As the name suggests, Rent Assistance is a payment from the government to help people pay their rent, but not everyone can get it and the amount available varies.
For those who have ever wondered, “how much is rent assistance?”, here’s the lowdown …
What is Rent Assistance?
Rent Assistance is a regular payment from Centrelink for people who already get certain payments from the government – and have to pay rent, naturally.
How does rent assistance work?
Based on the information it already has on file, Centrelink assesses a person’s eligibility for Rent Assistance when they claim another payment, like the Newstart Allowance.
The actual amount provided depends on how much rent a person pays and several other factors.
Centrelink will use the information they have on you to assess your eligibility for Rent Assistance. Picture: Getty
Who is eligible and how much can I get?
Rent Assistance is available to those who pay rent and either;
- get certain payments from Centrelink;
- get more than the base rate of Family Tax Benefit.
Recipients must also pay one of the following:
- rent;
- fees in a retirement village;
- lodging;
- board and lodging;
- site or mooring fees if their main home is a caravan, relocatable home or a boat.
There’s a minimum amount of rent people need to be paying in order to get Rent Assistance. For every $1 of rent paid above this amount, people get 75c and there is a set maximum amount.
The amount of Rent Assistance you will receive from Centrelink depends on how much rent you pays and several other factors. Picture: Getty
People without dependent children
| If you’re … | Your fortnightly rent is at least | To get the maximum payment your fortnightly rent is at least | The maximum fortnightly payment is |
| single | $123.20 | $307.20 | $138.00 |
| single, sharer | $123.20 | $245.87 | $92.00 |
| couple, combined | $199.40 | $372.73 | $130.00 |
| 1 of a couple separated due to illness | $123.20 | $307.20 | $138.00 |
| 1 of a couple temporarily separated | $123.20 | $296.53 | $130.00 |
People with dependent children
| If you’re … | Your fortnightly rent is at least | To get the maximum payment your fortnightly rent is at least | The maximum fortnightly payment is |
| single, with 1 or 2 children | $161.56 | $377.72 | $162.12 |
| single, with 3 or more children | $161.56 | $405.72 | $183.12 |
| a couple, with 1 or 2 children | $239.12 | $455.28 | $162.12 |
| a couple, with 3 or more children | $239.12 | $483.28 | $183.12 |
People in different circumstances
Special rules apply for single sharers or those who pay board and lodging. For those who pay board and lodging, Centrelink works out the payment based on the lodging portion only.
If it’s not possible to split the two, Centrelink uses two-thirds of the total amount paid.
For those under 25
For people under 25, the rules about Rent Assistance depend on both the payment type the person is on and if they live with a parent.
For those living a retirement village
When it comes to people living in retirement villages, the eligibility equation is a little complicated, as people must be assessed by Centrelink as a “non-home owner” to be eligible.
If you live in a retirement village, to qualify for Rent Assistance you will need to be a non-home owner.
Centrelink decides if a person is a home owner or non-home owner by looking at how much a person paid when they entered a retirement village. If eligible, the amount of Rent Assistance paid is based on the ongoing fees in the village.
Who isn’t eligible?
Rent Assistance isn’t available to everyone.
Those not eligible include people who:
- lease from a state or territory housing authority;
- own or are buying the home they live in, except relocatable homes;
- are travelling away from the home they own for less than 12 months;
- live in a residential aged care facility that receives an Australian Government subsidy;
- have a partner who gets rent assistance with Family Tax Benefit;
- who get an allowance or have a partner who gets Rent Assistance with their pension.
How do I apply for Rent Assistance?
Generally speaking, people aren’t required to actually submit a claim for Rent Assistance. Based on the information it already has on file, Centrelink assesses a person’s eligibility when they claim another payment.
As with all Centrelink business, people should keep their details up-to-date on the myGov website to ensure they are getting their full entitlement.
In some cases, Centrelink may ask for a Rent Certificate to be filled out, to prove rent is being paid. This is can be done via myGov, by post or at a Centrelink service centre.
This article was originally published on
7 Jan 2020 at 9:00am
but has been regularly updated to keep the information current.