How Much Is the Disability Pension? DSP Rates for 2026

How much is the disability pension per fortnight?

These are the maximum rates if you're 21 or over, or under 21 with a child in your care. Most people get both supplements automatically.

• At the single maximum, that's $32,180.20 a year.
• DSP isn't taxed until you reach Age Pension age.
• The Age Pension pays exactly the same adult rates.

For your own estimate, use Services Australia's Payment and Service Finder, or see the official DSP payment rates.

DSP rates if you're under 21

If you're under 21 with no children, your rate depends on whether Centrelink assesses you as dependent (usually living at home with your parents) or independent. Your parents' income doesn't affect it.

These rates include the Youth Disability Supplement of $162.60 a fortnight. You may be assessed as independent if, for example, you're married or have been in a couple for at least a year, your parents can't look after you, you've supported yourself through work, or you're 18 to 20 and live away from home.

How often is DSP paid?

Every fortnight, into your bank account. Your first payment usually arrives about 2 weeks after your claim is approved, unless a waiting period applies, for example after a lump sum leave or redundancy payment, recent seasonal or contract work, or a compensation payout. Some people can choose weekly payments, and you can ask for an advance payment that you repay from later payments.

DSP increase September 2026: old and new rates

Adult DSP rates rose on 20 September 2026. The increase was automatic, so you didn't need to do anything.

The 20 March 2026 increase added $22.20 a fortnight for singles and $16.70 each for couples. Adult rates are next reviewed on 20 March 2027, and under-21 rates on 1 January 2027.

DSP income test: how much can you earn?

You can earn some income and keep DSP. Centrelink counts your and your partner's income from all sources, including deemed income from savings and investments. NDIS payments don't count.

• Example: a single person earning $426 a fortnight is $200 over $226, so their DSP drops by $100, to $1,137.70.
• Under-21 cut-off points are lower: $1,414.80 (16 or 17, dependent), $1,543.20 (18 to 20, dependent), $1,937.80 (independent) and $3,805.60 combined for a couple.
• Working Credit lets you earn more before your payment drops if you're under Age Pension age. From Age Pension age, the Work Bonus means the first $300 a fortnight of work income isn't counted.
• If you're permanently blind, you're usually not income tested unless you get Rent Assistance.

Income-free amounts from 1 July 2026. Cut-off points from 20 September 2026, and higher if you get Rent Assistance.

DSP assets test: how much can you own?

Your home isn't counted. Savings, cars, investment property, shares and other belongings are, and so is super once you reach Age Pension age or start drawing a payment from it. If you have a partner, the limits are for your combined assets.

• For every $1,000 over the full-rate limit, DSP drops by $3 a fortnight for singles, or $1.50 each for couples. Centrelink uses whichever of the income and assets tests gives the lower rate.
• Savings are also deemed to earn income: 1.75% a year on the first $66,800 for singles ($110,600 for a couple where at least one of you gets a pension), and 3.75% on the rest.
• Under-21 cut-off points are lower, starting at $531,250 for a homeowner aged 16 or 17 who is dependent.
• If you're permanently blind, you're usually not assets tested unless you get Rent Assistance.

Full-rate limits from 1 July 2026. Cut-off points from 20 September 2026.

How many hours can you work on DSP?

You can work up to 29 hours a week and keep DSP, as long as your income stays under the cut-off. Tell Centrelink within 14 days if you start work, and report your and your partner's income every 2 weeks, even if it's $0.

• Working 30 hours or more a week on an ongoing basis, or earning over the cut-off for more than 12 fortnights in a row, suspends DSP for up to 2 years instead of cancelling it. You keep your Pensioner Concession Card, and you can ask to restore DSP if your hours or income drop.
• The 30-hour rule doesn't apply if you work in an Australian Disability Enterprise, under the Supported Wage System, or with ongoing support from Inclusive Employment Australia.
• If you're under 35, can work at least 8 hours a week and don't have a child under 6, you usually need to attend interviews and agree to a participation plan.

Extra payments and concessions on DSP

Rent Assistance from 20 September 2026, Mobility Allowance from 1 January 2026, Essential Medical Equipment Payment from 1 July 2026.

