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Age Pension Income Test & Work Bonus Calculator

Follow this fortnight’s income through deeming, the standard Work Bonus and your personal income bank to the normal pension result.

Relationship status

For a couple, enter combined financial assets and other income, plus each person’s work income separately.

Used to calculate deemed income. Enter 0 if none.

Exclude investment returns already covered by deeming and exclude the Age Pension itself.

Employment income or eligible gainful self-employment involving personal exertion.

Use your current Centrelink balance, from 0 to $11,800. Since 1 January 2024 a new pensioner starts with $4,000.

Repeat the same work income for up to 26 fortnights to see the bank carry forward. Leave blank for this fortnight only.

Payment-period model — The ledger applies the standard $300 concession, then uses or accrues the personal Work Bonus bank for each 14-day period and carries the balance into the next. The bank does not move in a fortnight with no pension.

Awaiting input
Choose a household and enter every amount — use 0 where none

Next best steps

Aged care fees by asset levelSee both regimes from $100k to $1.5M in assessable assetsFull Age Pension estimateRun income and assets tests together with basic eligibilityAssets testMap assets between the full-rate threshold and part-pension cut-offRetirement action planPrioritise Age Pension, super and drawdown actions

Complete the Age Pension picture

Assets Test Calculator Compare assessable assets with full and part-pension limits. Deeming Calculator Inspect the lower and upper deeming tiers in detail. Full Age Pension Calculator Run both means tests and basic eligibility together.

What this estimate includes

  • Models one 14-day instalment period instead of averaging the Work Bonus bank across a year.
  • Accrues unused standard Work Bonus or consumes the bank after the standard concession.
  • Applies deeming to combined financial assets before the pension income test.
  • Keeps each eligible couple member’s Work Bonus ledger separate.

Frequently asked questions

How much can I earn before Age Pension reduces?
Under the normal income test, a single person has a $226 fortnightly free area and a couple has $396 combined. Work Bonus can remove eligible work income before that comparison, while deemed and other assessable income use part of the free area.
How does the $300 Work Bonus work?
For an eligible pensioner, up to $300 of work income in a 14-day instalment period is excluded. If eligible work income is lower, the unused amount can increase the personal Work Bonus bank, subject to the cap.
What is the maximum Work Bonus balance?
The maximum personal Work Bonus income bank is $11,800. From 1 January 2024, a person commencing an eligible payment generally receives a $4,000 starting credit.
Can couples share a Work Bonus balance?
No. Work Bonus is personal. Each eligible pensioner has their own fortnightly concession and income bank, and unused balance cannot be transferred to a partner.
Does Work Bonus apply to investment or rental income?
No. It applies to employment income and eligible gainful self-employment involving personal exertion. Deemed investment income, passive rental income and superannuation payments are not sheltered by Work Bonus.
Is this my final Age Pension payment?
No. This page isolates the income test. Services Australia separately applies the assets test and generally pays the lower result, after checking formal eligibility and income attribution.

Tax Accuracy & Sources

Reviewed: 7 November 2026 · Tax year: Free areas from 1 July 2026, pension rates from 20 September 2026

Normal Age Pension income-test illustration for one 14-day period. It excludes the assets test, transitional rates, Rent Assistance, overseas rates, dependent-child additions, detailed employment-income attribution and formal eligibility decisions.

Related calculators

Deeming Calculator See deemed income from financial assets for Age Pension or JobSeeker, how much you can hold before a payment reduces, and what a future deeming change would do Age Pension Assets Test Calculator Map assessable assets against 2026 full-rate thresholds, the $3 taper and part-pension cut-offs Age Pension Rates & Thresholds Current 2026 payment rates, income and assets tests, deeming and Work Bonus settings Centrelink Gifting Calculator Track gifts against the $10k/year and $30k/5-year free areas and see any deprived-asset and deeming impact Aged Care Fee Calculator Estimate residential aged care fees from income, assets and home under both fee regimes Age Pension Work Income Tax Calculator Combine taxable Age Pension and work income with SAPTO, offsets and Medicare levy
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