Social Security Compass Australia
Start with what has changed in your life. Compass connects you to the relevant payments, health and disability supports, housing help and international rules, with links to the authority behind each answer.
Explore information and sources here; the responsible agency makes the decision on a claim.
Australian welfare system · explained
Eligibility depends on the particular system you are entering. A person may qualify for a Centrelink payment, use Medicare, receive NDIS supports, access a state concession and have superannuation or workers-compensation rights at the same time. Each layer has its own law, administrator, eligibility tests and review process.
Services Australia administers Centrelink payments such as JobSeeker, Age Pension and Disability Support Pension. Payment-specific residence, age, medical, income and assets rules can apply.
Explore this part of the system → ♥Family Tax Benefit, Parenting Payment, Carer Payment and Carer Allowance sit in the Commonwealth system but use different family, care, income and residence tests.
Explore this part of the system → +Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme help with health and medicine costs. They are not Centrelink income-support payments and have their own eligibility and safety-net rules.
Explore this part of the system → ◎The NDIS funds eligible disability supports through a separate scheme. NDIS access does not automatically create Centrelink entitlement, and Centrelink entitlement does not automatically create NDIS access.
Explore this part of the system → ⌂Commonwealth Rent Assistance can interact with state or territory housing, bond, energy, transport and concession schemes. Jurisdiction matters.
Explore this part of the system → ⚒Workers compensation is largely state or territory based. Paid leave and workplace entitlements can sit with employers and workplace law rather than Centrelink.
Explore this part of the system → ◫Compulsory superannuation is a retirement-income layer separate from social assistance. International agreements can also matter for contribution coverage when workers are temporarily posted overseas.
Explore this part of the system → ↔Australia’s bilateral agreements can help coordinate pension qualification, residence or contribution periods and portability with current agreement countries.
Explore this part of the system →International decision tool
Choose one of Australia’s current agreement countries, work through the decision criteria, see which Australian payments may need testing, and open that country’s wider welfare-system profile from ISSA.
Residence & international check
These answers stay in your browser. They help Compass surface residence and international-agreement information; they do not determine eligibility.
International pathway
Current Compass
The existing ZA/AU Compass data stays here — rates, conditions, calculators and source conflicts included.
I have reached Age Pension age · check sources
Services Australia
$1,200.90 / fortnight
Means-tested pension for people who have reached Age Pension age. Maximum rate includes Pension Supplement and Energy Supplement.
Conditions and rates →I have a permanent disability · check sources
Services Australia
$1,200.90 / fortnight
Pension for people with a permanent disability that attracts 20 points under the Impairment Tables and prevents working 15 hours a week in the next two years, subject to means tests. Adult rate matches the Age Pension.
Conditions and rates →I cannot work because I provide constant care · check sources
Services Australia
$1,200.90 / fortnight
Income-support pension for people who cannot work because they provide constant care. Paid at the pension rate. Income and assets tested.
Conditions and rates →I provide daily care · check sources
Services Australia
$162.60 / fortnight
Supplementary payment for daily care. Not an income-support pension. Income test (high threshold), no assets test. Can be paid with Carer Payment.
Conditions and rates →I have (or will have) super · check sources
ATO / APRA-regulated funds
12% / percent
Mandatory occupational pension. Employers pay a Superannuation Guarantee percentage of ordinary-time earnings into a fund. It sits beside the Age Pension; it is not a Centrelink cash payment.
Conditions and rates →I am looking for work · check sources
Services Australia
$817.50 / fortnight
Main working-age income support if you are unemployed or looking for work, including people with a partial capacity to work who do not qualify for DSP.
Conditions and rates →I am the main carer of a young child · check sources
Services Australia
$1,066.30 / fortnight
Income support for principal carers of young children. Single and partnered rates differ. Means tested.
Conditions and rates →I have a dependent child · check sources
Services Australia
$235.48 / fortnight
Per-child family payment. Rate depends on the child’s age and family income. An end-of-year supplement may apply.
Conditions and rates →I am a single-income family · check sources
Services Australia
$200.34 / fortnight
Per-family payment for single parents and some couples with one main income, based on the age of the youngest child.
Conditions and rates →I was injured at work
State / territory WorkCover or equivalent
State formula — not a single national rate
State statutory compensation for work injury and occupational disease. Each jurisdiction has its own scheme, rates and dispute path. Not a Centrelink payment.
