Commonwealth Seniors Health Card 2026 — Income Limit and Eligibility Check
From 20 September 2026 you can get the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card if you are Age Pension age (67), don't get a pension or other income support payment, and your adjusted taxable income is less than $105,048 a year (single) or $168,076 (couple, combined). There is no assets test, and no work test — your wages count as income, and an account-based pension is deemed to earn income.
Do You Pass the CSHC Income Test?
How the income test applied
You also need to be Age Pension age, meet the residence rules, not get an income support payment, and give your tax file number. Grandfathered income streams (held before 1 January 2015 with a card granted before then) are not deemed — leave their balance out.
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CSHC Income Limits From 20 September 2026
| Your situation | Income must be less than | To 19 Sep 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Single | $105,048 | $101,105 |
| Couple, combined | $168,076 | $161,768 |
| Couple separated by illness, respite care or prison | $210,096 | — |
| Each child in your care | +$639.60 | +$639.60 |
Indexed each 20 September in line with the CPI. There is no assets test.
What Counts as Income for the CSHC
- Taxable income: wages and salary, casual and temporary work, bonuses and overtime, business income, interest, dividends, capital gains and taxable payments — gross income less allowable deductions.
- Plus: target foreign income, total net investment losses (such as a negatively geared property), reportable super contributions, and employer-provided fringe benefits over $1,000.
- Plus deemed income on account-based income streams — 1.75% on the first $66,800 (single) or $55,300 each (couple), 3.75% above. $300,000 in a single person's account-based pension is deemed to earn $9,914.00 a year. See deeming rates.
- Not counted: the value of your home, savings, shares or property — there is no assets test. Only the taxable income they produce counts.
Working and Keeping the Card
There is no limit on hours, and the card doesn't reduce as you earn — it is all-or-nothing at the income limit. A single card holder with no account-based pension can earn a taxable income just under $105,048 and keep it. Reportable super contributions are added to your taxable income for the test.
Work out your taxable income from a wage on the income tax calculator, or your net pay on the take-home pay calculator. If your income is low enough for a part pension instead, the Age Pension calculator and assets test calculator show whether you would get one — a pension comes with the Pensioner Concession Card.
CSHC vs Pensioner Concession Card
| Commonwealth Seniors Health Card | Pensioner Concession Card | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets it | Age Pension age, not on a pension or income support | Automatically with Age Pension, Carer Payment, Disability Support Pension, Parenting Payment Single; also some people 55+ or with partial capacity to work on other payments |
| Income test | Its own: under $105,048 single, $168,076 couple | None of its own — you qualify through the payment |
| Assets test | None | Through the payment's assets test |
| Main benefits | Cheaper PBS medicines; bulk billing at your doctor's discretion; Medicare Safety Net; state and local concessions vary | Cheaper medicines, bulk-billed doctor visits, help with hearing services, and some discounts |
| How to get it | Claim once you are Age Pension age | No claim — posted to you |
If your Age Pension or DSP is suspended because you are working, you keep the Pensioner Concession Card for up to 2 years. Parenting Payment Single recipients keep it for 12 weeks after the payment ends.
Related Calculators and Guides
- Centrelink income test guide — free areas, tapers and cut-offs for every payment
- Carer Payment calculator — the pension-rate payment with the 100-hour work rule
- Carer Allowance — the fortnightly supplement and its $250,000 income limit
- Centrelink advance payment calculator — how much you can borrow and what comes off each fortnight
- Crisis Payment — the one-off payment after an extreme circumstance
- Centrelink debt — overpayments, refunds and the income apportionment scheme
- Cost of living payment 2026 — what actually exists this year
- Paid Parental Leave calculator — 26 weeks from 1 July 2026, days, split and super
- JobSeeker payment calculator — what you keep when you work part-time
- Age Pension calculator — rates from 20 September 2026 and the income test, with the Work Bonus
- Age Pension assets test calculator — limits, the $3-per-$1,000 taper and which test applies
- Deeming rates and calculator — 1.75% and 3.75% from 20 September 2026
- Disability Support Pension calculator — rates, the income test and the 29-hour work rule
- Child Care Subsidy calculator — your CCS % on family income and the gap fee
- Parenting Payment calculator — single and partnered
- Fortnightly pay calculator — the gross fortnightly figure Centrelink asks for
How this calculator works▼
- Assessed income = adjusted taxable income (as you enter it) + deemed income on account-based income streams. Eligible when it is less than the limit for your situation plus $639.60 per child.
