Carer Payment Eligibility 2026: Who Qualifies & How Much You Get
Complete guide to Carer Payment eligibility in 2026, including qualifying conditions, care requirements, payment rates, income and assets tests, and how to apply.
What Is Carer Payment?
Carer Payment is an income support payment for people who provide constant care to someone with a severe disability, medical condition, or who is frail aged. It is paid at the same rate as the Age Pension — up to $1,116.30 per fortnight for a single person or $841.40 each for a couple (as of March 2026). Carer Payment recognises that your caring responsibilities prevent you from undertaking substantial paid employment. Unlike Carer Allowance (which is a supplementary payment), Carer Payment is a full income support payment that replaces your primary income. You can receive Carer Payment for caring for an adult, a child with a disability, or in some cases multiple people whose individual care needs combine to constitute constant care.
Eligibility Requirements
To qualify for Carer Payment, you must provide constant care in the home of the person you care for. The person you care for must have a severe disability or medical condition that has been assessed as qualifying under the Adult Disability Assessment Tool (ADAT) with a score of 25 or more, or the child must qualify under the Disability Care Load Assessment (DCLA) with a qualifying rating. You must be an Australian resident, aged 16 or over, and not already receiving another income support payment (with some exceptions). The care you provide must be for a significant period each day, and the care receiver must require care permanently or for a minimum of 6 months. You can share the caring role with another person if you both provide a substantial amount of care.
Constant Care Requirement and Temporary Cessation
The 'constant care' requirement means you must personally provide care on a daily basis in the home of the person being cared for. However, Centrelink recognises that carers need breaks. You are allowed up to 63 days per calendar year of temporary cessation of care (respite) without losing your payment. This includes holidays, hospital stays for the care receiver, or times when someone else provides care. An additional 63 days of hospitalisation is also available if the care receiver is admitted to hospital. If you exceed 63 days of respite, your Carer Payment may be cancelled. You can also work, study, or volunteer for up to 25 hours per week (including travel time) without losing your Carer Payment, as long as you still meet the constant care requirement outside those hours.
Income and Assets Test for Carer Payment
Carer Payment is subject to the same income and assets tests as the Age Pension, since it is paid at the pension rate. For a single carer, the income free area is $204 per fortnight. Above this, the payment reduces by 50 cents for every dollar. The pension cuts out at approximately $2,436.60 per fortnight for a single person. The assets test allows up to $301,750 for a single homeowner or $543,750 for a single non-homeowner before the full rate starts to reduce. Unlike the pension income test, the Work Bonus of $300 per fortnight for employment income also applies to Carer Payment recipients. The income and assets of the person you care for do not affect your Carer Payment — only your own (and your partner's if you have one) income and assets are assessed.
How to Apply for Carer Payment
To apply for Carer Payment, start by contacting Centrelink on 132 717 or visiting a service centre to register your intent to claim. This sets the start date for potential back payment. You can then lodge your claim online through your myGov account — search for 'Carer Payment' under 'Make a claim.' You will need medical evidence about the care receiver's condition, including a completed medical report from their treating doctor. A Centrelink assessor will then arrange an assessment of the care receiver's disability and your caring load using the ADAT (for adults) or DCLA (for children). Processing times are typically 6 to 12 weeks. If you are currently receiving another payment like JobSeeker, it will continue while your Carer Payment claim is assessed. If approved, your Carer Payment will be backdated to the date you registered intent to claim.
Carer Payment for Multiple Care Receivers
In some cases, you can qualify for Carer Payment even if no single person you care for individually meets the qualifying threshold. If you care for two or more people with disabilities whose combined care needs are equivalent to the constant care of one person with a severe disability, you may qualify under the 'exchanged care' provisions. Each care receiver must still have a recognised disability or medical condition and must require a significant amount of care, even if they would not individually qualify you for Carer Payment. You can also receive Carer Payment for one qualifying care receiver and Carer Allowance for additional care receivers. There is no limit to the number of Carer Allowance payments you can receive alongside Carer Payment, as Carer Allowance is a supplementary payment with a separate eligibility test.
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General information and estimates only — not financial, tax, or legal advice. Always verify with Services Australia.
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