Age Pension Calculator 2026 — Rates From 20 September and the Income Test
The full Age Pension is $1,237.70 a fortnight for a single person and $933.00 each for a couple ($1,866.00 combined) from 20 September 2026, up from $1,200.90 and $905.20. Your income reduces it by 50 cents a dollar over $226 a fortnight (single).
| Per fortnight, from 20 Sep 2026 | Single | Couple each | Couple combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic rate | $1,135.40 | $855.90 | $1,711.80 |
| Pension + Energy Supplements | $102.30 | $77.10 | $154.20 |
| Maximum Age Pension | $1,237.70 | $933.00 | $1,866.00 |
See how working or other income changes your Age Pension. The Work Bonus takes the first $300 of wages out of the test each fortnight; above the $226 (single) or $396 (couple, combined) free area the pension reduces by 50 cents in the dollar. Carries both the 20 March 2026 rates and the 20 September 2026 rates that replace them.
How Much Age Pension Do You Keep?
How the income test applied
Have savings or other assets? The Age Pension assets test calculator runs both tests and deems your savings for you. Current deeming rates: deeming rates and calculator.
Age Pension Income Test Rules
The free areas and tapers are unchanged by the 20 September 2026 indexation — it is the maximum rates, and therefore the cut-offs, that move.
| Situation | Income free area (per fortnight) | Reduction above it | Cut-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $226 | 50c for each dollar | $2,701.40to 19 Sep $2,627.80 |
| Couple living together | $396 combined | 25c for each combined dollar, off each pension | $4,128.00 combinedto 19 Sep $4,016.80 combined |
| Couple apart due to ill health | $396 combined | 25c for each combined dollar, off each pension | $5,346.80 combinedto 19 Sep $5,199.60 combined |
| Transitional rate — single | $226 | 40c for each dollar | $2,718.50to 19 Sep $2,670.25 |
| Transitional rate — couple | $396 combined | 20c for each combined dollar, off each pension | $4,418.00 combinedto 19 Sep $4,340.00 combined |
The income test counts income from all sources, including deemed income on financial assets. Services Australia pays the lower of the income-test and assets-test results.
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How the Work Bonus Changes the Result
The Work Bonus is not a payment. It is an offset: $300 of credit is added to your Work Bonus balance every fortnight, whether you work or not, up to $11,800. When you have employment or self-employment income, the first $300 in the fortnight is disregarded and the balance offsets what remains — all before the income test above is applied. Income under $300 is reduced to zero and the unused credit goes back into the balance. It applies only to income from working, not to deemed or investment income, and you do not have to apply for it. The credit and the maximum balance are set in legislation and are not part of the September indexation.
Someone with a full $11,800 balance can earn $12,100 in a single fortnight before any of it is assessed. That is why the published cut-off “may be higher” for people who work.
Maximum Age Pension Rates: Now and From 20 September 2026
| Per fortnight | Single | Couple each | Couple combined | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| To 19 Sep | From 20 Sep | To 19 Sep | From 20 Sep | To 19 Sep | From 20 Sep | |
| Maximum basic rate | $1,100.30 | $1,135.40 | $829.40 | $855.90 | $1,658.80 | $1,711.80 |
| Pension Supplement | $86.50 | $88.20 | $65.20 | $66.50 | $130.40 | $133.00 |
| Energy Supplement | $14.10 | $14.10 | $10.60 | $10.60 | $21.20 | $21.20 |
| Total | $1,200.90 | $1,237.70 | $905.20 | $933.00 | $1,810.40 | $1,866.00 |
Adjusted on 20 March and 20 September. A couple living apart due to ill health each get the single rate, and the combined figures are exactly twice the couple-each figures. The Energy Supplement is flat — it does not index — so the whole $36.80 a fortnight increase for a single pensioner is basic rate plus Pension Supplement. September figures from the DSS rates list published 20 August 2026. Transitional-rate pensioners: $977.70 single now, $997.00 from 20 September ($788.80 → $804.40 each partnered).
