From 20 September 2026 Paid with your payment
Rent Assistance Calculator
Rent Assistance pays 75 cents for every dollar of rent above the threshold, up to a fortnightly maximum. Put your rent in to see what you should get — the thresholds and maximums are the ones the government published on 20 September 2026.
1 Enter your rent and situation2 See your fortnightly RA
Step 2 · your result
Rent Assistance
$0
a fortnight, on top of your payment
- Your rent a fortnight
- $0
- Starts above
- $0
- Rent above the threshold
- $0
- Maximum for you
- $0
- A year
- $0
Rates from Department of Social Services — Social Security Guide, checked 12 October 2026. General information only — your actual entitlement is assessed by Services Australia.
The current rates
All amounts are per fortnight, from 20 September 2026:
| Your situation | Rent threshold | Maximum reached at | Maximum rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single, no children | $157.80 | $456.20 | $223.80 |
| Single, no children, living in a share house | $157.80 | $356.74 | $149.20 |
| Partnered, no children (combined rate) | $255.80 | $537.14 | $211.00 |
| Couple — illness separated, respite care, or partner in prison | $157.80 | $456.20 | $223.80 |
| Couple temporarily separated | $157.80 | $439.14 | $211.00 |
Notice the pattern. One of these rows is a flat $223.80 — and that is not a coincidence, it is the published "minimum rent for maximum RA". If it ever stops matching, the rates have changed and this page needs re-checking.
How the maths works
RA = (your fortnightly rent − the threshold) × 75%, capped at the maximum
Worked example: you are single with no children and pay $500 a week. That is $1,000.00 a fortnight. Above the threshold of $157.80 by $842.20. At 75 cents in the dollar that is $631.65 — under the $223.80 maximum, so that is what you would get.
Three things that surprise people
- It is not paid on its own. Rent Assistance rides on top of a payment — JobSeeker, Age Pension, Parenting Payment, or Family Tax Benefit if you have children. No underlying payment, no RA.
- Sharing a house lowers it. A single sharer gets a lower maximum than a single person living alone, and reaches it at a lower rent. It is one of the few places the system treats living alone as more expensive.
- Families are on a different scale entirely. Once you have children, Rent Assistance is paid through Family Tax Benefit under family assistance law, not social security law — so the numbers here stop applying to you.
Frequently asked questions
How is Rent Assistance worked out?
Three numbers decide it. Each fortnight you get 75 cents for every dollar of rent above the rent threshold, up to the maximum rate for your situation. Nothing is paid at or below the threshold, and the maximum is reached once your rent hits the "minimum rent for maximum RA" figure.
How much is Rent Assistance for a single person?
The maximum for a single person with no children is $223.80 a fortnight. It starts once your fortnightly rent passes $157.80 and reaches the maximum at $456.20.
Do I get less if I share a house?
Yes. A single person in shared accommodation has a lower maximum — $149.20 a fortnight — and it is reached sooner, at $356.74 of rent. The rent threshold is the same.
Is Rent Assistance a separate payment?
No. You cannot get Rent Assistance on its own — it is paid on top of a social security payment or Family Tax Benefit. If you are not receiving a payment you may still be assessed for it, but it is paid with whatever payment you receive.
Does it use my weekly rent or fortnightly rent?
The thresholds and rates are published per fortnight, and rent is generally assessed as a fortnightly amount. This calculator takes your weekly rent and converts it — weekly × 52 ÷ 26.
Why do families get a different amount?
Rent Assistance for families with children is not paid under social security law at all — it is paid as part of Family Tax Benefit and the rates sit in the Family Assistance Guide. The rates on this page are the ones for people who are not receiving FTB.
When do the rates change?
Rent thresholds and maximum rates are indexed twice a year, on 20 March and 20 September, in line with the CPI. The figures on this page took effect on 20 September 2026 — check back after each March and September.
Related
- Centrelink payment rates — Age Pension, JobSeeker and Rent Assistance in one place
- Age Pension rates — and how the income and assets tests reduce it
- JobSeeker payment rates
- Rental bond calculator — what your bond should be, by state