National carers week kicks off today. For those who undertake the important role there’s things to remember when it comes to potential government benefits. (Source: Services Australia/Getty)
Chances are you know a carer. It might be a mum looking after her son with a disability, a teenager helping out with a sick parent, or a neighbour popping in every day to check on someone who’s frail and living alone.
Carers come in all shapes and sizes, and they’re the unsung heroes quietly keeping the world running.
There’s around 3 million Australians caring for someone with a disability, a medical condition, mental illness or someone who is frail due to age.*
Remarkably, nearly 400,000 of them are aged under 25. That’s school kids, university students, and young adults stepping up to provide support.
If you’re caring for a loved one or know someone who is a carer, we’ve gathered helpful information for National Carers Week.
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The Australian Government supports carers by funding services and financial assistance to help them remain active in their communities and workforce.
Recent changes to the Carer Payment have improved flexibility and helped remove employment barriers for recipients.
Carers are often the last to care for themselves, because they’re so busy caring for others. That’s why we aim to simplify the process of finding information and explain the support available to them.
Carer Payment is the main income support payment for people who can’t work full time because they’re providing constant care to someone with disability, or a medical condition, or an adult who’s frail aged.
To be eligible, you must meet residence rules and income and assets test limits.
This payment is available for those caring for someone where the care is required for at least 6 months, unless their medical condition is terminal.
The amount of Carer Payment you get depends on your personal circumstances. For example, a single person might be entitled to get $1,051.30 per fortnight, but this will vary depending on any income you are paid.
Pension rates per fortnight
Single
Couple each
Couple combined
Couple each separated due to ill health
Maximum basic rate
$1,079.70
$813.90
$1,627.80
$1,079.70
Pension Supplement
$84.90
$64.00
$128.00
$84.90
Energy Supplement
$14.10
$10.60
$21.20
$14.10
TOTAL
$1,178.70
$888.50
$1,777.00
$1,178.70
Source: Services Australia, September 2025.
A carer can get Carer Payment in addition to Carer Allowance – I’ll explain what this is later on.
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It’s important to note that if you aren’t eligible for one person, you may be eligible for Carer Payment if you care for multiple people who each have a lower care need. We consider the combined needs of the people you care for.
If you are eligible for Carer Payment, you might also be able to get Pension Supplement. Pension Supplement is a regular extra payment to help with utility, phone, internet and medicine costs if you get income support from us.
Carer Allowance is designed for those who care for someone requiring daily support for at least 12 months, or have a terminal medical condition.
Think of it as a top up or supplementary payment. For example, if you’re caring for your child with autism who needs daily support and you can still work part time, Carer Allowance can help with extra costs like therapy, travel and equipment.
This fortnightly payment of $159.30 is available if you give support and care to someone either:
with disability
with a medical condition
who’s frail aged.
Both you and the person you care for will need to meet certain eligibility criteria.
There are other organisations who can help you and the person you care for. You can find more details about services available in your state or territory and how to get support.
The 2024-25 May Budget allocated $18.6 million over 5 years to provide carers with greater flexibility and choice in balancing their work commitments around their caring roles.
From March 2025, carers can work up to 100 hours spread over a 4 week period. This replaced the previous 25 hour per week limit.
Carers also no longer need to report study, training, travel time to and from work, or volunteering – activities that previously counted toward the 25 hour per week participation limit.
This change means that carers can take on a few extra casual shifts over a 4 week period without their payment stopping. It will also help them build a larger financial safety net, enhancing their overall security while keeping them connected to the workforce.
It is also important to note that if carers work or earn beyond the limits and cannot use respite days, their payment will now be suspended for six months, and not cancelled.
Remember, you still need to report the hours you actually work, whether it’s a paycheque or self-employment gig. For the nitty-gritty details, check out Services Australia’s website.
*Australian Bureau of Statistics: Disability, Ageing and Carers, Australia: Summary of Findings
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