Single Age Pension at Different Assessable Incomes
| Assessable income / fortnight | Reduction | Pension to 19 Sep 2026 | Pension from 20 Sep 2026 | Income + pension (from 20 Sep) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $0.00 | $0.00 | $1,200.90 | $1,237.70 | $1,237.70 |
| $226.00 | $0.00 | $1,200.90 | $1,237.70 | $1,463.70 |
| $400.00 | -$87.00 | $1,113.90 | $1,150.70 | $1,550.70 |
| $600.00 | -$187.00 | $1,013.90 | $1,050.70 | $1,650.70 |
| $800.00 | -$287.00 | $913.90 | $950.70 | $1,750.70 |
| $1,000.00 | -$387.00 | $813.90 | $850.70 | $1,850.70 |
| $1,200.00 | -$487.00 | $713.90 | $750.70 | $1,950.70 |
| $1,500.00 | -$637.00 | $563.90 | $600.70 | $2,100.70 |
| $1,800.00 | -$787.00 | $413.90 | $450.70 | $2,250.70 |
| $2,100.00 | -$937.00 | $263.90 | $300.70 | $2,400.70 |
| $2,400.00 | -$1,087.00 | $113.90 | $150.70 | $2,550.70 |
| $2,701.40 | -$1,237.70 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $2,701.40 |
Assessable income here is after the Work Bonus. Working pensioners: subtract $300 and any balance from your wages first, then read the row. The pension is taxable — the SAPTO calculator shows whether any tax is actually payable.
Related Calculators and Guides
- Centrelink income test guide — how the free area, taper and cut-off work for every payment
- JobSeeker payment calculator — what you keep when you work part-time
- Parenting Payment calculator — single and partnered, with the 40c taper for single parents
- Family Tax Benefit calculator — FTB Part A and Part B on your family income
- Rent Assistance calculator — 75c for each dollar of rent over the threshold
- Austudy and Youth Allowance calculator — the $539 free area and the 50c/60c bands
- Take-home pay calculator — tax on your wages and payment together
- Fortnightly pay calculator — convert your wage to the fortnightly gross Centrelink asks for
How this calculator works▼
- Assessable income = employment income after the Work Bonus (first $300 disregarded, then the balance, per person) + other income. Reduction = 50c per dollar over $226 (single) or 25c per combined dollar over $396 off each pension (couple). Pension = maximum rate minus reduction, floored at $0. The free areas and tapers index on 1 July and did not change on 20 September 2026.
- Two dated rate sets are held: 20 March 2026 (Services Australia, read 28 August 2026) and 20 September 2026 (DSS rates list published 20 August 2026). The calculator reads today's date in your browser and applies whichever set is in force, so it changes over on 20 September by itself; both sets stay on the page because a payment summary dated before 20 September is on the March rates.
- The 20 March 2026 cut-offs are Services Australia's published figures and reconcile to the cent. The 20 September 2026 cut-offs are also Services Australia's published figures, re-checked on 23 September 2026. Both sets reconcile exactly to cut-off = total rate ÷ taper + free area, and the tests assert it.
- Not modelled here: assets test and deeming (both are in the assets test calculator), transitional rates, Rent Assistance, mixed couples. Pay Calculator Australia is not Services Australia — use their Payment Finder for a claim estimate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Age Pension income test questions and answers
How much can I earn before the Age Pension reduces?
$226 a fortnight if you are single, $396 combined for a couple. Above that a single pension reduces by 50 cents for each dollar; each member of a couple loses 25 cents for each combined dollar. The free areas and tapers are not changed by the 20 September 2026 indexation. If the income is from working, the Work Bonus disregards the first $300 a fortnight before the test.
What is the Age Pension income test cut-off?
To 19 September 2026: $2,628 a fortnight single and $4,017 combined for a couple living together ($5,200 if living apart due to ill health). From 20 September 2026, with the higher maximum rates: $2,701 single and $4,128 combined ($5,347 apart due to ill health). Above the cut-off the pension is $0 for the fortnight. It is higher if you get Rent Assistance or have Work Bonus balance, and lower if you live outside Australia.
How much will the Age Pension go up on 20 September 2026?
A single pensioner goes from $1,201 to $1,238 a fortnight, up $36.80. Each member of a couple goes from $905 to $933, or $1,810 to $1,866 combined. The increase is in the basic rate ($1,100 to $1,135 single) and the Pension Supplement; the $14 Energy Supplement is flat and does not index.
How does the Work Bonus work?
Every fortnight $300 of Work Bonus credit is added to your balance, up to $11,800. When you work, the first $300 of employment income each fortnight is disregarded, and any balance you have built up offsets what is left, before the income test applies. Earning $1,000 a fortnight with a $5,000 balance leaves $0 assessable; with no balance, $700. The credit and the maximum balance are set in legislation and are not indexed in September.
What are the Age Pension rates from 20 September 2026?
From 20 September 2026 the maximum Age Pension is $1,237.70 a fortnight single ($1,135.40 basic rate plus $88.20 Pension Supplement and $14.10 Energy Supplement) and $933.00 each for a couple ($1,866.00 combined). To 19 September 2026 it was $1,200.90 single and $905.20 each ($1,810.40 combined). Rates are adjusted on 20 March and 20 September.
