Household worked through · rates of 20 September 2026
A couple with two children, one partner on JobSeeker
Mark lost his job and receives JobSeeker; Jess earns $38,000 part time. Their children are 5 and 9, and they rent for $620 a fortnight.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
A couple with children aged 5 and 9, renting at $620 a fortnight, where one partner receives JobSeeker and the other earns $38,000 a year, receives about $1,596 a fortnight from Centrelink at the rates of September 2026, plus $2,420 of supplements after the tax returns. The deciding rule is not in JobSeeker itself: because one parent receives an income support payment, both parts of Family Tax Benefit are paid at their maximum rates without the family income test, and Rent Assistance comes inside Part A at the family rate. Mark's JobSeeker, about $750 a fortnight, is reduced by the partner income test, since Jess earns about $1,462 a fortnight, above the partner free area of about $1,440. Without the JobSeeker, the same household would receive about $846 a fortnight, because Family Tax Benefit would return to the income test.
More details: ages, assets, child care fees
What this household gets, per fortnight
$1,596
$43,975 a year, including $2,420 of FTB supplements paid after tax time
- JobSeeker Payment (you)$750
Reduced by the income test
- Family Tax Benefit Part A$706
No income test (income support), Rent Assistance of $235 a fortnight included
- Family Tax Benefit Part B$140
No income test (income support)
An income support payment is paid, so Family Tax Benefit is worked out without the family income test. How this is worked out.
The JobSeeker that changes everything else
Read the lines of the calculator from the bottom. Family Tax Benefit Part A is at the maximum for both children, $471 a fortnight before Rent Assistance, and Part B is at the full rate for a youngest child aged 5 or over. That is because Mark receives JobSeeker, an income support payment: while it is paid, the family income test of Family Tax Benefit does not apply (Family Assistance Guide 3.1.4.40). The difference between the household with and without JobSeeker, about $750 a fortnight, is larger than Mark's JobSeeker on its own.
The partner income test on Mark's payment
Mark's own income is nil, but Jess's wages count through the partner test: each dollar she earns above about $1,440 a fortnight takes 60 cents off his payment (Social Security Guide 4.2.2). Her $1,462 a fortnight is $22 above that, which costs him about $13. A couple without children would face the same deduction; what is specific to this family is what the remaining JobSeeker unlocks.
If Mark finds casual work
With $15,000 a year of casual earnings, Mark's JobSeeker falls further under his own income test, to the point that the household total is about $1,350 a fortnight of payments, plus the wages. The real cliff comes later: the fortnight his JobSeeker reaches nil, Family Tax Benefit returns to the family income test. On their combined income the family would still receive substantial Family Tax Benefit, so the drop is real but not catastrophic. Reporting income every fortnight keeps the transition smooth.