The table below shows the 2023 PBS Safety Net thresholds and how much customers pay before and after they reach the threshold.
| Rates for 2023 | General customer | Commonwealth concessional entitlement card holder |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution before reaching the PBS Safety Net threshold | Up to $30.00 | Up to $7.30 |
| PBS Safety Net Threshold | $1,563.50 | $262.80 |
| PBS Safety Net prescription contribution | $7.30 | $0 |
There are changes to general Closing the Gap (CTG) scripts following the reduction of the general patient co-payment from $42.50 to $30.00. CTG scripts with a cost greater than the general co-payment amount will count towards the safety net threshold at the amount of $42.50. From 1 January 2023, the same amount counts towards CTG patients’ Safety Net threshold as it did in 2022 when the co-payment was higher.
If your customer chooses a more expensive brand of medicine, they may need to pay more. The extra amount won’t count towards their PBS Safety Net threshold.
Your customers can keep a record of their PBS medicines and medicines dispensed at outpatient pharmacies in public hospitals using a prescription record form. There are 2 types of prescription record forms:
- computer record - generated by dispensing software
- PBS/RPBS Safety Net prescription record form and application for a Safety Net card form.
Read more about PBS Safety Net stationery and forms.
The PBS Safety Net rate
You need to charge the first PBS medicine that puts your customer over the threshold at the reduced rate.
Example
A customer who is a general patient, gives you a prescription to fill. The medicine will cost $15.50. Their prescription record form is $10 under the general threshold amount. The cost of the medicine you supply puts them over the threshold. You issue them with a PBS Safety Net concession card and charge them the PBS Safety Net concession rate.