Centrelink Support for Family Carers: Payments, Eligibility and How to Claim
If you look after a family member who has a disability, a serious medical condition, or is frail aged, Centrelink has two main payments that may help: the Carer Payment and the Carer Allowance. They sound similar, but they do different jobs. One replaces your income when caring stops you working full time. The other is a smaller top-up for the extra costs of caring. Many carers can get both at the same time.
Quick answer: The Carer Payment is income support for full-time carers, worth up to $1,237.70 a fortnight for a single person. The Carer Allowance is an extra $162.60 a fortnight for carers who give daily care, and it is not assets tested. You claim both through myGov with Centrelink linked, and both need a medical assessment of the person you care for. Rates change with indexation, so always check the current figures on Services Australia before you rely on them.
Carer Payment vs Carer Allowance at a glance
| Carer Payment | Carer Allowance | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Income support that replaces your pay when constant care stops you working full time | A supplementary payment for the extra costs of daily care |
| Maximum rate | $1,237.70 a fortnight (single); $933.00 each for a couple | $162.60 a fortnight, set rate |
| Means tested? | Yes — pension income and assets test, for you and the person you care for | No assets test; combined adjusted taxable income must be under $250,000 a year |
| Taxable? | Only if you or the person you care for is Age Pension age or older | No, never taxable |
| Work limit | Up to 100 hours of paid work over 4 weeks | No work, study or volunteering limit |
| When rates change | Every 20 March and 20 September | Every 1 January |
If you qualify for both, the two together can be worth up to $1,400.30 a fortnight for a single carer, before any income-test reduction. On top of that, most recipients also get an annual Carer Supplement of $600 for each payment, paid automatically if your payment period includes 1 July.
Who can get the Carer Payment
The Carer Payment is for people who give constant care — care that takes up most of the day, most days — to someone whose needs will last at least 6 months, or who has a terminal illness. You do not have to live with the person you care for, but the care must be given in their private home.
To qualify, you generally need to:
- Personally provide constant care to an adult who scores high enough on the Adult Disability Assessment Tool (ADAT), or a child who qualifies under the Disability Care Load Assessment (DCLAD).
- Meet the residence rules — both you and the person you care for must be living in the country and meet the residency requirements.
- Pass the pension income and assets test. The person you care for must also pass their own income and assets test, known as the Care Receiver Income and Assets test.
- Stay within the work limit explained below.
Short-term, episodic, combined and multiple care arrangements for children have their own rules, so if your situation does not fit the standard pattern, it is still worth asking Centrelink rather than assuming you miss out.
Who can get the Carer Allowance
The Carer Allowance is easier to qualify for, because it is not about replacing your income. You may get it if you:
- Give additional daily care to someone with a disability, a medical condition, or who is frail aged.
- Have a combined adjusted taxable income with your partner of under $250,000 a year.
There is no assets test and no limit on work, study or volunteering. You can get the allowance even if you work full time, and you can get one allowance for each person you care for, as long as each person meets the disability requirements and you give them daily care. If you share the care of one person with another carer who is not your partner, you may each get a part payment based on the share of care you provide.
How much you actually get
The maximum Carer Payment rates, current from 20 September 2026, are made up of three parts:
- Single: $1,135.40 basic rate + $88.20 Pension Supplement + $14.10 Energy Supplement = $1,237.70 a fortnight.
- Couple, each: $855.90 + $66.50 + $10.60 = $933.00 a fortnight each ($1,866.00 combined).
- Couple separated due to ill health, each: $1,237.70 a fortnight.
Those are maximums. Your actual payment drops as your income or assets rise above the test limits, so two carers in similar caring roles can receive quite different amounts. The Carer Allowance, by contrast, is a flat $162.60 a fortnight for everyone who qualifies — your work income does not reduce it, as long as you stay under the $250,000 income cap.
Can you work while getting the Carer Payment?
