JobSeeker Payment Calculator Australia
Screen one fortnight using Services Australia’s maximum JobSeeker rates from 20 March 2026 and the personal-income taper published on 10 July 2026. Working credits and, for a partnered scenario, one editable partner-income threshold are applied before an optional tax withholding amount. Eligibility, assets, waiting periods, supplements and official rounding remain outside this estimate.
Set one reporting fortnight
The selected maximum is only a starting rate
Services Australia pays JobSeeker every two weeks and states that the amount depends on age, partner status, children and income paid in the previous 14 days. From 20 March 2026, the published maximum is $808.70 for a single person with no children, $866.00 for several listed single situations and $740.30 for a partnered person.
A single principal carer granted a listed exemption from mutual obligations can have a higher maximum of $1,047.30. The exemption is not created by selecting it here. Foster caring, non-parent relative care under a court order, home schooling, distance education or a large-family situation must be assessed under the official conditions.
Your fortnightly income can reduce payment
For a single person who is not a principal carer, Services Australia currently applies no reduction up to $150 per fortnight, reduces payment by 50 cents for each dollar between $150 and $256, then by 60 cents for each dollar above $256. The page applies the same own-income taper to its ordinary partnered scenario before testing partner income separately.
For a single principal carer of a dependent child younger than 16, the published rule is no reduction up to $150 and 40 cents reduction for each dollar above $150. Both principal-carer selections use that taper. Correct carer status, child dependency and age are eligibility facts, not user preferences.
Principal-carer reduction: 40% of assessable income above $150.
Partner reduction in this narrow scenario: 60% of partner income above the entered threshold.
Estimated payment: selected maximum less both reductions, floored at zero.
Working credits are applied before the taper in this screen
Working credits can build when income is low and can be used when income rises, helping a recipient keep more payment for a period. Services Australia states that credits can build when income is less than $48 per fortnight. The actual balance and use are held in the person’s Centrelink record.
The calculator subtracts the smaller of entered credits or gross own income, then applies the taper to the remainder. This is a transparent planning simplification. It does not calculate credit accrual, Student Income Bank interactions, business-income averaging or how credits are allocated by the official system.
Partner income is a separate test
For a partnered claimant whose partner does not receive a pension, the current page states that the claimant’s income and partner’s income are assessed separately. For a partner between age 22 and Age Pension age, payment is reduced by 60 cents per dollar of partner income over $1,415 per fortnight.
Different thresholds apply when the partner is under 22, and a different combined-income method applies if the partner receives a pension. This calculator offers only the adult non-pension threshold as an editable field. Do not use it for a pension-partner case or assume changing the field reproduces all younger-partner rules.
Published cut-offs are a guide, not an extra formula
Services Australia publishes maximum income points before payment reduces to zero for common single situations. On 10 July 2026 these included $1,530.17 for single with no children, $1,638.50 for the older continuous-payment and partial-capacity situations, $2,356.25 for a principal carer and $2,815.75 for a principal carer with no mutual obligations.
The cut-off can be affected by supplements, Rent Assistance, Pharmaceutical Allowance, working credits and personal circumstances. This page displays the relevant single guide but does not force the calculation to match it. Its result uses the selected maximum and simplified taper only, making any gap visible rather than hiding extra payment components.
Income means the amount Services Australia assesses
Employment income reporting uses amounts paid in the reporting period under Services Australia rules. Business, investment, leave, termination, foreign and other income can be treated differently. Gross earnings are not necessarily the cash left after tax or work expenses.
Report accurately and on time even when the calculator shows zero or no change. If income is not reported, an overpayment and debt can arise. Keep payslips, reporting receipts and records of corrections. Contact Services Australia when an employer changes a pay date or an amount is unusual.
The assets test and eligibility can make the result zero
A person must satisfy qualification, residence, age, unemployment or capacity, income and assets rules. Liquid-assets waiting periods, seasonal-work preclusion, compensation preclusion, ordinary waiting periods, newly arrived resident periods and other rules can delay or prevent payment. Mutual obligations and reporting requirements also apply.
No asset values or waiting periods are collected here. A positive number therefore means only that the entered income taper left part of the selected maximum. It is not evidence that a claim will be granted or paid on the assumed date.
JobSeeker is taxable
Services Australia identifies JobSeeker as a taxable payment and allows recipients to ask for tax to be deducted. The optional withholding field reduces the displayed cash amount but not the gross entitlement estimate. It is capped at the calculated payment so cash does not become negative.
Final income tax depends on all taxable income, deductions, offsets, levies and tax already withheld. Annualising one fortnight by multiplying by 26 assumes an unchanged payment for a year, which is unlikely when rates, income or circumstances change. Use it only as a scale comparison.
Rent Assistance and supplements are not included
People may qualify for supplementary payments based on rent, household and other conditions. Those amounts can also alter effective cut-off points. The maximum presets in this page should not be combined with a remembered supplement without checking whether the official published maximum already includes a component.
Use Payment Finder and the online claim or Centrelink record for a complete estimate. When comparing a notice with this page, reconcile the base rate, supplements, income-test reductions, debt deductions, withholding and payment-period dates one line at a time.
Changes in circumstances need prompt reporting
Starting or ending work, changing address, entering or leaving a relationship, changing care of a child, travelling overseas, receiving compensation or acquiring assets can affect qualification or rate. A calculator result does not extend the time allowed to notify Services Australia. Use the reporting channel shown in the person’s account and retain confirmation.
If a payment differs from expectation, compare the assessment period and income allocation before assuming the taper is wrong. Employer pay dates can move income between fortnights, while debt recovery, penalties, tax withholding and supplements can change the deposit without changing the underlying maximum. Ask Services Australia for the calculation and review rights where necessary.
Fortnight review checklist
| Check | Evidence | Why the page cannot decide it |
|---|---|---|
| Rate situation | Age, children, partner and assessed capacity or exemption | Official status and evidence are required |
| Own income | Payslips and reporting-period payment dates | Different income types have different rules |
| Working credits | Current Centrelink balance | Accrual and use are system-managed |
| Partner income | Partner age, payment status and earnings | Threshold and method change by situation |
| Assets | Financial, property and other asset records | No assets test is modelled |
| Supplements | Rent and personal qualification data | Separate eligibility and rates apply |
| Tax withholding | Chosen deduction and tax projection | Final annual tax uses all income |
Frequently asked questions
Are these the rates from July 2026?
The maximum presets took effect 20 March 2026 and remained the current published rates on 14 July 2026. Rates are usually updated again on 20 September.
Does earning over $150 stop JobSeeker?
No. It starts the relevant income reduction. Payment reaches zero only after reductions consume the applicable rate, subject to other rules.
What do working credits do here?
The entered credits reduce assessable own earnings before the taper, up to that fortnight’s entered earnings. Confirm the actual balance with Centrelink.
Does the calculator apply an assets test?
No. Assets and waiting periods can make a positive rate screen ineligible or delay payment.
Why is partner income separate?
In the selected partnered case, Services Australia assesses claimant and non-pension partner income separately under different thresholds.
Is JobSeeker tax-free?
No. It is a taxable payment. Optional withholding changes current cash, while the tax return determines final tax.