How much pension do I get on $1,000 a fortnight of other income?
Single, to 19 September 2026: $813.90 a fortnight — the $774 over the free area reduces the $1,201 maximum by $387.00. From 20 September 2026 the same income leaves $850.70. For a couple with $1,000 combined, each partner gets $754.20, or $782.00 from 20 September.
Does the calculator include the assets test and deeming?
This calculator runs the income test only. Services Australia runs both an income test and an assets test and pays the lower result, and it deems income from financial assets (1.75% on the first $66,800 for a single pensioner, 3.75% above, from 20 September 2026) rather than using actual returns. Enter your deemed and other income in the 'other income' field here, or use our Age Pension assets test calculator, which runs both tests and deems your savings for you.
Is the Age Pension taxable?
Yes. Age Pension is a taxable payment. Tax is not deducted automatically, but you can ask Services Australia to withhold it. The Seniors and Pensioners Tax Offset usually means little or no tax is payable on the pension alone.
$226 a fortnight if you are single, $396 combined for a couple. Above that a single pension reduces by 50 cents for each dollar; each member of a couple loses 25 cents for each combined dollar. The free areas and tapers are not changed by the 20 September 2026 indexation. If the income is from working, the Work Bonus disregards the first $300 a fortnight before the test.
To 19 September 2026: $2,628 a fortnight single and $4,017 combined for a couple living together ($5,200 if living apart due to ill health). From 20 September 2026, with the higher maximum rates: $2,701 single and $4,128 combined ($5,347 apart due to ill health). Above the cut-off the pension is $0 for the fortnight. It is higher if you get Rent Assistance or have Work Bonus balance, and lower if you live outside Australia.
A single pensioner goes from $1,201 to $1,238 a fortnight, up $36.80. Each member of a couple goes from $905 to $933, or $1,810 to $1,866 combined. The increase is in the basic rate ($1,100 to $1,135 single) and the Pension Supplement; the $14 Energy Supplement is flat and does not index.
Every fortnight $300 of Work Bonus credit is added to your balance, up to $11,800. When you work, the first $300 of employment income each fortnight is disregarded, and any balance you have built up offsets what is left, before the income test applies. Earning $1,000 a fortnight with a $5,000 balance leaves $0 assessable; with no balance, $700. The credit and the maximum balance are set in legislation and are not indexed in September.
From 20 September 2026 the maximum Age Pension is $1,237.70 a fortnight single ($1,135.40 basic rate plus $88.20 Pension Supplement and $14.10 Energy Supplement) and $933.00 each for a couple ($1,866.00 combined). To 19 September 2026 it was $1,200.90 single and $905.20 each ($1,810.40 combined). Rates are adjusted on 20 March and 20 September.
Single, to 19 September 2026: $813.90 a fortnight — the $774 over the free area reduces the $1,201 maximum by $387.00. From 20 September 2026 the same income leaves $850.70. For a couple with $1,000 combined, each partner gets $754.20, or $782.00 from 20 September.
This calculator runs the income test only. Services Australia runs both an income test and an assets test and pays the lower result, and it deems income from financial assets (1.75% on the first $66,800 for a single pensioner, 3.75% above, from 20 September 2026) rather than using actual returns. Enter your deemed and other income in the 'other income' field here, or use our Age Pension assets test calculator, which runs both tests and deems your savings for you.
Yes. Age Pension is a taxable payment. Tax is not deducted automatically, but you can ask Services Australia to withhold it. The Seniors and Pensioners Tax Offset usually means little or no tax is payable on the pension alone.
Sources & References
- 1Income test for Age Pension— Services Australia
- 2How much Age Pension you can get— Services Australia
- 3How a Work Bonus works— Services Australia
- 4Social Security Payment Parameters — 20 September 2026 indexation— Department of Social Services
Last verified: 23 September 2026. Our content is based on the latest information from official Australian government sources.
Anita Bell
AuthorFounder & Senior Bookkeeper
Accountancy degree (2015); certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One
Anita Bell earned her accountancy degree in 2015 and has worked as a senior bookkeeper with Prime Bookkeeping for over 5 years. This built her skills in Australian and New Zealand tax legislation and industry regulations. She is certified in Xero, QuickBooks Online, MYOB, Saasu, Zoho and Reckon One, and works with payroll and rostering software including Gusto, Deputy, Tsheets and KeyPay. She has strong experience in hospitality, building and construction, financial services, real estate, ecommerce, and medical and health services.
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