Yes, within limits — and the rules changed recently, so older advice you find online may be out of date. Since 20 March 2025, Carer Payment recipients can do paid work or self-employment for up to 100 hours over a 4-week period. That replaced the old rule of 25 hours a week, and it gives casual and irregular workers more room: you can do more hours in a busy week as long as the 4-week total stays under 100.
Travel time, study, training and volunteering no longer count toward that limit. But any income you earn still counts under the income test and can reduce your payment. If you temporarily go over 100 hours, respite days or an extended suspension of up to 26 weeks may apply in some cases — talk to Centrelink before you take on extra work rather than after.
How to claim: step by step
- Link Centrelink to myGov. If you do not have a myGov account, create one first, then link Centrelink. Most claims start here.
- Start the claim online. Choose the Carer Payment or Carer Allowance claim, and claim both at the same time if you think you qualify for both — there is no separate wait for the second one.
- Give details about the person you care for. You will need their details and consent for Centrelink to assess their situation.
- Get the medical report done. The person you care for needs a medical assessment from their treating health professional — this is the ADAT for adults or the DCLAD for children. Incomplete doctor forms are one of the most common reasons claims stall, so chase this early.
- Provide your income and assets details. For the Carer Payment, Centrelink needs both your details and the care receiver’s.
- Wait for the decision, and keep records. Allow several weeks. Keep copies of everything you lodge and note the date you claimed, in case you need to follow up.
If you cannot claim online, you can claim by calling the Disability and carers line listed on the Services Australia website, or by visiting a service centre.
Help beyond the payments
Money is only part of the picture. Carer Gateway is the national service for unpaid carers, and it is free. Call 1800 422 737 for counselling, coaching to plan ahead and manage stress, peer support groups, online skills courses, and emergency respite if you suddenly cannot keep caring. Using Carer Gateway does not affect your Centrelink payments, and many carers only find out about it long after they start caring.
If you care for a child with disability or a severe medical condition, you may also receive the annual Child Disability Assistance Payment automatically, on top of the Carer Supplement, if your payment period includes 1 July.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Only claiming one payment. If you give constant care and cannot work full time, check both payments — the Allowance is often missed by carers who assume it comes with a wage.
- Using the old 25-hour work rule. The limit is now 100 hours over 4 weeks, and study, travel and volunteering no longer count.
- Leaving the medical form to last. Start it first. Claims wait on it.
- Not reporting changes. Tell Centrelink if your caring hours, work, income, living arrangements or the care receiver’s condition change — overpayments become debts.
- Assuming you must live with the person. You do not. You must care for them in their private home, but you can live elsewhere.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get Carer Payment and Carer Allowance together?
Yes, if you meet the rules for each one separately. The Carer Allowance is paid on top of the Carer Payment, and also on top of most other payments, including the Age Pension.
Do I have to be a full-time carer for the Carer Allowance?
No. Daily care is enough for the Allowance, and there is no work limit. Full-time, constant care is the test for the Carer Payment.
Is the Carer Allowance taxable?
No. The Carer Payment is taxable only if you or the person you care for is Age Pension age or older, and even then you can ask Centrelink to deduct tax to avoid a bill at tax time.
What if the person I care for goes into hospital?
Tell Centrelink. Payments can usually continue for a period while the person is in hospital, as long as you keep some caring role and they are expected to return to your care. The exact rules depend on your situation, so check before you assume anything stops.
What if I need a break?
Respite is built into the system. You can take a break from caring for a set number of days each year without losing your payments, as long as someone else is caring for the person during that time. Carer Gateway can help arrange emergency respite at short notice.
Caring for a family member is real work, and these payments exist because it is. If you are giving daily or constant care and have not checked what you qualify for, the claim is worth starting — even if you are unsure, a claim that is assessed costs you nothing but the time to lodge it. Rates and thresholds change with indexation, so use the figures here as a guide and confirm the current amounts on Services Australia before you make plans around them.
