Your Age Pension rate depends on your income, your assets and whether you are single or part of a couple. This guide sets out the rates and limits that apply from 20 September 2026.
How much is the Age Pension from 20 September 2026?
There is no single Age Pension rate. If you qualify, you may receive the full Age Pension or a part pension, depending on your income and assets.
If you qualify for the full pension, these are the maximum rates from 20 September 2026:
| Per fortnight | Single | Couple (each) | Couple (combined) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum basic rate | $1,135.40 | $855.90 | $1,711.80 |
| Maximum Pension Supplement | $88.20 | $66.50 | $133.00 |
| Energy Supplement | $14.10 | $10.60 | $21.20 |
| Total per fortnight | $1,237.70 | $933.00 | $1,866.00 |
| Total per year | $32,180 | $24,258 | $48,516 |
Source: Department of Social Services, rates from 20 September 2026. Annual totals are fortnightly rates multiplied by 26.
That is an increase of $36.80 a fortnight for a single person and $55.60 a fortnight for a couple combined. The next adjustment is due on 20 March 2027.
How do I qualify for the Age Pension?
Eligibility for the Age Pension depends on four main requirements: your age, Australian residency, income and assets.
Age
You must be 67 or older to get the Age Pension. Age Pension age rose to 67 on 1 July 2023, up from 66 years and six months.
Residency requirements
You must be an Australian resident to qualify for the Age Pension. To meet the residency requirement, you generally need to have been an Australian resident for at least 10 years in total, with at least five of those years in one continuous period.
The 10-year requirement does not apply if you:
- are a refugee, or a family member of a refugee
- are the widow of an Australian resident and have been an Australian resident yourself for the past two years
- were receiving an Australian Widow’s Pension immediately before you reached Age Pension age.
If you have lived or worked in a country that has a social security agreement with Australia, that agreement may help you meet the residency requirement.
Income test
You can receive a certain amount of income before your Age Pension starts to reduce. This is known as the income free area.
A single person can have income of up to $226 a fortnight before their pension is reduced. A couple can have combined income of up to $396 a fortnight. Above these amounts, the pension reduces by 50 cents for every dollar of additional income. For a couple, that is 25 cents each.
Your pension stops entirely once your income reaches the cut-off point. From 20 September 2026, that is $2,701.40 a fortnight for a single person and $4,128.00 a fortnight combined for a couple.
Income cut-off points per fortnight from 20 September 2026:
| Your situation | Your pension stops if your income is more than this per fortnight |
|---|---|
| Single person | $2,701.40 |
| Couple living together | $4,128.00 combined |
| Couple living apart due to illness | $5,346.80 combined |
| Transitional rate pensioner, single | $2,718.50 |
| Transitional rate pensioners, couple living together | $4,418.00 combined |
| Transitional rate pensioners, couple living apart due to illness | $5,381.00 combined |
Source: Department of Social Services, 20 September 2026. Income free areas apply from 1 July 2026.
The income test counts most types of income, including employment income, rent from investment properties, income from your superannuation fund and deemed income from financial investments.
Deeming means Services Australia assumes your financial investments earn a set rate of income, regardless of what they actually earn. Learn more about how deeming works.
If you work, the Work Bonus lets you earn more before your pension is affected. The first $300 a fortnight of employment income is not counted, and any unused amount builds up in a Work Bonus balance of up to $11,800, which can offset employment income later.
Learn more about how the Age Pension income test works, including what counts as income and how your pension is affected.
Assets test
Services Australia also assesses the value of the assets you own. Your family home is not counted, regardless of how much it is worth. Because the home is exempt, homeowners have lower assets limits than non-homeowners.
If your assets are above the limit for a full pension, your pension falls by $3 a fortnight for every $1,000 over the limit. It stops entirely once your assets reach the cut-off for a part pension.
Assets limits for the full pension (from 1 July 2026)
| Your situation | Homeowner | Non-homeowner |
|---|---|---|
| Single person | $333,000 | $600,000 |
| Couple, combined | $499,000 | $766,000 |
Assets limits for a part pension (from 20 September 2026)
| Your situation | Homeowner | Non-homeowner |
|---|---|---|
| Single person | $745,750 | $1,012,750 |
| Couple, combined | $1,121,000 | $1,388,000 |
| Couple separated due to illness, combined | $1,324,500 | $1,591,500 |
Source: Department of Social Services. Full pension limits apply from 1 July 2026 and part pension limits from 20 September 2026.
Learn more about how the Age Pension assets test works, including which assets are counted and which are exempt.
