Quick Answer
Centrelink cuts your payment once your fortnightly income passes the free area: $150 for JobSeeker, Youth Allowance job seekers and partnered Parenting Payment, $232.60 for single Parenting Payment, and $539 for Youth Allowance students and Austudy. Above it you lose 50 cents in the dollar, then 60 cents past the second threshold — so a single JobSeeker on $600 a fortnight keeps $558.10 of the $817.50 maximum rate.
How the Centrelink Income Test Works (July 2026 Rates)
Centrelink does not stop your payment the moment you earn money. Every dollar up to the income free area is ignored; after that your payment tapers away at a set number of cents in the dollar until it reaches nil at the cut-off point. This Centrelink income test calculator applies the free area, the taper and the partner income test to the maximum rate for your situation.
Personal reduction = 50c on each dollar from the free area to the second threshold, then 60c on the rest (or a flat 40c for single principal carers and single Parenting Payment)
Partner reduction = 60c on each dollar of partner income above $1,415 a fortnight
Each payment has its own free area and taper. These are the current rules for the fortnight, taken from the Services Australia payment guide for 1 July to 19 September 2026.
| Payment | Income free area | Taper |
|---|---|---|
| JobSeeker Payment | $150 per fortnight | 50c to $256, then 60c |
| JobSeeker — single principal carer | $150 per fortnight | 40c flat |
| Youth Allowance (job seeker) | $150 per fortnight | 50c to $250, then 60c |
| Youth Allowance (student or apprentice) | $539 per fortnight | 50c to $646, then 60c |
| Austudy | $539 per fortnight | 50c to $646, then 60c |
| Parenting Payment (single) | $232.60, plus $24.60 per extra child | 40c flat |
| Parenting Payment (partnered) | $150 per fortnight | 50c to $256, then 60c |
Centrelink Income Cut-Off Points: How Much You Can Earn
The cut-off point is the fortnightly income at which your payment reaches nil. Earn under it and you still get a part payment; earn over it in a fortnight and you get nothing for that fortnight, but you stay on the payment record and are paid again in any fortnight you earn less.
| Payment and situation | Maximum rate per fortnight | Income cut-off per fortnight |
|---|---|---|
| JobSeeker — single, no children | $817.50 | $1,530.17 |
| JobSeeker — single, with children | $875.50 | $1,626.84 |
| JobSeeker — single principal carer | $882.50 | $2,356.25 |
| JobSeeker — aged 55+, 9 months on payment | $882.50 | $1,638.50 |
| JobSeeker — partnered | $748.20 | $1,414.67 |
| Youth Allowance (job seeker) — away from home | $684.20 | $1,307.00 |
| Youth Allowance (job seeker) — 18 or over, at home | $487.00 | $978.34 |
| Youth Allowance (student) — away from home | $684.20 | $1,697.17 |
| Austudy — single, no children | $684.20 | $1,697.17 |
| Parenting Payment — single, 1 child | $1,066.30 | $2,898.35 |
| Parenting Payment — partnered | $748.20 | $1,414.67 |
Partner Income Test: How Your Partner’s Pay Cuts Your Payment
If you are partnered, a second test runs on top of the personal one. It only bites when your partner is not on a Centrelink payment themselves — if they get an allowance such as JobSeeker or Austudy, their income does not touch your rate.
| Your partner | Effect on your payment |
|---|---|
| Gets an allowance (JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy, Parenting Payment) | Their income does not affect your rate |
| Gets a pension (Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Carer Payment) | Half the couple’s combined income is run through your personal income test |
| Gets no payment, aged 22 or over | 60c off your payment for every dollar they earn over $1,415 a fortnight |
| Gets no payment, aged under 22, no children | 60c for every dollar over $1,307 a fortnight |
| Gets no payment, aged under 22, with children | 60c for every dollar over $1,402 a fortnight |
How to Use the Centrelink Income Test Calculator
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Pick your payment
JobSeeker, Youth Allowance for job seekers, Youth Allowance for students and apprentices, Austudy, or Parenting Payment. This sets the free area and the taper.
-
Pick your situation
Single or partnered, with or without children, at home or away from home. This sets your maximum fortnightly rate and your cut-off point.
-
Enter your income before tax
Use the picker beside the box if you think in weekly or yearly amounts — the tool converts them to a fortnight for you (weekly × 2, yearly ÷ 26).
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Add your partner’s income if you are partnered
The field appears only for partnered rates. Leave it at zero if your partner is on a Centrelink payment of their own.
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Read the working
The result shows your payment, how much was taken off in each taper band, and the exact income at which your payment would stop.
Worked Examples: JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy and Parenting Payment
Every figure below is exactly what the calculator prints — enter the same inputs to check.
| Situation and income | Maximum rate | Reduction | Payment per fortnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| JobSeeker, single, $150 a fortnight | $817.50 | nil — at the free area | $817.50 |
| JobSeeker, single, $600 a fortnight | $817.50 | $259.40 | $558.10 |
| JobSeeker, single, $1,000 a fortnight | $817.50 | $499.40 | $318.10 |
| JobSeeker, single principal carer, $600 | $882.50 | $180.00 (40c flat) | $702.50 |
| JobSeeker, partnered, $400 + partner $1,600 | $748.20 | $139.40 + $111.00 partner | $497.80 |
| Youth Allowance job seeker, away from home, $500 | $684.20 | $200.00 | $484.20 |
| Youth Allowance student, away from home, $700 | $684.20 | $85.90 | $598.30 |
| Austudy, single, $900 a fortnight | $684.20 | $205.90 | $478.30 |
| Parenting Payment single, 1 child, $800 | $1,066.30 | $226.96 | $839.34 |
| Parenting Payment single, 1 child, $3,000 | $1,066.30 | over the cut-off | $0.00 |
