Income support · Calculator

Parenting Payment Calculator

Check the core principal-carer and residence conditions, then estimate Parenting Payment Single or Partnered after income, deeming and the hard assets test.

Current July 2026 thresholdsEligibility firstPPS & PPP

Parenting Payment is separate from Family Tax Benefit and Child Care Subsidy. Use the FTB calculator and CCS calculator for those family payments.

01 —INPUTS

Single parents use PPS; partnered parents use PPP and must have a youngest child under 6.

You need the main responsibility for the child's day-to-day care, welfare and development. Only one parent or carer can qualify at a time.

Generally needs to be living in Australia as a resident; a waiting period or exemption may apply.

At 67+, different rates may apply.

Must be under 14 for PPS.

Do not count the youngest child again. Each additional child raises the PPS free area by $24.60/fn.

Your principal home is excluded, but homeowner status changes the hard assets limit.

Enter 0 if you have none. Use gross wages before tax.

Enter 0 if you have none. Exclude investment returns; deeming is calculated from financial assets.

Offsets employment income dollar-for-dollar this fortnight, up to $1,000.00.

Enter 0 if you have none. Include savings, shares and other deemed investments owned by you.

Enter 0 if you have none. Include vehicles, contents and other assets; exclude the principal home.

If you pay rent, Centrelink may add Rent Assistance to your payment. Leave blank if you don't rent or own your home.

With dependent children, Rent Assistance is usually paid through Family Tax Benefit Part A and is shown separately.

Usually paid automatically to eligible Parenting Payment recipients living in Australia.

02 —RESULTS
Awaiting input

Confirm principal-carer and residence eligibility, then enter every required amount — use 0 where none

Edit inputs ↑
Estimate boundary

The payment stream depends on family and partner circumstances

Calculated directly

Standard PPS and PPP under Age Pension age, including Working Credits, ordinary separate partner testing, pension-partner combined testing, deeming and the hard assets limit.

Directed to formal assessment

Claimants at Age Pension age and PPP cases where a partner receives Youth Allowance or Austudy. Those paths use different limits that a generic partner input cannot reproduce reliably.

Maximum rates

Parenting Payment rates from 20 March 2026

Component or situation Rate
Parenting Payment Single basic rate $1,017.20/fn
PPS basic Pension Supplement $30.10/fn
PPS Pharmaceutical Allowance single recipient under Age Pension age $7.00/fn
PPS Energy Supplement $12.00/fn
PPS typical total $1,066.30/fn
Parenting Payment Partnered basic rate $740.30/fn
PPP Energy Supplement $7.90/fn
PPP typical total $748.20/fn
PPP separated due to illness, respite care or prison basic rate plus Energy Supplement $873.90/fn

Rates effective 20 March 2026. Rates and typical totals shown before means testing.

The typical PPS total includes the basic Pension Supplement, Pharmaceutical Allowance and Energy Supplement. Energy Supplement is included by default for an eligible Parenting Payment recipient living in Australia.

Income paths

PPS and PPP do not share one universal income test

PPS single parent

$232.60 free area for one child, plus $24.60 per additional child; then 40c per $1.

Ordinary PPP

$150 free area; 50c per $1 from $150 to $256; 60c above $256. A separate partner reduction can also apply.

PPP with pension partner

Combined $300 free area; 25c per $1 to $512; 30c above $512. The pension payment itself is excluded.

Partner income

Ordinary partner income is a second reduction, not a replacement test

For the standard PPP path, partner income above $1,415.00/fortnight reduces the claimant’s payment by 60c per dollar. This reduction is added to the claimant’s own reduction. A partner receiving a pension uses the combined-income path instead; YA and Austudy partner limits are directed to formal assessment.

No payment or ordinary allowance$1,415.00/fn ordinary free area; 60c taper above
Age Pension, DSP or Carer Payment$300 combined free area; 25c then 30c taper
Youth Allowance or AustudyDifferent partner limits — formal assessment required
Working Credit

Credits offset employment income before the taper

Each Working Credit offsets $1 of employment income in the fortnight it is used. Parenting Payment recipients can accumulate up to $1,000 credits. Services Australia tracks accrual, so the calculator asks for the current balance instead of trying to recreate payment history.

Assets and deeming

1 July 2026 hard asset limits

SituationHomeownerNon-homeowner
Single$333,000$600,000
Couple combined$499,000$766,000

Assets up to the limit do not gradually reduce Parenting Payment; the rate becomes nil when assessable assets exceed the applicable limit. The principal home is excluded.

Single claimant$66,800 at 1.25%, then 3.25%
Partnered, neither receives pension$55,300 per person at the lower rate
Couple with at least one pension recipient$110,600 combined at the lower rate
Official indicative cut-offs
Situation Income setting
PPS — 1 dependent child $2,898.35/fn
PPS — 2 dependent children $2,922.95/fn
PPS — 3 dependent children $2,947.55/fn
PPP — claimant’s personal income $1,414.67/fn
Ordinary PPP partner free area $1,415.00/fn
PPP with pension partner — combined income $2,829.34/fn indicative

Rates effective 1 July 2026 guide. Income settings are indicative and can vary with family circumstances.

These are typical settings. Supplements, pension-partner circumstances and Age Pension-age rules can change the exact nil-rate point.

