Charging income

Young people who get most types of income (i.e. income from salary, wages, or non-information share Child Support payments) can only get a limited amount of income before their Youth Payment will stop.

Note these rules do not apply to information share Child Support payments.

Young people (and partner if any) can earn up to $284.70 gross per week (as at 1 April 2026) before it will reduce their benefit.

If a young person (and their partner if any) is only getting other types of income (but not getting information share Child Support payments), the following applies:

For a young person who is single:

• their benefit will reduce by $1.00 for every $1.00 of income over $284.70 gross per week until their income is $334.70 (as at 1 April 2026)
• if their income is more than $334.70 their benefit will stop

For young people who are married, in a civil union or de facto relationship, and both getting Youth Payment in their own right:

• each of their benefits will reduce by 50 cents for every $1.00 of combined income of the young person and their partner over $284.70 gross per week until their combined income is $384.70 (as at 1 April 2026)
• if their combined income is more than $384.70 per week their benefits will stop

For young people who are married, in a civil union or de facto relationship, and only one of them is getting Youth Payment:

• the Youth Payment will reduce by 50 cents for every $1.00 of the combined income of the young person and their partner over $284.70 gross per week until they earn $384.70 (as at 1 April 2026)
• if their combined income is more than $384.70 per week the Youth Payment will stop

For an example of an income assessment, see:

• Weekly income example

When a young person is applying for Youth Payment and declares any income you need to:

• determine the source and the amount of income
• check the young person qualifies for Youth Payment and is still meeting their youth activity obligations

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

Also see:

• Processing standards Income and asset details [no link find out why]
• Changes and reviews Treatment of income

It is important to distinguish between income a client gets for a period before the entitlement date of benefit and income that is ongoing after a client's benefit has commenced.

Income received before the entitlement date of benefit must be considered when calculating the Initial stand-down period.

Income received for a period after commencement must be charged against their ongoing Youth Payment.

When a young person works during an initial stand-down period the commencement date of their Youth Payment will need to be reassessed, see: Employment during stand-down

Note information share Child Support payments have different income charging rules.

For more information see:

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

For more information see:

• To or from overseas Payments from overseas