- Deeming uses the non-pensioner settings — $66,800 single, $55,300 per person for a couple — at 1.75% / 3.75% from 20 September 2026.
- Limits read at Services Australia and in the DSS rates list for the 20 September 2026 indexation, on 24 September 2026. Pay Calculator Australia is not Services Australia.
Frequently Asked Questions
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card questions and answers
What is the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card income limit?
From 20 September 2026 your adjusted taxable income must be less than $105,048 a year if you are single, $168,076 combined for a couple, or $210,096 for a couple separated by illness, respite care or prison. Add $639.60 for each child in your care. The limits were $101,105 and $161,768 until 19 September 2026.
Is there an assets test for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card?
No. Only income is tested. Your savings, shares and property do not count as assets — but an account-based income stream (such as an account-based pension) is deemed to earn income, and that deemed amount is added to your adjusted taxable income.
Can I get the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card if I still work?
Yes. There is no work test — you need to be Age Pension age, not getting an income support payment, and under the income limit. Your wages count in full as taxable income, so a single person with taxable income under $105,048 and no other assessed income is under the limit. Employer fringe benefits count only above $1,000.
How is the account-based pension deemed for the CSHC?
At the deeming rates: 1.75% on the first $66,800 for a single person ($55,300 for each member of a couple), and 3.75% above that. Deeming applies if you bought or changed the income stream on or after 1 January 2015, if your card was granted after 31 December 2014, or if it belongs to your partner and they are 60 or older. Older grandfathered streams are not deemed.
What is the difference between the CSHC and the Pensioner Concession Card?
The Pensioner Concession Card comes automatically with a pension (Age Pension, Carer Payment, Disability Support Pension, Parenting Payment Single) and some long-term payments; it has no income test of its own. The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is for people of Age Pension age who do not get a pension — usually because their income or assets are too high — and it has its own income test. Both give cheaper PBS medicines; the PCC also helps with hearing services.
When are the CSHC income limits indexed?
Each year on 20 September, in line with the Consumer Price Index. The 20 September 2026 increase was $3,943 for singles and $6,308 for couples.
From 20 September 2026 your adjusted taxable income must be less than $105,048 a year if you are single, $168,076 combined for a couple, or $210,096 for a couple separated by illness, respite care or prison. Add $639.60 for each child in your care. The limits were $101,105 and $161,768 until 19 September 2026.
No. Only income is tested. Your savings, shares and property do not count as assets — but an account-based income stream (such as an account-based pension) is deemed to earn income, and that deemed amount is added to your adjusted taxable income.
Yes. There is no work test — you need to be Age Pension age, not getting an income support payment, and under the income limit. Your wages count in full as taxable income, so a single person with taxable income under $105,048 and no other assessed income is under the limit. Employer fringe benefits count only above $1,000.
At the deeming rates: 1.75% on the first $66,800 for a single person ($55,300 for each member of a couple), and 3.75% above that. Deeming applies if you bought or changed the income stream on or after 1 January 2015, if your card was granted after 31 December 2014, or if it belongs to your partner and they are 60 or older. Older grandfathered streams are not deemed.
The Pensioner Concession Card comes automatically with a pension (Age Pension, Carer Payment, Disability Support Pension, Parenting Payment Single) and some long-term payments; it has no income test of its own. The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is for people of Age Pension age who do not get a pension — usually because their income or assets are too high — and it has its own income test. Both give cheaper PBS medicines; the PCC also helps with hearing services.
Each year on 20 September, in line with the Consumer Price Index. The 20 September 2026 increase was $3,943 for singles and $6,308 for couples.
Sources & References
- 1Income test for Commonwealth Seniors Health Card— Services Australia
- 2Who can get the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card— Services Australia
- 3Commonwealth Seniors Health Card benefits— Services Australia
- 4What adjusted taxable income is— Services Australia
- 5Deeming— Services Australia
- 6Who can get a Pensioner Concession Card— Services Australia
- 7Social Security Payment Parameters — 20 September 2026 indexation— Department of Social Services
Last verified: 24 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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