Social Security Entitlements

Contributed by Danny Shaw and Dianne Anagnos and current to 1 September 2005

This chapter deals with financial assistance from the federal government to individuals. It gives an overview of the main forms of assistance provided through Centrelink, the statutory authority set up by the government to administer social security policy and legislation. Because of the complexity of the social security system and legislation, the chapter cannot comprehensively cover all payments made by Centrelink, or all the factors affecting payment.
See 'Other Useful Resources' for a number of publications that explain the social security system in more detail, particularly The Independent Social Security Handbook, published by the Welfare Rights Centre.

A brief guide to social security payments

This is a brief guide to some of the most important social security payments. Please note that this guide is very general and should be used as an initial reference only – there are complex restrictions, including income and assets tests, applying to most payments. Specific pensions, allowances and payments are discussed in more detail later in the chapter. You may be eligible for:

• the age pension, if you are a man aged 65 or over, or a woman aged 62 and a half or over (the age for women is being progressively increased to 65);
• a mature age allowance, if you are at least 60 and have received income support for a prescribed period (no new grants of mature age allowance have been made since 20 September 2003);
• a carer payment, if you are providing full time care to someone with a physical, intellectual or psychiatric disability;
• a disability support pension, if you are unfit for work on a long-term basis because of permanent illness or disability;
• sickness allowance, or newstart allowance (incapacitated), if you are temporarily unfit for work because of illness;
• youth allowance, if you are between 16 and 24 and either unemployed or studying (in some cases payment can be made to people aged 15);
• newstart allowance, if you are unemployed and looking for work, and aged between 21 and the age pension age;
• special benefit, if you are unable to earn a living, in financial hardship and not eligible for any other social security payment. There is no age restriction;
• parenting payment (single), if you are a sole parent caring for a dependent child;
• parenting payment (partnered), if you are a member of a couple caring for a dependent child;
• widow allowance, if you are a woman over 50 who has ceased to be a member of a couple since turning 40 and who has no recent workforce experience;
• partner allowance, if you are a member of a couple, born on or before 1 July 1955, with no recent workforce experience and no dependent children (no new grants of partner allowance have been made since 20 September 2003).

• Social security claims
• Income
• Assets
• Residence requirements
• Effect of compensation payments
• Pensions
• Benefits
• Payments for people with children
• Effect of marriage and 'marriage-like relationships'
• Maintenance payments
• Over-payment and debts
• Review, appeal and freedom of information
• Contact points and other useful resources