Disability Support · Calculator

Disability Support Pension Calculator

Estimate your own DSP payment under the current income and assets tests. Covers adult and youth rates, partner income, deeming and the permanent-blindness exemption.

Adult + Youth RatesIncome + Assets TestDeeming

01 —INPUTS

Your age

Must claim before Age Pension age. You can start at 15 yrs 9 months; DSP pays from age 16.

Are you making a new claim or already receiving DSP?

Meet the DSP residence rules?

You generally need to be living in Australia as an Australian resident with 10 years' qualifying residence — but the 10-year rule does not apply if you became unable to work or permanently blind while you were an Australian resident.

Assume the DSP medical rules are satisfied?

Services Australia must assess the manifest or general medical rules. Selecting Yes only lets this calculator estimate the rate; it is not an eligibility decision.

Your DSP rate category

Under 21 with a dependent child uses the adult single or partnered rate.

Has Services Australia granted the permanent-blindness means-test exemption?

The exemption is not just a blindness diagnosis. Leave it as No / not sure if Rent Assistance, compensation or an International Agreement may make means testing apply.

Homeowner

Your principal home is excluded from assessable assets.

Financial assets

Savings, shares, managed funds and assessable super. Deemed income is calculated automatically.

Other assessable assets

Vehicles, contents, investment property equity and other assets. Exclude your principal home.

Your employment income /fortnight

Gross employment or active self-employment income before tax.

Other assessable income /fortnight

Rental, business and other assessable income. Do not add investment returns already covered by deeming.

02 —RESULTS

Awaiting input

Complete the eligibility questions and every applicable amount — enter 0 where none

What this estimate covers

Payment rate, not medical approval

This calculator answers one question: what could one claimant's DSP payment be after the normal means tests? It cannot decide whether you qualify medically.

A new DSP claimant generally needs to be aged 16 to Age Pension age and satisfy residence rules. Under the general medical rules, the condition must be diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised, likely to persist for more than 2 years, score at least 20 impairment points, meet Program of Support rules where relevant, and prevent work of at least 15 hours a week in the next 2 years.

Adult rates

DSP adult rates — 1 July to 19 September 2026

Adult rates apply from age 21, or below 21 when you have a dependent child. Amounts below are for one claimant and include the usual Pension and Energy Supplements.

Situation	Basic	Typical total /fn	Income cut-off /fn
Single adult rate	$1,100.30	$1,200.90	$2,627.80
Partnered adult rate	$829.40	$905.20	$4,016.80
Illness-separated adult rate	$1,100.30	$1,200.90	$5,199.60

Youth rates

DSP rates under 21 with no dependent children

Typical totals include the basic rate, Youth Disability Supplement, Energy Supplement and Pharmaceutical Allowance. Independence is a Services Australia assessment; it is not determined solely by where you live.

Situation	Basic	Typical total /fn	Income cut-off /fn
Under-18 dependent rate	$418.90	$594.40	$1,414.80
18–20 dependent rate	$482.40	$658.60	$1,543.20
Youth independent rate	$677.20	$855.90	$1,937.80
Youth partnered rate	$677.20	$852.40	$3,805.60

Means tests

How the DSP income and assets tests work

Income test

Single: full rate up to $226/fn, then your DSP reduces 50c per $1.

Couple: full rate up to $396/fn combined, then each person's DSP reduces 25c per $1. Deemed income from financial assets is included.

Assets test

Single homeowner: full rate up to $333,000; non-homeowner: $600,000.

Couple combined: $499,000 or $766,000. The principal home is excluded.

Permanent blindness

When the means-test exemption applies

DSP granted because of permanent blindness is normally not subject to the income or assets test. The old calculator only labelled this as an income-test exemption even though it bypassed both tests.

The exemption is not universal. Income and asset details can still be required when you claim Rent Assistance, have received compensation, or are paid under an International Agreement and receive a foreign pension. The calculator's checkbox explicitly represents the full exemption, not merely a visual impairment.

Worked examples

DSP means-test examples

Single adult with part-time income

$300/fn employment income, $100,000 financial assets and $50,000 other assets.

$1,127.09 /fn

$29,304 per year · income test limits

Partnered adult, combined means test

Partner earns $1,000/fn; combined financial assets $300,000 and other assets $250,000.

$681.72 /fn

$17,725 per year · income test limits

Couple living apart due to ill health

$1,396/fn combined employment income and assets below the full-rate threshold.

$950.90 /fn

$24,723 per year · income test limits

FAQ

How much is Disability Support Pension in 2026?

For 1 July to 19 September 2026, the typical maximum DSP rate is $1,200.90 per fortnight for a single adult and $905.20 per fortnight for a partnered adult. A couple living apart due to ill health may each receive the single adult rate. These totals include the usual supplements and are reduced by the income or assets test when applicable.

Does this calculator tell me if I medically qualify for DSP?

No. It estimates the payment rate after you choose the relevant rate category. Services Australia separately assesses age, residence, medical evidence, whether a condition is diagnosed, reasonably treated and stabilised, an impairment rating of at least 20 points, Program of Support rules where applicable, and whether the condition prevents work of at least 15 hours a week for the next 2 years.

How are income and assets tested for DSP?

Services Australia calculates DSP under both the pension income test and assets test, then uses the lower result. A single payment reduces by 50 cents for every $1 of assessable income above $226 per fortnight and $3 per fortnight for every $1,000 of assets above the relevant threshold. For a couple, combined excess income reduces each claimant by 25 cents per $1 and combined excess assets reduce each claimant by $1.50 per $1,000.

Does my partner’s income affect my DSP?

Yes. If you are partnered, Services Australia generally assesses your combined income and assets even if only one person receives DSP. This calculator therefore asks for both employment incomes and combined household financial and other assessable assets, while the result shows one claimant’s payment.

How does deeming affect DSP?

DSP uses deeming for financial investments. From 1 July 2026, the first $66,800 for a single assessment or $110,600 for a couple is deemed at 1.25% a year; the balance is deemed at 3.25%. The calculator derives this deemed income automatically, so do not also enter actual interest or investment returns in the other-income field.

Is DSP income and assets tested if I am permanently blind?

DSP paid because of permanent blindness is generally exempt from the ordinary income and assets tests. The exemption may not apply if you also claim Rent Assistance, received compensation, or are paid under an International Agreement and receive a foreign pension. Use the exemption option only when none of those exceptions applies.

Can someone under 21 use this DSP calculator?

Yes. It includes current rates for a dependent person under 18 living at home, a dependent person aged 18–20 living at home, a single independent person aged 16–20, and a partnered person aged 16–20 without children. A person under 21 with a dependent child uses the adult single or partnered rate.

Does the Work Bonus apply to DSP?

The Work Bonus can apply to a DSP recipient who has reached Age Pension age. It does not ordinarily apply to a younger DSP recipient. The calculator leaves it off by default and provides a separate checkbox for each person who independently qualifies; it models the standard $300 per fortnight deduction, not an accrued Work Bonus income-bank balance.

Tax Accuracy & Sources

Reviewed: 18 July 2026 · Tax year: 1 July–19 September 2026

This calculator estimates one claimant's normal DSP payment rate. It uses the current adult and youth typical totals, pension income and assets tests, July 2026 deeming parameters, and published income/assets cut-offs. It does not determine medical or residence eligibility, transitional rates, Rent Assistance, compensation treatment, International Agreement rates, hardship provisions, special income-stream rules, or an accrued Work Bonus balance.