When JobSeeker Payment reaches $0
Because the income test tapers the payment down as income rises, there is a point where the payment reaches $0 for that fortnight. Services Australia publishes that point for each situation. It is not a single number: it depends on your category, and for partnered people it depends on both partners' incomes.
| Situation | Maximum income before payment reaches $0 |
|---|---|
| Single, no children | $1,557.17 a fortnight |
| Single, 55 or older after 9 continuous months | $1,667.34 a fortnight |
| Single, assessed partial capacity to work | $1,667.34 a fortnight |
| Single with a dependent child under 16, but not the principal carer | $1,655.67 a fortnight |
| Single principal carer (child under 16) | $2,399.50 a fortnight |
| Single principal carer with no mutual obligation requirements | $2,868.00 a fortnight |
| Partnered, partner without a pension | $1,439.34 minus your own income (or $2,711.67 minus your partner's income, if your own income is under $150) |
| Partnered, partner with a pension | $2,878.68 minus combined income |
Two qualifications matter. First, supplements can raise the zero point: if Pharmaceutical Allowance or Rent Assistance is being received, the payment can survive higher income than the table shows — so a supplement-adjusted cut-off should never be published as if it were the table figure. Second, reaching $0 in one fortnight is not the same as losing the payment altogether: the test is applied fortnight by fortnight, so a lower-income fortnight can restore some or all of the payment, and Working Credits (built when income is under $48) can preserve part of it in a higher-income fortnight.