Disability Support Pension

The Disability Support Pension (DSP) provides financial help if you have a permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition that stops you from working. You need to meet both non-medical and medical rules to get Disability Support Pension. 

Non-medical rules

You need to meet all the non-medical rules to get DSP. These rules are:

• you’re between 16 and Age Pension age when you claim;
• you meet the residency rules – generally you must be an Australian resident and in Australia on the day you claim Disability Support Pension, and;
• you meet the income and assets tests (link to thresholds article).

Medical rules

To get DSP, you need to meet either, manifest medical rules or general medical rules.

A condition will meet the manifest medical rules if any of the following apply:

• you are permanently blind
• you need nursing home level care
• you have a terminal illness with average life expectancy of less than 2 years
• you have an intellectual disability with an IQ of less than 70
• you have category 4 HIV/AIDS
• you get a Department of Veterans’ Affairs special rate disability pension (totally and permanently incapacitated).

The general medical rules are:

• your condition will last more than 2 years
• your condition is fully diagnosed, treated and stabilised
• you have an impairment rating of 20 points or more
• you meet Program of Support rules, if these apply to you
• your condition will stop you working at least 15 hours a week in the next 2 years.

Payment rates

How much DSP you can get depends on your situation. If you’re over age 21 then refer to the Age Pension rates. Please refer to Age Pension article.

Basic rates for those aged under 21 with no children are shown below.

• Disability Support Pension for people under 21 with no children includes Youth Disability Supplement of up to $131.90 per fortnight.
• Payment is not subject to parents’ income and assets.
• Pharmaceutical Allowance, Utilities Allowance, Energy
• Supplement and Telephone Allowance may be paid to
• Disability Support Pension recipients aged under 21
• without children.
• Education Entry Payment of $208 may be payable.
• Pensioner Education Supplement may be paid to DSP recipients.

Mobility allowance

The mobility allowance is a payment to help with travel costs for work, study or looking for work if you have a disability, illness or injury that means you can’t use public transport. To get this you must:

• be 16 years or older;
• be unable to use public transport without a lot of help;
• have a disability, illness, or injury and;
• need to travel for study, training, work or to look for work.

To qualify for a standard rate of Mobility Allowance you must be;

• undertaking any combination of paid or voluntary work or vocational training for 32 hours every four weeks, or
• undertaking job search activities under a Job Plan or Participation Plan with Services Australia or an Employment Service Provider, or
• receiving JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance or Austudy, and satisfy mutual obligation or activity test requirements associated with these payments, or
• participating in a Disability Employment Services – Disability Management Service.

To qualify for the higher rate of Mobility Allowance you must be

• receiving JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance, Disability Support Pension or Parenting Payment, and working 15 hours or more per week at or above the relevant minimum wage, or
• looking for work of 15 hours or more per week at or above the relevant minimum wage under an agreement with an Employment Services Provider, or
• working 15 hours or more per week in the Supported Wage System (excluding Australian Disability Enterprises).

The basic rate is $99.50 per fortnight. The higher rate is $139.10 per fortnight. A lump sum advance equal to six months allowance may be paid once a year.

There is no asset or income test to receive the mobility allowance.