Centrelink · Gifting & Deprivation

Centrelink Gifting Calculator Australia

Track gifts against the Centrelink gifting free areas and see how much becomes a "deprived asset" — still counted in your Age Pension income and assets tests for 5 years.

$10,000/year free area$30,000/5-year free area5-year deprivation

01 —INPUTS

Household

Only used to pick the deeming threshold for any currently deprived asset — the $10,000/year and $30,000/5-year gifting free areas are the same for singles and couples.

Gifts made or planned (last 5 years)

Include gifts to family, transfers for less than market value, and gifts you are planning to make. Add each gift as its own row — up to 6.

Assess as of (optional)

Defaults to today. Change this to see how much deprived-asset value remains at a future date.

02 —RESULTS

Awaiting input

Add at least one gift with a date and amount to see how much would be treated as a deprived asset

Next best steps

Rates & thresholdsCheck every current 2026 Age Pension setting in one table Gifting & deprivationSee how much of a gift becomes a deprived asset Age Pension by asset levelCompare estimates from $200k to $2M in financial assets Retirement action planPrioritise Age Pension, super and drawdown actions

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How it works

How Centrelink Assesses Gifts

It's a gift whenever you sell or transfer an income or asset and get less than its value — or nothing — in return. This includes giving cash to family, transferring property below market value, forgiving a debt, or gifts your partner makes. Selling something for its full value is not a gift.

You can give away as much as you like. The gifting free areas only decide how much of it Services Australia treats as still yours:

Free area per financial year $10,000

Free area per rolling 5 financial years $30,000 (can't include more than $10,000 in one year)

Deprived-asset period 5 years from the date of each gift

Above the free area, the excess is a deprived asset: Services Australia adds it to your assessable assets and applies the standard deeming rates to it for your income test, exactly as if you still held it. That treatment runs for 5 years from the date of that specific gift, then drops away entirely — it does not reset when you make another gift.

Worked example

Worked Example — Several Gifts Over 5 Years

This is the official Services Australia example. Enter the same four gifts into the calculator above to see the same result: only $6,000 remains an active deprived asset, because the earlier $3,000 excess has already passed its 5-year period.

Date	Gift	Within the annual free area	Deprived asset
1 May 2019	$8,000	$8,000	$0
1 June 2020	$13,000	$10,000 (max)	$3,000 until 31 May 2025
1 April 2021	$7,000	$7,000	$0
1 May 2022	$11,000	$10,000 (max)	$6,000 until 30 April 2027

The 1 June 2020 gift's $3,000 excess is deprived on its own until 31 May 2025. The 1 May 2022 gift's excess is larger than its own $1,000 over-the-annual-cap amount — because by then the rolling 5-year total of "free" gifts had reached $35,000, $5,000 over the $30,000 cap, and that $5,000 is clawed back from this gift's free portion too.

Reporting

Reporting a Gift to Services Australia

Any gift you make — by you or your partner — should be reported. If you're not required to report income regularly, you have 14 days to tell Services Australia about a gift, sale or transfer. If you do report regularly, tell them on or before your reporting date for the period the gift happened in. Not reporting can lead to an overpayment that has to be repaid.

Gifts from up to 5 years ago can still be included in a current assessment, which is why this calculator lets you enter more than one gift and an "assess as of" date.

FAQ

What counts as a gift for Centrelink?

It's a gift if you sell or transfer an income or asset and get less than its value (or nothing) in return. Selling something for its full market value — "adequate consideration" — is not a gift. This applies to cash, property, shares, forgiving a debt, or selling something under value, and it applies to gifts made by your partner as well as you.

How much can I gift without it affecting my Age Pension?

You can gift up to $10,000 in a single financial year, and up to $30,000 over a rolling 5 financial years (this can't include more than $10,000 in any one year). These gifting free areas are the same whether you're single or a couple, and the same across every income-support payment.

What happens if I gift more than the free area?

The excess becomes a "deprived asset". Services Australia counts it in your assets test and applies deeming to it for your income test — exactly as if you still owned it — for 5 years from the date you made the gift. After 5 years, that gift drops out of both tests completely.

Does the 5-year deprived-asset period reset with each new gift?

No — each gift has its own independent 5-year clock starting from its own date. If you make several gifts over time, each excess amount expires on its own schedule (5 years minus a day after that specific gift), which is why this calculator tracks a ledger per gift rather than one running total.

Do I need to report gifts to Services Australia?

Yes. If you don't report your income regularly, you must tell Services Australia about a gift within 14 days. If you do report regularly, tell them on or before your next reporting date for the period the gift happened in. Not reporting can lead to an overpayment and a debt.

Are there exceptions to the gifting rules?

Yes — special provisions can apply to some special disability trusts, granny flat arrangements, farm transfers and certain other transactions. This calculator applies the standard gifting free areas only; check the exceptions with Services Australia or a financial adviser if any of these situations apply to you.

How does deeming apply to a deprived asset?

A deprived asset is deemed at the same rates as any other financial asset: 1.25% on the first $66,800 (single) or $110,600 (couple combined) of your total financial assets including the deprived amount, and 3.25% above that. This calculator deems the deprived amount alone — add it to your other financial assets on the full Age Pension calculator for a combined result.

A deprived asset feeds into your Age Pension result. Run the full Age Pension calculator or check how deeming works.

Age Pension toolkit

Continue with the test that answers your next question

Full Age Pension Calculator Combine normal income and assets tests with basic qualification checks. Assets Test Calculator See the full-rate threshold, $3 taper and part-pension cut-off. Income Test & Work Bonus Trace deeming and work income through one fortnight’s personal bank ledger. Pension + Work Income Tax Combine taxable pension and work income with SAPTO and Medicare. Centrelink Debt Repayment Project a fortnightly repayment arrangement and finish date. Rates & Thresholds Reference every current payment, means-test, deeming and Work Bonus figure. Deeming Calculator Calculate the income Centrelink assumes financial assets produce. Seniors Health Card Screen the income-tested alternative when Age Pension is unavailable. Age Pension by Asset Level See the estimate from $200k to $2M in financial assets, single or couple. Aged Care Fee Calculator The pension counts as income in the residential aged care means assessment.

Tax Accuracy & Sources

Reviewed: 15 August 2026 · Tax year: 2026-27

This calculator applies the standard $10,000 per financial year and $30,000 per rolling 5 financial year gifting free areas, and the 5-year deprived-asset period, then deems any currently active deprived-asset total using the standard Age Pension deeming rates. It does not model special disability trusts, granny flat arrangements, farm succession transfers, or other gifting exceptions — confirm your situation with Services Australia.