If a family member or friend gives you daily care, they may be able to get Carer Payment or Carer Allowance. Because you get DSP, you don't have to pass the separate means test for the person being cared for.

Are there disability pension bonus payments in 2026?

No. There's no DSP bonus or one-off payment in 2026. Services Australia warns that websites promising a "new bonus", "cash boost" or "one off payment" are clickbait, and says the $750, $950, $1,800 and $4,100 payments they mention don't exist. If a website doesn't end in .gov.au, it isn't an official government site.

The $750 figure goes back to 2020, when two one-off $750 Economic Support Payments were paid to people on DSP and other payments. The Economic Support Payment ended in March 2021, and the Cost of Living Payment ended on 30 June 2023. What you actually get now is the regular increase each 20 March and 20 September, the supplements already in your rate, and any extras above that you qualify for.

DSP vs Age Pension: is it better to stay on DSP?

The maximum adult rates are the same. The Age Pension age is 67, and about 13 weeks before you reach it, Centrelink invites you to move to Age Pension. You must reply, or your DSP may stop when you reach Age Pension age.

Who is eligible for the disability pension?

You need to meet both the non-medical and the medical rules.

Non-medical rules

• You're at least 15 years and 9 months old when you claim (payment starts at 16), and under Age Pension age.
• You're an Australian resident living in Australia, usually for at least 10 years in total, with 5 years in a row. Refugees, and people who became unable to work or permanently blind while living here, are exempt.
• Your income and assets are under the cut-off points above.

Medical rules

Some conditions qualify automatically under the manifest medical rules: being permanently blind, needing nursing home level care, a terminal illness with average life expectancy under 2 years, an intellectual disability with an IQ under 70, category 4 HIV/AIDS, or a Department of Veterans' Affairs Disability Compensation Payment at the Special Rate. See our full list of conditions that automatically qualify for disability.

Everyone else must meet all of the general medical rules:

• Your condition is likely to last more than 2 years.
• It's diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised.
• It rates 20 points or more on the Impairment Tables.
• If your 20 points come from more than one table, you've taken part in a Program of Support, usually for 18 months in the 3 years before you claim.
• It will stop you working at least 15 hours a week in the next 2 years, even with training.

How to apply for DSP

1. 1

   Check you're likely to qualify

   Services Australia's DSP pre-claim guide walks you through the rules. It won't tell you if you'll get DSP, but it helps you decide whether to claim.

2. 2

   Set up myGov and link Centrelink

   You need a myGov account linked to Centrelink, and you may need to prove your identity first. You can start a claim from 13 weeks before you turn 16.

3. 3

   Gather your medical evidence

   Ask your treating doctors and other health professionals for current evidence about each condition: the diagnosis, past and planned treatment, how it affects you day to day, and how long it's likely to last. Missing evidence can get a claim rejected.

4. 4

   Make your claim

   Sign in to myGov, select Go to Centrelink, then Make a claim or view claim status, then Make a claim. Under Disabled, ill or injured, select Get started. If you can't claim online, you can claim with a form.

5. 5

   Go to any assessments

   Centrelink may ask you to attend a Job Capacity Assessment and a Disability Medical Assessment. Bring any new evidence you haven't already given.

6. 6

   Get the decision

   Centrelink tells you the outcome by letter. If you're approved, your first payment usually arrives about 2 weeks later. If you're rejected, ask for an explanation or a formal review within 13 weeks so you don't lose back pay.

While you wait, you may be able to get JobSeeker Payment, and you can claim it in the same online claim. For help, call the Disability and carers line on 132 717 (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 5 pm). Start with the DSP pre-claim guide, then follow Services Australia's how to claim steps and its medical evidence guide. If you disagree with a decision, here's how to ask for a formal review.

DSP and the NDIS

DSP is an income payment to live on. The NDIS is separate: it provides funding to eligible people with disability, rather than an income. You can get both. You can claim or keep using NDIS services while you claim or get DSP, and NDIS payments don't count as income for the DSP income test. One catch: Mobility Allowance isn't paid if you have a funded NDIS package.

Read more about the difference between the NDIS and the DSP, check whether you might qualify with our NDIS eligibility checker, or see how to apply for the NDIS.

Disability pension questions