Conditions and rates →Emergency relief
Commonwealth-funded community organisations (Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul, and others via serviceproviders.dss.gov.au)
Varies by provider — vouchers, part-paid bills, food parcels, not a cash rate / varies
One-off, non-statutory support during acute financial hardship — vouchers, part-payment of utility bills, food parcels or clothing, budgeting assistance, and referral to financial counselling, mental health, or drug/alcohol support. Not a Centrelink payment and not means-tested in the way a statutory payment is.
Conditions and rates →I have a newborn · check sources
Services Australia
$2,125.76 / lump
Extra Family Tax Benefit Part A for a newborn or a child entering care. Paid over 13 weeks, with an upfront amount.
Conditions and rates →I pay for approved child care
Services Australia
90% / percent
Subsidy paid to approved child care services. The percentage and hourly cap depend on family income, hours of recognised activity, and the service type.
Conditions and rates →I need paid parental leave · check sources
Services Australia
$200.94 / day
Taxable parental leave paid at the national minimum wage for a set number of days. Income limits apply. It is not Parenting Payment.
Conditions and rates →I rent and already get a payment · check sources · calculator
Services Australia
$257.88 / fortnight
Extra payment if you rent in the private market or community housing and already receive a qualifying income-support or family payment. Amount depends on rent paid and household type.
Conditions and rates →I cannot use public transport without help · check sources
Services Australia
$122.80 / fortnight
Help with travel costs if a disability, illness or impairment stops you using public transport without substantial assistance, and you are travelling for work, study or volunteering.
Conditions and rates →I farm and I am in hardship
Services Australia / DAFF
$684.20 / fortnight
Time-limited income support for eligible farmers and their partners who are experiencing financial hardship. Rates follow JobSeeker / Youth Allowance settings.
Conditions and rates →I am in hardship and cannot get another payment
Services Australia
Equivalent JobSeeker or Youth Allowance rate
Discretionary payment if you are in financial hardship and cannot get another income-support payment. The rate is generally aligned with JobSeeker or Youth Allowance.
Conditions and rates →Study payments and VET loans. Not JobSeeker, and not a private education policy.
I am studying or a young job seeker · check sources
Services Australia
$684.20 / fortnight
Income support for young people studying, training, or looking for work. Rate depends on age, whether you are independent, and whether you live at home.
Conditions and rates →I need help to pay for VET study
DEWR
Indexed per course — see DEWR course caps fact sheet
Income-contingent loan for approved vocational courses, not a Centrelink cash payment. Course list and loan caps are published by DEWR and indexed. Repayment is through the tax system.
Conditions and rates →I am 25 or over and studying
Services Australia
$684.20 / fortnight
Income support for eligible students and Australian Apprentices aged 25 or over. Rate depends on whether you have dependent children and on long-term income-support status.
Conditions and rates →I am an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander student
Services Australia
$817.50 / fortnight
Study assistance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and apprentices. Living Allowance rates follow age, independence, and whether you have children. Extra incidentals, school fees and relocation amounts may apply.
Conditions and rates →Public health. Private health insurance or a medical scheme is a different contract.
I need public health cover
Services Australia / Department of Health
85% of the MBS schedule fee
Australia’s public health insurance. It pays a benefit against the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) for listed services. It is not a fortnightly cash payment, and it is not private health insurance.
Conditions and rates →I need subsidised medicine · check sources
Department of Health / Services Australia
General and concessional co-payments, indexed 1 January — see PBS
Subsidised medicines list. You pay a co-payment; the Commonwealth pays the rest for listed items. Safety net reduces co-payments after a threshold.
Conditions and rates →Nothing matches. Clear a choice or the search.
Shared Core · core_ss_global_sources
Comparative sources explain how systems differ across countries. The national authority remains decisive for current eligibility and rates.
