Page Contents
1. Pensioner Concession Card
2. Seniors Health Card
3. Health Care Card
4. Mobility Allowance
Centrelink has three concession cards and a mobility allowance, which are intended to help people with chronic illnesses and disabilities with their health and transport costs.
1. Pensioner Concession Card
You may be eligible for a Pensioner Concession Card if you are an Australian resident or you come from New Zealand, and you are eligible for a
- Disability Support Pension
- another pension
- Parenting Payment (single)
- Carer Payment
- Bereavement Allowance
- sometimes Mature Age Allowance.
You may be eligible for a Pensioner Concession Card if you are aged 60 or more, and, before applying for the card, you have been receiving any of the following payments continuously for 9 months
- Newstart Allowance
- Partner Allowance
- Widow Allowance
- Parenting Payment (partnered)
- Sickness Allowance
- Special Benefit.
Also, you may also eligible for a Pensioner Concession Card if you are receiving a Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance, and you have a ‘partial capacity for work’.
If you cease to be paid a Centrelink payment because your employment earnings exceed the allowable amount under the income test, you can usually keep the card for a further 3 or 6 months, depending on the payment.
If you go off a Disability Support Pension, or you have a ‘partial capacity for work’ and you go off the Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance, you can usually keep the card for a further 12 months.
2. Seniors Health Card
If you are of age pension age, and are not receiving a Centrelink payment or service pension, and you meet the residency requirements and income test, you may be eligible for a Seniors Health Card.
3. Health Care Card
You may be eligible for a Health Care Card if you receive one of the following payments
- Newstart Allowance
- Partner Allowance
- Widow Allowance
- Parenting Payment (partnered)
- Sickness Allowance
- Special Benefit
- Youth Allowance job seekers
- Family Tax Benefit A at the maximum rate
- Mobility Allowance
- Carer Allowance for a child with a disability, or you are providing a significant level of daily care for a dependent child with a disability but not receiving a Carer Allowance.
In some situations, if you have received one of these payments for at least 12 months, and you cease to be paid the payment because your employment earnings exceed the allowable amount under the income test, you may retain the card for a further 6 months.
You are also eligible for a Health Care Card if you
- meet the residency requirements
- satisfy the Health Care Card income test.
To satisfy the Health Care Card income test, your income must have been less than the maximum allowable for 8 weeks prior to the day you lodged your claim.
Some dependent children and young people are eligible for a Health Care Card in their own right.
4. Mobility Allowance
The Mobility Allowance is a non-means-tested supplement, which means it can be paid while you are working or in addition to another Centrelink payment.
You may be eligible for a Mobility Allowance if you have ‘substantial difficulty’ using public transport, and you are working, studying, training and/or doing approved voluntary work for more than 32 hours per 4 weeks, and you are required to travel to and from home to undertake these activities.
The Mobility Allowance may be payable if you have a disability, and you have ‘substantial difficulty’ using public transport, and you are
- receiving Newstart Allowance, Youth Allowance or Austudy and are required to satisfy the activity test
- undertaking job search activities under an agreement approved by Centrelink
- undertaking job search activities under a government-funded program called the Competitive Employment Placement and Training Program.
You may be eligible for a Mobility Allowance if you are on a Disability Support Pension, Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance, and you are working for more than 15 hours per week.
You may be eligible for the Mobility Allowance if you go off a Disability Support Pension, Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance as a result of starting work.
In some circumstances, you may be able to continue receiving a Mobility Allowance for 12 weeks after you cease to be eligible.
Next Section: What medical issues may affect your dealings with Centrelink?
