Income support payments

About income support payments

An income support payment is a regular payment provided by the government to help people with living costs.

 The following payments are income support payments: 

• Age Pension
• Austudy
• Carer Payment
• Disability Support Pension
• JobSeeker Payment
• Parenting Payment
• Special Benefit.

The following allowances are income support payments:

• Farm Household Allowance
• Youth Allowance.

If you have been an ex Australian Defence Force member, there are also income support payments available from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, including:

• Age Pension
• Income Support Supplement
• Service Pension
• Veteran Payment.

After applying for a payment, Centrelink will discuss your circumstances, skills, work experience, and capacity to work. They will assess your eligibility for payments and may refer you to an employment service or other support resources.

For more information about government income support payments or allowances, see Income support payments on the Services Australia website.

Mutual obligation requirements

Some Centrelink income support payments require you to comply with tasks or agreed activities to keep getting the income support payment. These are called the Mutual obligation requirements. 

The activities are usually designed to help you find a job, and you must complete them to get your payment.  

You will have to comply with the mutual obligation requirements if you are receiving:

• Job Seeker payment
• Youth allowance for job seekers
• Parenting Payment single, or
• Special benefit with certain conditions.

To meet your Mutual obligations requirements, you will need to do all of the things you may have agreed to with your job seeker provider or accepted via your MyGov account. This is included in your Job Plan.

Workforce Australia

If you have mutual obligation requirements, you may be connected with a Workforce Australia Services provider or participate in Workforce Australia online services.

Workforce Australia is the employment service delivered by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. It replaced JobActive services on 4 July 2022. Centrelink recipients that obtain income support with mutual obligation requirements are connected with a Workforce Australia Services provider or participate in Workforce Australia online services.

If you’re with Workforce Australia some of your mutual obligations on your job plan will have a points targets.

Your points targets starts at 100 points and includes a minimum of 4 job applications. The target can be adjusted depending on your personal circumstances and location.

A points reporting period lasts for one month and the points target each month is 100 points.

Points are earned each month by doing tasks and activities, such as:

• applying for jobs
• going to interviews
• doing paid work
• participating in other activities such as drug and alcohol rehabilitation or counselling.

Some of the other obligations a job seeker might need to complete are:

• attending appointments
• follow up on job referrals
• accept suitable job offers
• accurately report completion of tasks/activities.

For more information, see Getting started in Workforce Australia Services on the Workforce Australia website.

Difficulties meeting mutual obligation requirements

If your circumstances change, your obligations can be adjusted. You may be able to ask for a temporary exemption if there is:

• illness or injury
• death of a family member
• domestic violence
• short-term care duties
• a disaster at home.

You need to contact Services Australia (via myGov, post or a service centre) for an exemption.

If you miss an activity or appointment it is important to re-engage with your requirements where you have missed an activity. If you re-engage within 2 business days, your payment will not be suspended.

You may be asked to do a ‘re-engagement’ activity, such as applying for jobs. If you fail to comply with a reconnection within 4 weeks after you are notified, your payment will be cancelled.

If you miss an activity, you should provide a valid reason as soon as possible. Your payment could be suspended, penalised or cancelled and you should get legal advice as soon as possible.

Appealing a payment penalty or cancellation

If Centrelink suspends, penalises you or cancel’s your payment you may be able to have the decision reviewed by an Authorised Review Officer.

A review can be requested over the phone, in writing, or at a Services Australia office. It should be requested within 13 weeks of the decision date.

For more information, see Explanations and formal reviews of a Centrelink decision of a Centrelink decision on the Services Australia website.