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Eligibility rules
The rules you need to meet to get JobSeeker Payment depend on your situation.
You’ll need to meet all of these:
- you’re between 22 and Age Pension age
- you meet residence rules
- you meet the income and assets tests.
You also need to be one of the following:
- you’re unemployed and looking for work
- you’re sick or injured and can’t do your usual work or study for a short time.
You may not be eligible if you get certain payments from the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA). Read more about getting a DVA payment.
You can use our Payment and Service Finder to help check if you can get a payment.
Unemployed and looking for work
You may get JobSeeker Payment if any of the following apply:
- you’re unemployed
- you’re not in full time work, for example you’re doing part time or casual work
- you’ve been temporarily stood down
- you’ve had your work hours reduced.
If you earn income over a certain amount, it will affect how much JobSeeker Payment you can get. Read more about income tests.
Sick or injured and can’t do your usual work or study
You may be sick or injured, which stops you from doing your usual work or study for a short time. In this case, you may get JobSeeker Payment. You’ll need to meet certain rules and give us a medical certificate.
Financial support when your Disaster Recovery Allowance ends
You can claim an income support payment from us when your Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) or New Zealand DRA ends.