Australia and relevant bilateral social-security agreement countries · authority tier 1 · on demand
Australian Taxation Office
Certificate of coverage for temporarily posted employees and avoidance of duplicate compulsory superannuation or equivalent contributions
certificate of coverage · seconded workers · super guarantee · temporary overseas work
core_ss_global_sources.au_ato_certificate_coverage →Australia and agreement-country pension calculations · authority tier 1 · on demand
Australian Government · Department of Social Services
Australian working life residence (AWLR), proportional agreement pension rates and the 420-month / 35-year residence factor
AWLR · working life residence · 420 months · 35 years
core_ss_global_sources.au_awlr_guide →Australia and agreement countries · authority tier 1 · on demand
Australian Government · Department of Social Services
Current agreement countries, implementation/negotiation status and agreement policy overview
current countries · implementation status · negotiations · totalisation
core_ss_global_sources.au_international_agreements →Global · authority tier 1 · on demand
International Labour Organization
National labour, social-security and human-rights legislation
legislation · jurisdiction · subject · adoption date
core_ss_global_sources.ilo_natlex →Global · authority tier 1 · on demand
International Labour Organization
ILO standards, ratifications and supervisory observations
conventions · recommendations · ratification · reporting
core_ss_global_sources.ilo_normlex →Global · authority tier 1 · on demand
International Labour Organization
Countries worldwide
system overview · scheme design · effective coverage · legal coverage
core_ss_global_sources.ilo_wspdb →Australia and agreement countries · authority tier 1 · on demand
Services Australia
Country directory and regional agreement pages
current countries · claim location · foreign pensions · regional agreement pages
core_ss_global_sources.au_services_agreement_countries →Australia and agreement countries · authority tier 1 · on demand
Services Australia
Claims pathways, qualification support, how agreements help and operational guidance
claim pathway · minimum periods · part pensions · international services
core_ss_global_sources.au_services_agreements →Australian and foreign payment categories · authority tier 1 · on demand
Services Australia
Australian payments and foreign pension categories that agreements may cover
Age Pension · Disability Support Pension · Carer Payment · Parenting Payment single
core_ss_global_sources.au_services_agreement_payments →Australia · authority tier 1 · on demand
Federal Register of Legislation
Current Act and scheduled agreement texts
legislation · scheduled agreements · commencement · legal text
core_ss_global_sources.au_international_agreements_act →Australian decision-maker guidance · authority tier 1 · on demand
Australian Government · Department of Social Services
How scheduled agreements modify social security law and the shared-responsibility model
legal operation · shared responsibility · totalisation · portability
core_ss_global_sources.au_social_security_guide_agreements →Global · authority tier 2 · on demand
World Bank
About 140 countries
social assistance · social insurance · labour-market programmes · coverage
core_ss_global_sources.world_bank_aspire →Europe · authority tier 2 · on demand
European Commission
EU, EEA and Switzerland
eligibility · financing · benefit calculation · duration
core_ss_global_sources.eu_missoc →OECD and partner economies · authority tier 2 · on demand
OECD
OECD comparative series
public social expenditure · private social expenditure · policy function · cash and in-kind support
core_ss_global_sources.oecd_socx →Global archive · authority tier 4 · historical
United States Social Security Administration / ISSA
More than 170 countries in historical regional volumes
programme structure · qualifying conditions · financing · benefit formulas
core_ss_global_sources.ssa_ssptw_archive →Comparative sources provide structure, coverage, expenditure and legal context. Services Australia / DSS / state WorkCover remains authoritative for this country's current conditions, rates and decisions.
Methods on Core
Methods live in Core AU tables so a later change is made once. Hover an amount such as a grant maximum to see four other currencies at a live rate.
coreau_ss_methodology.centrelink_indexation
Maximum rates from Services Australia. Pensions and most allowances index on 20 March and 20 September. FTB indexes 1 July. Income and assets tests can pay less than the maximum. Current Compass figures are overlaid from the 1 July–19 September 2026 payments guide (co029-2607).
core_ss_issa.au
Primary source for how Australian social security is structured — branches, qualifying design, and how schemes sit together. https://www.issa.int/databases/country-profiles Amounts are overlaid from the Services Australia quarterly payments guide.
coreau_ss_methodology.medicare_mbs
MBS schedule fees and safety-net thresholds from the Department of Health and Services Australia. Thresholds index on 1 January. Not a Centrelink fortnightly rate.
coreau_ss_methodology.rent_assistance
From A guide to Australian Government payments, 1 July to 19 September 2026 (co029-2607), page 37. Paid only with a qualifying payment. 75 cents for each dollar of fortnightly rent above the threshold, up to the maximum. The maximum is paid once rent reaches the ceiling.