Receiving a part pension
If your income or assets are above the full pension limits but below the relevant cut-off points, you may receive a part pension.
Services Australia works out your pension under both the income test and the assets test. The test that results in the lower pension determines how much you are paid. The reductions under the two tests are not added together.
For example, if the assets test would reduce your pension by $30 a fortnight and the income test would reduce it by $50 a fortnight, your pension is reduced by $50.
What happens if my spouse is not eligible for the Age Pension, but I am?
If you qualify for the Age Pension but your partner does not, you do not receive the single pension rate. You are paid at the rate for one member of a couple, which is half the combined couple rate. From 20 September 2026, that is up to $933.00 a fortnight, including supplements.
Your partner’s income and assets are still taken into account, and the couple income and assets limits apply. This situation often arises when one partner has reached Age Pension age and the other is younger.
Will my Age Pension rate go up?
Age Pension rates are reviewed twice a year, on 20 March and 20 September. Rates are indexed using measures of changes in prices and living costs and are also benchmarked against wages.
The combined couple rate must be at least 41.76% of male total average weekly earnings. However, pension rates do not necessarily increase at every review. In September 2020, for example, the cost of living fell and the pension was not increased.
The income and assets limits for a full pension are indexed separately on 1 July each year.
How often is the Age Pension paid?
Most people receive the Age Pension fortnightly. If you are having trouble managing your money or are at risk of becoming homeless, you can apply to be paid weekly.
Can I get my pension payment early?
Yes. Once you have been getting the Age Pension for at least three months, you can apply for an advance payment. This is not extra money. You receive part of your future pension early as a lump sum, then repay it over the next 13 fortnights through lower pension payments.
In any six-month period, you can get one advance at the highest amount, up to two smaller advances, or three advances at the lowest amount. The table below shows the amounts if you get the full Age Pension. If you get a part pension, the amounts are based on your pension rate.
| Your situation | Lowest amount | Highest amount |
|---|---|---|
| Single | $588.05 | $1,764.15 |
| Member of a couple | $443.30 | $1,329.90 |
Source: Services Australia. Amounts from 20 September 2026.
Age Pension supplements
If you get the Age Pension, you are automatically paid the Pension Supplement. You receive the maximum amount if you get the full pension. If you get a part pension, your Pension Supplement is reduced until it reaches the minimum amount.
| Your situation | Minimum supplement per fortnight | Maximum supplement per fortnight |
|---|---|---|
| Single | $47.50 | $88.20 |
| Member of a couple | $35.80 each or $71.60 combined | $66.50 each or $133.00 combined |
| Member of a couple, separated due to illness, respite care or prison | $47.50 each or $95.00 combined | $88.20 each or $176.40 combined |
Source: Department of Social Services, 20 September 2026.
You also receive the Energy Supplement with your pension. It is $14.10 a fortnight for a single person and $10.60 each, or $21.20 combined, for a couple.
Different rules apply if you hold a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) instead of receiving the Age Pension. Card holders only get the Energy Supplement if they were entitled to it on 19 September 2016 and have held the card continuously since.
Can I get Rent Assistance?
If you get the Age Pension and pay private rent, you may also be entitled to Rent Assistance. You need to pay more than a minimum amount of rent to qualify. For every dollar of rent above that minimum, you receive 75 cents, up to the maximum payment.
| Your situation | You qualify if your fortnightly rent is more than | You get the maximum payment if your fortnightly rent is at least | Maximum fortnightly payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $157.80 | $456.20 | $223.80 |
| Single, sharing accommodation | $157.80 | $356.74 | $149.20 |
| Couple, combined | $255.80 | $537.14 | $211.00 |
Source: Department of Social Services, 20 September 2026.
Transitional Age Pension rates
When the income test changed in 2009, some pensioners would have received less under the new rules. They continue to be paid a transitional rate under the old rules until they would be better off under the current system.
From 20 September 2026, the maximum transitional rate is $982.90 a fortnight for a single person and $793.80 a fortnight each for a couple. With the Energy Supplement added, that is $997.00 for a single person and $804.40 each for a couple.
Transitional rate pensioners do not receive the Pension Supplement.
Summary
To qualify for the Age Pension, you first need to meet the age and residency requirements. Your income and assets then determine whether you can receive the full pension, a part pension or no pension.
If you qualify, your payment may also include the Pension Supplement and Energy Supplement, and you may be eligible for Rent Assistance if you pay rent.
The information in this guide is general in nature.