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I cannot work because I provide constant care · Services Australia

Carer Payment

Income-support pension for people who cannot work because they provide constant care. Paid at the pension rate. Income and assets tested.

$1,200.90 / fortnight

Hover the amount for four other currencies (live rate).

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Who it is for

Carers of a person with a severe disability, medical condition or who is frail aged, where the care is constant.

State income support for carers. Not a private carer or trauma policy.

ISSA (1 January 2024) — Qualifying conditions (ISSA 2024)

Constant care, in a private home, of a person with disability, severe medical condition, or age-related frailty. Cannot receive another income-support payment. Residency rules; a newly arrived resident waiting period may apply. Payable abroad up to 6 weeks.

Conditions

Care
Constant care of a person who meets the care-receiver rules.
Work
You cannot work (or study) beyond the allowed hours because of the care.
Means test
Pension income and assets tests.

Rates

Primary source first. A disputed or stale figure stays visible. Hover a rand or dollar figure for four other currencies. W weekly · F fortnightly · M monthly · A annually.

stale · International Social Security Association

ISSA 1 Jan 2024 — single, including supplements

A$1,096.70 / fortnight

From 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31

2026 booklet typical total is $1,200.90. Keep 2026.

ISSA country profile — Australia →

International agreement / AWLR check

If you have lived or worked in an Australian social-security agreement country, an agreement may affect qualification or payment overseas. Australian working life residence (AWLR) can also affect the proportional rate of many agreement pensions paid outside Australia.

AWLR calculator → International agreements →

International comparison

Payments in other countries that may correspond to Carer Payment

These benefits may support a person providing care or meet long-term-care needs. They are useful comparison points for overseas care history or foreign benefits, but are not automatically equivalent to Australian Carer Payment.

32 agreement countries with a potentially related benefit family
1Same purpose does not mean same law.A foreign pension, allowance or care benefit can serve a similar social purpose without being legally equivalent to Carer Payment.
2The bilateral agreement decides what is coordinated.Use the country page to test whether the relevant benefit category is actually covered.
3The foreign benefit can still matter even when it is not covered.It may help explain contribution history, foreign pension income, care arrangements or the other country's welfare structure.
Open the full international decision tool →

Potential correspondence is based on benefit function and ISSA welfare-system structure. It does not mean the foreign benefit is legally equivalent to the Australian payment or covered by the bilateral agreement. Open the country page and current agreement sources before relying on it.

Cross-checks

How to apply

Services Australia. Medical report for the care receiver. Care load is assessed.

Methodology

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). Change this row in Core AU and the Compass follows.

  1. Read the live Services Australia page for that payment.
  2. Cross-check A guide to Australian Government payments for the current quarter (Core AU job payments_guide_quarterly).
  3. Do not treat a September-preview blog figure as in force before indexation day.