Who can claim the Disability Support Pension

Melbourne city centre at night beside the river — Melbourne city centre at night. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Brisbane skyline across the river. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

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To qualify for DSP you must meet every part of the test: the age rule, the residence rule, the medical rules, and the income and assets tests. Failing any one part means DSP cannot be granted, even if the other parts are clearly met. This page sets out each part; the medical and work capacity pages explain the two hardest parts in detail.

Age

You must be at least 16 years old and under Age Pension age, which is currently 67. When a DSP recipient reaches Age Pension age, DSP generally gives way to the Age Pension, which is paid at the same maximum rate scale. A person younger than 16 cannot receive DSP, but families with a child with disability may be eligible for other payments, such as Carer Payment or Carer Allowance for the carer, which are different payments with different rules.

Residence

You must be an Australian resident, living in Australia, and physically in Australia on the day you claim. In general you must also have at least 10 years of qualifying Australian residence in total, including at least five years in one unbroken period. There are important exceptions: the 10-year rule does not apply if you became unable to work, or became permanently blind, while you were an Australian resident, and it does not apply to refugees and former refugees. A social security agreement with another country you have lived or worked in can also help you qualify. Residence is assessed on individual facts, so if your history includes time overseas, check the residence rules for DSP with Services Australia rather than assuming you fail.

Medical rules in brief

Your condition must be permanent, in the sense explained on the medical rules page: fully diagnosed, reasonably treated, and stabilised, likely to persist for more than two years, rated at 20 points or more under the Impairment Tables, and leaving you unable to work 15 or more hours a week in the next two years, even with training. People who are permanently blind, or who meet one of the other manifest medical categories, can be assessed without the full general medical assessment, but medical evidence is still required.

Income and assets tests

DSP uses the pension income test and the pension assets test, and Services Australia pays the lower of the two results. The income free area is $226 a fortnight for a single person and $396 a fortnight combined for a couple, and the full-pension assets limits are $333,000 for a single homeowner, $600,000 for a single non-homeowner, and $499,000 or $766,000 respectively for a couple combined. Your principal home is generally not counted in the assets test. People who are permanently blind are exempt from the income and assets tests for DSP, although the tests can still matter for other payments or for a partner.

Who DSP is not for

DSP is not for a temporary condition, however serious, if it is expected to improve enough for work of 15 hours a week or more within two years. It is not for someone who can work 15 hours or more with reasonable training or workplace adjustments. And it is not a payment for the extra costs of disability on its own: someone who can work full time but faces high disability-related costs may be better served by other supports, including the National Disability Insurance Scheme if they meet its separate eligibility rules. The comparison page explains those boundaries.

Start here, honestly. If you are unsure whether your condition is permanent and stabilised, or whether your work capacity is below 15 hours a week, the medical evidence page is the right next step. A claim with weak or incomplete medical evidence is the most common reason DSP claims fail, and it is also the part of a claim you can most improve before lodging.

General information only. This page explains the Disability Support Pension in plain English. It is not legal, financial, medical, or tax advice, and it cannot decide whether you qualify. Only Services Australia can decide a claim. Rates and rules change over time, so always confirm the current position with Services Australia before you act on anything here. Contact: hello [at] tapetoolhq.com.