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Income test for carers
If your or your partner’s income is over the limit, it can reduce how much we pay you. If it’s over the cut off point, we can’t pay you at all. We apply an income test to assess this.
Learn about the pension income test for Carer Payment.
If you get Carer Payment and your partner’s income is over the cut off point for more than 6 fortnights in a row, we may be able to suspend your payment for up to 2 years. This applies if your partner is either:
Assets test for carers
If your and your partner’s assets are over the limit, it can reduce how much we pay you. If they’re over the cut off point we can’t pay you at all. We apply an assets test to assess this.
Learn about the full or part pension assets test for Carer Payment.
The amount you are paid is the lesser amount after both tests have been applied.
Income and assets limits for the person you provide care for
If they don’t get a pension or benefit from us or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, their:
- income must be less than $127,962 a year
- assets must be worth less than $789,500.
These figures change each year.
The tests can also include the income and assets of some family members.
The assets test:
- doesn’t include the principal home and first 2 hectares surrounding it
- may allow you to get Carer Payment if the person getting care has assets of $789,500 or more.