Centrelink Carer Payment Boost 2025: New Amount and Changed Eligibility News. The Carer payment is launched by the Australian government to provide financial support to the carers of children who are young and dependent. This payment is provided to an individual who gives constant care to someone with a disability or a medical condition, or an adult who’s frail aged. The government has announced a payment boost for carer payments in 2025. To learn more about it, read the full article below.
Centrelink Carer Payment Boost 2025
Carer Payment is a financial assistance for the applicants who provide constant care to a person who needs it for at least six months. You can also apply for this payment if you’re caring for someone at the end of their life. The government has officially announced an increase in the carers’ payments to provide financial support to the carers to help them cover the necessary expenses.
Carers who offer full-time care may be qualified for the fortnightly Carer Payment to help them meet their basic costs of living. The primary beneficiaries of this payment are:
- Carers of someone with a disability (including a serious mental health condition)
- Carers of someone with a severe illness
- Carers of someone who is frail aged
- 2 to 4 children younger than 16 whose needs add up to the same as 1 child with severe needs
- 1 or 2 children younger than 16 and 1 adult whose needs total the same as 1 child with severe needs
New Payment Amount
The amounts vary for single and couples who applies together. The payments rates are changed every year. The current rates are as follows:
| Pension Amount (per fortnight) | Single | Couple (each) | Couple (combined) | Couple (each separated due to illness) |
| Energy Supplement | $14.10 | $10.60 | $21.20 | $14.10 |
| Maximum Pension Supplement | $83.20 | $62.70 | $125.40 | $83.20 |
| Maximum Basic Rate | $1,047.10 | $789.30 | $1,578.60 | $1,047.10 |
| TOTAL | $1,144.40 | $862.60 | $1,725.20 | $1,144.40 |
Changed Eligibility Criteria
To receive the carer payment, you and the person you care for, both need to meet the eligibility criteria.
- Citizenship and Residency: To receive the carers payment an individual must be a citizen or a permanent resident of Australia according to the criteria set by the government. The person must be either living or physcally present in Australia at the time of the claim. The person who the carer is providing care must be living in Australia or a permanent resident.
- Income and Assets Test: The rate of Carer Payment depends on what the individual gets paid and own. The person who is provided care also has to meet the criteria of income and assets under specified conditions.
- For carers: The carer can earn and still receive the carer payment. However, the amount provided will be based on how much the carer earns. The same goes for the asset tests.
- For the person you provide care for: The person you care for must meet income and assets test limits. If they do not receive an income support payment from the Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, their:
- Income must be less than $140,795 a year before tax.
- Assets must be worth less than $868,500.
- These amounts are changed on 1 March each year.
- Carer Responsibilities: The payment will be provide to the carer if they provide constant care to someone with a disability or a medical condition, or an adult who’s frail aged and needs it for at least six months. You are also qualified for this payment if you’re caring for someone at the end of their life. The care can include:
- Any kind of physical help, such as needing to be lifted or help to get dressed
- Guidance, such as support shopping and taking the right medication
- Supervision, to support independence and safety
FAQs
Will there be an increase in my payments, and when ?
Yes, there will be a significant change in the amounts of carer payments. The change will be effective from 1 March 2025.
Can I still apply for the Centrelink Carer payments?
Yes, you can still apply for the Centrelink carer payments as the application from timeline is still open and will be open till the year-round. You can also use the eligibility tools on the official website of centrelink to apply for the payment.
What am I supposed to do if there are any changes in tmy eligibility critera according to the official website?
If there are any changes, you can supdate your Centrelink account immediately to avoid delayed payments.