) cannot get it.
What is the maximum Rent Assistance?
From 20 September 2026, per fortnight: single $223.80; single sharer $149.20; couple (combined) $211.00; with 1 or 2 children $263.06; with 3 or more children $297.36. With children it is usually paid with Family Tax Benefit Part A.
What is the single sharer rate?
A lower maximum ($149.20 a fortnight) for a single person with no children living in shared private accommodation and getting certain payments such as JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy, ABSTUDY or the Age Pension. The threshold is the same $157.80, so it reaches its maximum sooner, at $356.74 of rent.
When do Rent Assistance rates change?
On 20 March and 20 September each year, in line with the Consumer Price Index. Your payment also changes if your rent, income, payments or family circumstances change, which you must report.
If you pay board and lodging and can't say how much is for lodging, Services Australia counts two thirds of the total as rent.
How much Rent Assistance does a pensioner get?
The same rates as everyone else, added to the pension. A single pensioner reaches the maximum $223.80 a fortnight once rent is $456.20 a fortnight ($228.10 a week); a pensioner couple gets up to $211.00 combined from $537.14 ($268.57 a week).
A single Age Pensioner who shares accommodation gets the lower sharer maximum of $149.20; the Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment are not on the sharer list, so a single person on either keeps the full single rate.
Is Rent Assistance the same in Queensland, NSW and Victoria?
Yes. Commonwealth Rent Assistance is a federal payment from Services Australia, so the thresholds, the 75c rate and the maximums are the same in every state and territory.
State and territory housing help (bond loans, rent grants, public housing) is separate, and people renting public housing from a state housing authority cannot get Rent Assistance.
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