Rent Assistance · calculator
Rent Assistance calculator
Commonwealth Rent Assistance for private renters, worked out on your rent with the thresholds and maximums of September 2026.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Commonwealth Rent Assistance pays 75 cents for each dollar of rent above a threshold, up to a maximum, and since 20 September 2026 a single person without children receives it once rent passes $157.80 a fortnight, reaching the maximum of $223.80 at a rent of $456.20. It is not a payment you claim on its own: it is added to a pension, an allowance or Family Tax Benefit Part A. Families with children receive it inside Part A, with a threshold of $5,405.65 a year for a single parent and a maximum of $6,858.35 a year with one or two children, or $263.06 a fortnight. Sharers, couples and families with three or more children have their own rates. Public housing rent, and rent paid by a homeowner, do not count. The calculator below applies the right table to your situation.
Rent Assistance per fortnight
$219.15
Paid with your pension or allowance
75 cents for each dollar of rent above the threshold, up to the maximum. With FTB, the amount can be reduced by the family income test. How this is worked out.
Two routes to the same payment
Rent Assistance follows the main payment. Without children, it comes with JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, Austudy, Parenting Payment, the Age Pension, Carer Payment and other income support, and it is worked out per fortnight on the rates of the Social Security Guide 5.1.7.10. With at least one child for whom Family Tax Benefit Part A is paid above the base rate, it comes inside Part A instead, worked out on annual figures from the Family Assistance Guide 3.1.4.30. Toggle the children question in the calculator to switch from one to the other.
| Situation | Rent threshold | Maximum | Rent to reach the maximum |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, no children | $157.80 | $223.80 | $456.20 |
| Single sharer | $157.80 | $149.20 | $356.74 |
| Couple, no children (combined) | $255.80 | $211 | $537.14 |
| Single parent, 1 or 2 children | $207.34 | $263.06 | $558 |
| Couple, 3 or more children | $306.60 | $297.36 | $703 |
Reading the result
The figure in the result card is per fortnight, the way Centrelink pays it. With children, the table underneath also shows the annual threshold and maximum converted to fortnights, and the rent at which the maximum is reached: paying more than that rent brings no extra Rent Assistance.
What counts as rent
Rent paid to a private landlord, board and lodging, site fees for a caravan or a manufactured home, and mooring fees for a houseboat can all count. Rent paid to a state or territory housing authority does not, because public housing rent is already set as a share of income. A homeowner generally cannot get Rent Assistance even when paying for accommodation elsewhere, with exceptions for some care situations. Services Australia asks for a lease or a rent certificate before paying it.
Why the amount can be lower than the calculator shows
The calculator gives the gross Rent Assistance. When it is part of a payment that is reduced by an income test, Rent Assistance is reduced with it: for a pensioner, it is added to the maximum rate before the income and assets tests apply, which also lifts the point where the pension stops; for a family, it is the first part of Family Tax Benefit Part A to go as family income rises. A single person paying $300 a fortnight receives about $106.65 at full rate; the household calculator shows what is left after the tests.