JobSeeker Payment rates from 20 September 2026
JobSeeker Payment is paid every fortnight, and the official figures are fortnightly maximums. The table below is Services Australia's table from 20 September 2026. "Maximum" matters: it is the amount before the income test, a partner's income, or any waiting period is applied. Many recipients receive less than the maximum, and some receive nothing in a fortnight when their income is high enough — see Income test and When payment reaches $0.
| Situation | Maximum per fortnight | Annual equivalent (× 26) |
|---|---|---|
| Single, no children | $824.90 | $21,447.40 |
| Single, with a dependent child or children | $883.30 | $22,965.80 |
| Single, 55 or older, after 9 continuous months on an income support payment | $883.30 | $22,965.80 |
| Single, assessed partial capacity to work under 15 hours a week | $883.30 | $22,965.80 |
| Partnered (each person) | $755.10 | $19,632.60 |
| Single principal carer granted a mutual-obligation exemption (foster caring, non-parent relative caring under a court order, home schooling, distance education, or a large family) | $1,068.20 | $27,773.20 |
Two notes from the same Services Australia page. A dependent child under 16 gives the "single, with a dependent child" rate, and a child turning 16 or 17 may also qualify for that rate. JobSeeker can also affect child support paid or received, so a change in care arrangements should be reported, not assumed.
Indexation: 20 March and 20 September
Rates are updated on 20 March and 20 September each year. That is why older articles disagree with each other: a rate quoted from September 2025, or from early 2026, is simply out of date. This site uses the 20 September 2026 table throughout, and it does not project the 20 March 2027 rates, which had not been announced when it was written.
JobSeeker is taxable
Unlike some other Centrelink payments, JobSeeker Payment is taxable. Tax can be deducted from the payment on request, which avoids a tax bill later. Whether to ask for tax to be withheld is a personal tax decision, and this site does not advise on it — but the fact itself matters when comparing JobSeeker with a tax-free payment.
The supplement trap: why other articles quote different totals
You may see a higher figure quoted elsewhere for the same situation — for example $833.70 for a single person with no children, instead of $824.90. That higher figure is the basic rate plus a supplement, added together by the article. It is not the Services Australia table figure, and this site never presents a supplement-inclusive total as the official rate. Supplements such as the Energy Supplement and Pharmaceutical Allowance exist for eligible categories, but their amounts and eligibility are secondary detail: the headline is always the basic rate above, and any supplement is extra to it, not part of it.