Worked examples

Examples generated by the same calculation engine

PPS: $600 wages, 2 children

The second child raises the free area to $257.20. $40,000 of financial assets also produces deemed income.

$921.49 /fortnight

$144.81 total income reduction

PPP: $500 own + $1,615 partner income

The $199.40 personal reduction and $120 separate partner reduction both apply.

$428.80 /fortnight

$319.40 total income reduction

PPP: pension partner, $600 combined income

The combined-income path uses a $300 free area, 25c taper to $512 and 30c above $512.

$668.80 /fortnight

$79.40 total income reduction

Separate family payments

Do not read the Parenting Payment result as total family support

Family Tax Benefit Part A and B, Child Care Subsidy and Rent Assistance can be paid separately. Parents with dependent children generally receive Rent Assistance through FTB Part A, so the calculator displays a potential rent amount separately instead of quietly adding it to Parenting Payment.

Payment start date

A positive estimate does not guarantee an immediate first payment

Ordinary Waiting PeriodSome new claimants may have a 1-week waiting period; Services Australia decides whether it applies
Income Maintenance PeriodLeave or redundancy payments for the claimant or partner can delay or reduce payment
Newly Arrived Resident’s Waiting PeriodA recently arrived resident may need to wait up to 4 years; exemptions may apply
Ongoing requirementsSingle parents generally have mutual obligations after the youngest child turns 6 unless exempt
FAQ
What are the maximum Parenting Payment rates from 20 March 2026?
For a single parent under Age Pension age, the typical total is $1,066.30/fortnight: $1,017.20 basic rate, $30.10 basic Pension Supplement, $7.00 Pharmaceutical Allowance and $12.00 Energy Supplement. The typical partnered total is $748.20.
When does Parenting Payment Single or Partnered stop?
A single principal carer can generally receive Parenting Payment until the youngest child turns 14. A partnered principal carer can generally receive it until the youngest child turns 6. The payment also requires residence, principal-carer, income and assets rules to be met.
How does the PPS income test work?
For one dependent child, income up to $232.60/fortnight does not reduce PPS. The free area rises by $24.60 for each additional child. Income above the applicable free area reduces payment by 40 cents per dollar. The official indicative one-child cut-off is $2,898.35/fortnight.
How does the ordinary PPP income test work?
The claimant has a $150.00 free area. Income from $150.00 to $256.00 reduces PPP by 50 cents per dollar, then income above $256.00 reduces it by 60 cents per dollar. A separate partner reduction can also apply above the partner free area, and both reductions are cumulative.
What changes if my partner receives a pension?
If the partner receives Age Pension, Disability Support Pension or Carer Payment, Services Australia uses a combined-income path. Combined income up to $300.00 is free, reduces PPP by 25 cents per dollar to $512.00, then by 30 cents per dollar above that. The partner’s pension payment itself is excluded from the combined income entered.
How do Working Credits affect Parenting Payment?
Working Credits offset employment income dollar-for-dollar before the personal income taper. Parenting Payment recipients can hold up to $1,000 credits. Credits do not offset deemed investment income or other non-employment income.
Why are financial assets entered separately for each partner?
When neither member of a couple receives a pension, each person’s financial assets use an individual lower deeming threshold of $55,300. If at least one partner receives a pension, the combined threshold is $110,600. Keeping ownership separate prevents all combined deemed income being incorrectly assigned to the claimant’s personal test.
Is Rent Assistance included in the Parenting Payment result?
No. Parents with dependent children usually receive Rent Assistance through Family Tax Benefit Part A. The calculator can show a separate potential family Rent Assistance amount from the rent entered, but it does not add that amount to the Parenting Payment estimate or include FTB Part A itself.

Related guides

Family Tax Benefit Rates 2026-27: Part A & Part B ExplainedThe current FTB Part A and Part B maximum and base rates, the $69,131 free area, the $123,078 higher threshold, and how the two income tests taper your payment.Family Tax Benefit Supplements 2026: The $80,000 Threshold & End-of-Year Top-UpHow the FTB Part A ($970.90/child) and Part B ($478.15/family) supplements work — the $80,000 income cliff, the balancing-time payout, and the immunisation gate.How Much Can You Earn Before JobSeeker Stops? (2026)The two-band JobSeeker income test explained — the $150 free area, the 50c and 60c tapers, the ~$1,515.50/fn cut-off, the partner income test, and how Working Credit fits in.

Related calculators

Family Tax Benefit Calculator Estimate FTB Part A & B payments based on income and family size Youth Allowance Calculator Student/apprentice YA with parental test and Income Bank Carer Payment & Carer Allowance Calculator CP pension-style means test plus flat $162.60/fn CA (under $250k cap) Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Calculator Services Australia CCS sliding 90%–0% rate by family income JobSeeker / YA Calculator Centrelink JobSeeker and Youth Allowance (job seeker) estimate Age Pension Calculator Normal-rate means test with deeming and per-person Work Bonus

Tax Accuracy & Sources

Reviewed: July 2026 · Tax year: 2026-27

This calculator estimates standard Parenting Payment after the user confirms the principal-carer and residence conditions. It does not determine residence exemptions, mutual obligations, waiting periods, compensation, DVA interactions, tax or formal qualification. YA/Austudy partner cases and Age Pension-age cases are intentionally directed to formal assessment rather than given false precision.