DSP Calculator Australia 2026

The maximum rates used in this calculator (often shown as the headline “total” including common pension supplements) are:

• Single, 21 or over: up to $1,149.00 per fortnight
• Partnered (each): up to $866.80 per fortnight (combined maximum is higher)

Many people receive a part rate if income or assets are above the free areas. You may also get add-ons (for example Rent Assistance) if you qualify separately. DSP is paid fortnightly. Rates and thresholds are indexed over time—check Services Australia after each March and September update.

Centrelink counts assessable income (not every dollar you receive is counted the same way). You can have income up to an income free area before DSP starts to reduce.

Figures used in this calculator:

• Single: $212 per fortnight free area
• Couple (combined): $372 per fortnight free area
• Above that, this tool applies a 50 cent reduction per $1 of assessable income over the threshold as a planning estimate

Partner income is included in the couple income test. Different income types (wages, deemed financial income, some super drawdowns, etc.) are assessed under Services Australia rules—not everything behaves like wages.

The Work Bonus reduces how much of your eligible employment income counts in the income test each fortnight. This calculator automatically applies $300 per fortnight to the employment income you enter before the income test.

• It helps people try part-time or casual work without losing the full pension immediately.
• Under Services Australia rules, unused Work Bonus can bank up to a cap over time—confirm your balance and reporting in your Centrelink account or with a Services Australia officer.
• It does not apply to all income types (for example, not all passive income is “employment income”).

Services Australia adds up assessable assets and compares them to limits that depend on whether you are single or partnered and a homeowner (whether the home you live in is exempt) or non-homeowner.

Full-rate asset limits used in this calculator:

• Single homeowner: $314,000
• Single non-homeowner: $566,500
• Couple homeowner (combined): $470,000
• Couple non-homeowner (combined): $722,500

Above those thresholds, pension usually reduces by about $3 per fortnight per $1,000 over the limit for a single person, and about $1.50 per fortnight per $1,000 for each member of a couple. Your principal home is generally exempt while you live in it; other property, savings, shares, and super after preservation age often count.

If you are assessed as a member of a couple, Centrelink generally applies the combined couple income test and combined couple assets test. That means:

• Your partner’s wages can reduce your DSP.
• Joint and individual financial assets can count toward the assets test.
• How you are classified (single vs partnered) depends on Services Australia relationship rules, not only whether you are married.

If you separate or living arrangements change, you must update Centrelink—payment rates can change significantly.

Eligibility for DSP depends on whether you meet the work-capacity rules (broadly, unable to work 15+ hours per week at minimum wage because of your condition). Some people who work limited hours can still qualify if they meet those rules.

If you already receive DSP, paid work is counted under the income test (with the Work Bonus applied to eligible employment income in this calculator). High earnings can reduce your payment to zero. You must report income as required and comply with ongoing eligibility rules.

Yes. They are different schemes:

• DSP (Services Australia): income support to help with living costs if you cannot earn enough because of disability.
• NDIS (NDIA): funding for reasonable and necessary disability supports and services, not a wage replacement.

Getting one does not automatically mean you get the other. Each has its own application, evidence, and rules. NDIS funding is generally not counted as ordinary income for DSP the same way wages are, but always follow current Services Australia guidance for your situation.

DSP does not automatically “cut out” at 65. As you approach Age Pension age (legislated at 67 for many people born from 1957 onward), Services Australia usually contacts you about moving to the Age Pension.

Your payment rate may be similar, but the rules (tests, reporting, travel, reviews) can differ. Use the letters and messages in your myGov/Centrelink account as the source of truth for dates and actions.

Income can include, depending on rules: employment, self-employment, some allowances, deemed income from financial investments, and some superannuation income after preservation age.

Assets commonly include bank accounts, shares, managed investments, investment property, and vehicles above allowable thresholds. Super may count after you reach preservation age or retire, subject to exemptions.

The home you live in is usually exempt; other real estate often counts. Services Australia publishes detailed tables—use those when preparing a claim.

DSP and related pension payments are typically indexed on a fixed schedule (commonly reviewed in March and September each year) using government indexation formulas.

After each update, check the official Services Australia payment rates page and update any personal budget or estimate tools you use.

No. This tool is provided by MD Home Care for general education and planning. It is not financial or legal advice.

Only Services Australia can determine your eligibility, rate, and ongoing entitlements using the full facts of your claim and current law and policy.