Editorial · about Australia
Carer payments and support: what financial help is available
By Our Mate editorial team ·
Carer Payment, Carer Allowance, supplements and more. A plain guide to the financial help Australian carers can claim, who qualifies, and how to apply.
Caring costs money, and it often costs you income too, because the hours you spend caring are hours you can't work. Australia has a handful of payments to help, but the system is genuinely confusing, and a lot of carers miss out simply because they never realised they qualified.
This guide lays out the main financial supports for carers in plain language: what each one is, who can get it, and how to apply. We'll point you to the official Services Australia pages for the dollar figures, because those amounts change, and you deserve the current number, not a guess.
The two big ones: Carer Payment and Carer Allowance
These are the headline payments, and they're easy to mix up. Here's the short version:
- Carer Payment is an income-support payment. It's for people who can't work much (or at all) because they provide constant care. It's like a wage replacement.
- Carer Allowance is a smaller supplementary payment on top, to help with the extra costs of caring. You can often get both.
Let's take them one at a time.
Carer Payment
Carer Payment is for you if you give constant care to someone with a disability, a serious illness, or who is frail aged. "Constant care" means caring for a large part of each day.
The person you care for must have a condition likely to last at least 6 months (or a terminal illness). According to Services Australia, Carer Payment is the right payment when you can't support yourself through paid work because of your caring role.
A few things to know:
- It's paid fortnightly and is treated as taxable income.
- It's income and assets tested, and so is the person you care for. There's a limit on the income and assets they can have (unless they already get an income-support payment). Check the current thresholds on the Carer Payment income and assets test page, because the figures move.
- You generally can't work, study or volunteer more than 25 hours a week combined and still get it, per Services Australia (there is also a separate 100-hour-per-4-week limit on paid work specifically); check the current participation rules on that page.
Carer Allowance
Carer Allowance is a smaller fortnightly supplement for people who give daily care to someone with a disability or medical condition.
For an adult you care for, the condition generally needs to require ongoing daily care for at least 12 months (or be terminal). The key points, per Services Australia:
- There's no assets test for Carer Allowance.
- There is an income test: your and your partner's combined adjusted taxable income must be under $250,000 a year (current as at June 2026), per Services Australia. Confirm the current figure on that page.
- It's not taxable.
- You can usually get it on top of Carer Payment, the Age Pension, or other income support.
Carer Payment vs Carer Allowance at a glance
| Carer Payment | Carer Allowance | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Income support (wage replacement) | Supplement for caring costs |
| Care required | Constant care | Daily care |
| Income test | Yes (you and the person) | Yes (you and partner only) |
| Assets test | Yes | No |
| Taxable? | Yes | No |
| Can I get both? | Often, yes | Often, yes |
Don't assume you only qualify for one. Many carers are entitled to both.
Other payments and supplements worth knowing
The two big ones aren't the whole picture. Depending on your situation, you may also be able to claim:
- Carer Supplement: an annual lump sum paid to people who receive a qualifying carer payment. Paid automatically, usually around July, if you're eligible.
- Child Disability Assistance Payment: an annual payment for carers getting Carer Allowance for a child under 16.
- Carer Adjustment Payment: a one-off payment for families in tough circumstances following a catastrophic event involving a young child, where no other income support applies.
Check current amounts and rules for all of these directly on servicesaustralia.gov.au, as they change and have specific conditions.
What about respite and practical support?
Financial payments are only half the help. As a carer you can also access:
- Carer Gateway (1800 422 737): free counselling, coaching, peer support, and help arranging respite. Funded by the government, available to all carers.
- Respite care subsidised through My Aged Care (if you care for an older person) or the NDIS (if you care for someone with disability), so you can take a break. See our respite care section.
Money matters, but so does time off. Use both.
How to apply
The application sits with Services Australia (Centrelink). Here's the path:
- Set up a myGov account and link Centrelink, if you haven't already.
- Gather your documents: proof of identity, income and asset details for you (and the person you care for, for Carer Payment), and medical information about their condition.
- Get the medical report completed. Carer claims usually need a treating health professional to complete a medical form about the person you care for. Start this early; it's often the slowest step.
- Lodge the claim online through myGov, or call Services Australia's carer line for help. There's a dedicated carer phone line; find the current number on the Services Australia Carer Payment page.
- Keep them updated. If your income, the care arrangement, or the person's condition changes, tell Services Australia, or you risk a debt later.
Claims can take time to process, and payment is often backdated to your claim date, so lodge as soon as you can, even if you're still chasing a document.
Is it worth getting financial advice?
For the carer payments themselves, Services Australia is your source and the process is free. But if your caring role overlaps with bigger financial decisions, aged care fees, the family home, superannuation, an inheritance, or running down assets, independent financial advice can pay for itself many times over.
A specialist aged care or Centrelink financial adviser can model how a decision affects both your pension and the person you care for. Browse our financial advice section to find qualified advisers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get Carer Payment and the Age Pension at the same time?
No, not both as income support at once, since both are income-support payments. But you may be able to get Carer Allowance (the supplement) on top of the Age Pension. Check with Services Australia.
I work part-time. Can I still get a carer payment?
Possibly. Carer Payment has limits on how many hours you can work, study or volunteer. Carer Allowance is more flexible. The income test applies to both. Check the current rules on Services Australia.
Does the payment affect the person I care for?
Carer Allowance has no income test on the person you care for. Carer Payment does test their income and assets. Neither payment is money you take from them; it comes from the government.
How long does a claim take?
It varies, and the medical report is usually the bottleneck. Payment is often backdated to the date you claimed, so lodge early even if documents are still coming.
What if my circumstances change?
Tell Services Australia promptly. Caring arrangements, income, and the person's condition all affect eligibility, and not reporting changes can create a debt.
Don't leave money on the table
The single biggest mistake carers make with these payments is assuming they won't qualify and never applying. Eligibility is broader than people think, and the worst outcome of applying is a "no". Start a claim, get the medical form moving, and lean on the free Carer Gateway service if you need a hand.
For the wider picture, see our guides on supporting an ageing parent, and explore aged care, home care, and NDIS supports in the directory.