Rent Assistance is an extra payment paid to anybody receiving an eligible government pension, while also paying rent to a landlord. Rent Assistance rates and thresholds increase on 20 March 2023.
The eligible government pensions are the Age Pension, Carer Payment, Disability Support Pension, ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Special Benefit, Family Tax Benefit, Parenting Payment, JobSeeker Payment and Farm Household Allowance.
For every $1 of rent you pay above the minimum amount of rent listed below for your family situation, you’ll get 75c in Rent Assistance. You can’t get more than the maximum payment amount for your family situation.
Read our comprehensive Rent Assistance explainer that details who is eligible for Rent Assistance as well as how to apply.
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Rent Assistance rates if you do not have dependent children
| Family situation | Maximum payment per fortnight | Maximum payment is paid if your fortnightly rent is more than | No payment if your fortnightly rent is less than |
| Single | $157.20 | $350.00 | $140.40 |
| Single, sharer | $104.80 | $280.14 | $140.40 |
| Couple | $148.00 | $424.74 | $227.40 |
| One of a couple who are separated due to illness | $157.20 | $350.00 | $140.40 |
| One of a couple who are temporarily separated | $148.00 | $337.74 | $140.40 |
Rent Assistance is paid to those in receipt of an income support payment and who pay private rent. Those who rent from a housing authority are not eligible.
To find out more about Rent Assistance and thresholds, and how you can claim, visit ServicesAustralia.gov.au.
Leon, i pay $500 a fortnight rent which is half my pension .–rent assistance included.
the balancing $500 has to cover water, electricity, car insurance, car rego, medical expenses
telephone( mobile -pre-paid), internet. vet expenses for my two dogs, groceries etc.
but if i get into debt , who is going to help me out of it.( its not easy staying out of debt).
there`s also fuel cost`s . — not that i go many places, out of town except to medical appointments.
Fully agree and I have the same bills as you Phillip, and none of the above is for enjoyment? all is essential, the cost of living has got impossible to live on a pension, my dog who is very large always comes first with food, and the price of dog food has also gone through the roof, I often skip meals now, have no choice, too proud to ask for help don’t even put heater on, wrap myself in a blanket, it’s not possible for me to lay in bed due to chronic spine problems, so cant even go to bed to keep warm, and like you I never go out just for medical and that is a 100 km trip there and back and every 28 days. and who is going to help you? No one!, plus when you get to my age! there is not one finance company who will give you a loan and they never tell you its your age for the reason. But not hard to work out why they won’t lend you a small loan, and my credit rating is 100%, my bills and my dog have always come first I don’t owe anyone any money, I have also work all of my life. So what can we do? I have no idea? got to the point of thinking that the government want all the older people to die! this way they won’t have to pay a age pension!