This is an estimate only. Services Australia works out your actual Age Pension. This tool uses the standard rates and tests and doesn’t model deeming in detail, the Work Bonus, Rent Assistance, transitional rates or the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. Confirm your entitlement through myGov or Centrelink.
How the Age Pension is worked out
The Age Pension is income support for older Australians who have reached pension age. Services Australia works out your rate with two separate tests: an income test and an assets test. It applies both, then pays you the one that gives the lower amount. You start from the maximum rate and each test can reduce it. The calculator above shows both results so you can see which test is holding your pension down.
Age Pension rates (from 20 March 2026)
These are the maximum fortnightly rates, including the Pension Supplement and Energy Supplement. Rates are indexed on 20 March and 20 September each year.
| Per fortnight | Single | Couple each |
|---|
| Maximum basic rate | $1,100.30 | $829.40 |
| Pension Supplement | $86.50 | $65.20 |
| Energy Supplement | $14.10 | $10.60 |
| Total per fortnight | $1,200.90 | $905.20 |
A couple’s combined maximum is $1,810.40 a fortnight, about $47,070 a year.
The Age Pension income test
You keep the full pension while your assessable income stays under the free area: $226 a fortnight for a single person, or $396 combined for a couple. Above that, a single pension reduces by 50 cents for each dollar over the free area. For a couple, each partner’s pension reduces by 25 cents in the dollar, so the couple loses 50 cents combined. The pension reaches nil at $2,627.80 a fortnight (single) or $4,016.80 combined (couple). Assessable income includes deemed income from your financial assets, so even savings that pay little interest are counted at the deeming rate.
The Age Pension assets test
The assets test looks at what you own, excluding your family home. You keep the full pension up to the free area for your situation, then the pension reduces by $3 a fortnight for every $1,000 of assets above it, down to nil at the cut-off point. Non-homeowners get a higher free area to reflect that they may be renting.
| Full pension: assets under | Homeowner | Non-homeowner |
|---|
| Single | $333,000 | $600,000 |
| Couple, combined | $499,000 | $766,000 |
| Part pension cuts out at | Homeowner | Non-homeowner |
|---|
| Single | $733,500 | $1,000,500 |
| Couple, combined | $1,102,500 | $1,369,500 |
Full-pension free areas apply from 1 July 2026; part-pension cut-offs from 1 July 2026.
Worked example
Take a single homeowner with $400,000 in assessable assets and $300 a fortnight in assessable income. Under the assets test, they are $67,000 over the $333,000 free area, so the pension drops by 67 × $3 = $201, leaving about $999.90 a fortnight. Under the income test, $300 is $74 over the $226 free area, so the pension drops by 50 cents × 74 = $37, leaving $1,163.90. Services Australia pays the lower figure, so the assets test bindshere and the estimated pension is about $999.90 a fortnight, or roughly $25,997 a year.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I earn before it affects my Age Pension?
A single pensioner can earn up to $226 a fortnight before the income test starts to reduce the pension. Above that, the pension drops by 50 cents for each dollar over $226. For a couple, the combined free area is $396 a fortnight, and the pension reduces by 25 cents in the dollar for each member (50 cents combined) over that. The pension cuts out entirely at $2,627.80 a fortnight for a single person and $4,016.80 combined for a couple. Assessable income includes deemed income from your financial assets, not just wages.
How much money can I have and still get the Age Pension?
It depends on whether you own your home. A single homeowner can hold up to $333,000 in assessable assets and still get the full pension, and up to $733,500 for a part pension. A single non-homeowner can hold up to $600,000 for the full pension and $1,000,500 for a part pension. For a homeowner couple the full-pension limit is $499,000 combined and the part-pension cut-off is $1,102,500. Your family home is not counted in the assets test.
How does the assets test work for the Age Pension?
Once your assessable assets pass the full-pension free area for your situation, your pension reduces by $3 a fortnight for every $1,000 of assets above that threshold. So a single homeowner with $400,000 in assets is $67,000 over the $333,000 free area, which reduces the pension by about $201 a fortnight. The reduction continues until your pension reaches nil at the cut-off point. Assessable assets include super in the pension phase, savings, shares, investment property, your car and home contents at market value.
What is the difference between the income test and the assets test?
Services Australia runs both tests and pays whichever gives the lower amount. The income test looks at your assessable income each fortnight, including deemed income from financial assets. The assets test looks at the total value of your assessable assets. If the assets test produces a smaller pension than the income test, the assets test binds, and vice versa. This calculator shows both results side by side and tells you which one sets your rate.
What is the full Age Pension rate in 2026?
From 20 March 2026, the maximum Age Pension for a single person is $1,200.90 a fortnight, which is about $31,223 a year, made up of the basic rate, the Pension Supplement and the Energy Supplement. For a couple it is $905.20 each a fortnight, or $1,810.40 combined, which is about $47,070 a year. These rates are indexed twice a year, on 20 March and 20 September, so they change with the cost of living.
Does owning my home affect the Age Pension?
Your home itself is exempt from the assets test, so it never counts as an assessable asset. But your homeowner status changes the thresholds. Non-homeowners get a much higher assets free area, an extra $267,000, to reflect that they may be renting. A single homeowner keeps the full pension up to $333,000 in assets, while a single non-homeowner keeps it up to $600,000. The income test is the same regardless of whether you own your home.
This tool is a guide, not financial or Centrelink advice. Services Australia determines your actual Age Pension entitlement.
