Charging income

A client (and their partner, if any) getting Jobseeker Support have their income assessed and charged weekly.

MSD must charge income for the period it is earned or relates to.

If a payment does not represent a specific period or if MSD cannot determine the actual period it represents, MSD must determine the most appropriate period to charge the income. This may be the week it is received, provided or supplied.

When a client declares any income MSD needs to: 

• determine the source and the amount of income
• check the client is still entitled to get Jobseeker Support and meets the job search requirements
• check if the client qualifies for Family tax credit and Best Start tax credit.

For information on how to charge specific types of income for example, Accident Compensation Payments, see: Types of income.

Clients whose weekly income is over $160 gross per week will have their benefit reduced by 70 cents for every $1.00 of income that is over $160 gross per week.

If a client is getting a half-married rate of benefit because their partner is:

• granted a main benefit in their own right, or
• not entitled to get a benefit because they have a 13-week non-entitlement period, have been sanctioned due to an obligations failure or they are on strike.

Then, their benefit will be reduced by 35 cents for every $1.00 of the total combined income that is over $160 gross per week.

For more information see:

• Weekly income example - single clients and couples

Sole parent and grandparented clients whose weekly income is over $160 gross per week will have their benefit reduced by:

• 30 cents for every $1.00 of income that is over $160 to $250 gross per week
• 70 cents for every $1.00 of income that is more than $250 gross per week.

For more information see:

• Weekly income example - sole parents

Sole parent and grandparented Jobseeker Support clients whose benefit commenced (or last commenced) before 1 July 2025 can have their income charged annually, until they reach their next 52 week expiry date. This is a transitional arrangement.

These clients move to weekly income charging when they complete the 26 week reapplication process before their final 52 week expiry date and move to the 26 week expiry and reapplication cycle once their Jobseeker Support has been regranted.

Note from 30 June 2026 all sole parent and grandparented Jobseeker Support clients will have moved to weekly income charging.

For more information see:

• Annual income for sole parent and grandparented clients before 30 June 2026

If a sole parent has to pay childcare costs because they are working, they can get an additional income exemption.

For more information see:

• Childcare cost income exemption - sole parents

Information share Child Support payments are treated differently than other types of income as they are automatically charged forward as income for a period of 4 or 5 weeks.

For more information see:

• Information share Child Support payments
• Automated income charging rules

Income from overseas pensions is generally treated as a direct deduction from the benefit rate, and this requires a separate calculation to charging other types of income.

For more information see:

• Payments from overseas