Carer Payment & Allowance Calculator 2026

As of 20 September 2026, maximum Carer Payment is $1,237.70 per fortnight for singles and $933.00 each for couples (same maximum as Age Pension and DSP). Carer Allowance is $162.60 per fortnight, with no assets test but a family adjusted taxable income test of $250,000. You may receive both if you meet the rules. Rates are typically indexed in March and September; confirm on Services Australia.

There is no $3,000 carer payment. Services Australia does not pay a flat $3,000 to carers, and the searches for it usually trace back to social media posts rather than a government announcement. The real figures are: Carer Payment, up to $1,237.70 per fortnight for a single carer (income and assets tested); Carer Allowance, $162.60 per fortnight; and the Carer Supplement, an annual $600 for each eligible payment, paid automatically in July (2026 payments ran 3 July to 1 August) to anyone getting Carer Payment or Carer Allowance for a period that includes 1 July (so up to $1,200 if you get both). Separate one-off payments exist for specific situations, such as the Child Disability Assistance Payment and the Carer Adjustment Payment, but each has its own rules and none is a flat $3,000. Check the Services Australia Carer Supplement page and Carer Payment page before relying on a figure you saw online.

Watch the 36-second answer Services Australia doesn't list one. Here's what carers can actually get. Is there a $3,000 carer payment? · 0:36

The five main areas Services Australia considers are:

1. Care: You provide constant care for someone with a severe disability, medical condition, or frailty (care rules apply).
2. Care receiver: They have a qualifying condition and need the level of care claimed.
3. Where you care: Care is provided in a private home (yours or theirs), as required by the rules.
4. Means tests: You meet income and assets tests for Carer Payment.
5. Residence: You meet Australian residence rules when you claim.

Partly. Carer Allowance has no assets test, but a family adjusted taxable income test of $250,000 has applied since 20 September 2018. If your family adjusted taxable income is at or under that figure and you meet the care conditions, you can receive the full fortnightly amount whatever your assets. Those care conditions depend on where you live: there is no hourly threshold for carers who live with the person they care for (the ADAT or DCLAD assessment applies instead), and at least 20 hours a week of care and attention for carers who do not. Carer Payment is separately income and assets tested, so many carers get Carer Allowance even when they do not qualify for Carer Payment.

Assessable income is compared to a free area ($226/fn single, $396/fn combined for couples). Income above that generally reduces Carer Payment by 50 cents per dollar until the payment reaches zero. Employment income may use the Work Bonus (this calculator uses simplified rules, confirm with Services Australia).

Countable assets are compared to limits that depend on whether you are single or partnered and a homeowner or non-homeowner. Full-rate limits used in this tool are $333,000 (single homeowner), $600,000 (single non-homeowner), $499,000 combined (couple homeowner), and $766,000 combined (couple non-homeowner). Your principal home is usually exempt if you live in it. Above the full-rate limit, payment reduces by $3 per fortnight for every $1,000 over (single, or $1.50 each for a couple) until it cuts out, rather than stopping at the limit.