Telephone Allowance

There are two rates of Telephone Allowance, depending on your circumstances. Your eligibility for it is assessed when you make a claim for certain Centrelink payments.

Basic rate Telephone Allowance

You may be eligible for the basic rate Telephone Allowance if you have a telephone connected in your or your partner's name and are in receipt of:

• Disability Support Pension (and are aged under 21 with no dependent children)
• Parenting Payment (single)
• Parenting Payment (partnered) (as long as you claimed it on or after 1 July 2006 and have been assessed as having a partial capacity to work due to a disability)
• Newstart Allowance or Sickness Allowance (and you are over 60 and have been in receipt of an income support payment continuously for nine months)
• Partner Allowance, Widow Allowance, Special Benefit or Parenting Payment (partnered) (and are over 60 but under age-pension age and have been in receipt of an income-support payment continuously for nine months)
• Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance (and have a partial capacity to work as assessed by a Job Capacity Assessor)
• Partner Allowance, or Parenting Payment (partnered) (and your partner is over 60 and receives Newstart Allowance or Sickness Allowance and has received income-support payments continuously for nine months)
• Newstart Allowance or Youth Allowance (and are a single principal carer of a dependent child)

You also need to meet the residency requirements for your main payment.

Higher rate Telephone Allowance

You may be eligible for the higher rate Telephone Allowance if you:

• meet the above conditions
• receive Disability Support Pension
• are aged under 21 with no dependent children, and
• have a home internet service connected in your or your partner's name

Telephone Allowance is paid quarterly with the first regular Centrelink payment you receive on or after 1 January, 20 March, 1 July and 20 September each year.

These payment rates are updated on 20 September each year.

Any concessions or discounts your telephone provider or internet service provider may offer are not related to Telephone Allowance.

Taxation

Telephone Allowance is not taxed.

Income and assets tests

You do not have to meet income or assets tests to qualify for Telephone Allowance.

Telephone Allowance is usually adjusted on 20 September each year in line with the Consumer Price Index—that is, in line with increases in the costs of living.

From time to time, your eligibility for the allowance may be reviewed.

If you qualify for Telephone Allowance, you may be entitled to other payments and benefits, such as:

When you claim certain Centrelink payments, your eligibility for Telephone Allowance is assessed at the same time.

If you already receive a qualifying Centrelink payment and you later become a telephone or home internet subscriber, you can test your eligibility for Telephone Allowance by:

• calling us on your usual payment number
• visiting your nearest DHS Service Centre.

If you disagree with a decision we make

You always have the right to appeal any decision we make. Read more about reviews and appeals.

You need to tell us if your circumstances change while you are receiving Telephone Allowance. For example, you need to tell us if you are no longer a telephone or home internet subscriber.

You need to let us know about any changes within 14 days in case they affect your allowance.

If you don’t tell us about changes, you may be overpaid and you will probably have to pay the money back.

There are rules about getting your payment when you leave Australia.

Read more about payments paid while outside Australia