Rent Assistance, supplements and concession cards
Extra help on top of the pension: Rent Assistance, the Pension and Energy Supplements, and the Pensioner Concession Card.
Rent Assistance
Rent Assistance is extra help for pensioners who pay rent (or similar housing costs) for their home and are not homeowners. It is paid on top of the Age Pension, and receiving it also raises the assets-test cut-off point at which your pension stops. The maximum rates from 20 September 2026 are about $223.80 a fortnight for a single person and about $211.00 a fortnight for a couple combined — these are pointer-level figures from the Department of Social Services parameters, so confirm the current maximum on Services Australia's website.
You generally cannot receive Rent Assistance if you own your home, live in a home you own through a trust or company arrangement that counts as homeownership, or are already receiving government housing help that excludes it. The amount depends on how much rent you pay: below a minimum rent threshold you receive nothing, and above it the assistance rises with rent up to the maximum.
The two supplements inside your rate
The maximum pension rates already include two supplements. The Pension Supplement (up to $88.20 a fortnight for a single person from 20 September 2026) is built into the headline rate, and the Energy Supplement ($14.10 a fortnight for a single person) is a small extra payment for household energy costs. Neither needs a separate claim in most cases — they arrive with the pension — but both can stop if you travel overseas (see the checklist guide for the 6, 12 and 26-week clocks).
If you leave Australia to live overseas, the Pension Supplement stops from the date you leave and the Energy Supplement stops too. For temporary travel, the Energy Supplement stops after 6 weeks overseas and the Pension Supplement stops after 12 weeks (from 20 September 2026) — tell Services Australia about your travel through myGov before you board.
The Pensioner Concession Card
Most Age Pension recipients also receive a Pensioner Concession Card, which gives cheaper medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, bulk-billed doctor visits in many practices, and state and territory concessions on utilities, transport and council rates (the exact concessions vary by state). The card cancels after you have been temporarily overseas for 6 weeks, even if your pension itself continues.
If your assets or income are too high for the Age Pension, you may still qualify for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, which gives similar medicine and health concessions with a much higher income limit. It is a separate claim with its own rules — do not assume a pension refusal means no card at all.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to claim Rent Assistance separately?
In most cases it is assessed as part of your pension claim if you tell Services Australia you pay rent. You must report your rent amount and any change in rent — the payment does not adjust itself.
I own my home. Can I still get Rent Assistance?
Generally no. Rent Assistance is for people who pay rent for their home. Homeowners receive the home exemption under the assets test instead — the two kinds of help do not stack.
Does the Pension Supplement continue if I travel?
For temporary travel it continues for up to 12 weeks (from 20 September 2026), then stops. If you leave to live overseas it stops from the date you leave. The Energy Supplement stops after 6 weeks overseas.
Official links
Verify every figure on this page at Services Australia: