Housing SA and community housing providers only take certain types of income into account when working out:
- eligibility for help paying bond or rent
- affordable rent limits for people receiving help paying bond and rent
- eligibility for public and community housing
- how much rent a public or community housing tenant is charged.
This table sets out the different types of income, and if they are assessable.
Contact Housing SA about income types that aren’t included in this list.
Contact Centrelink for more information about the below income types.
| Income type | Assessable | Description and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Abstudy | Yes | Financial help to Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Australians who are studying or undertaking an Australian Apprenticeship. |
| Age Pension | Yes | Provides income support and access to a range of concessions for eligible older Australians. |
| Assistance for Isolated Children (AIC) Scheme | No | Financial help for parents and carers of children who can't go to a local government school because of geographical isolation, disability or special needs. The AIC Scheme includes the Boarding Allowance, Second Home Allowance, Distance Education Allowance, and AIC Pensioner Education Supplement. |
| Austudy | Yes | Financial help to full-time students and Australian Apprentices aged 25 or over. |
| Bereavement Allowance | No | New grants of Bereavement Allowance stopped on 20 March 2020. People getting Bereavement Allowance keep getting it until the end of their bereavement period, usually 14 weeks. |
| Carer Payment | Yes, except when calculating Housing SA rent, and it's paid to someone who provides care to a tenant who isn't the tenant's partner. | A payment for people who give constant care to someone who has a severe disability, illness, or an adult who is frail and aged. |
| Carers Allowance | No | An income supplement for people who give additional daily care to someone who has a disability, serious illness, or who is frail aged. |
| Carer Adjustment Payment | No | A one-off payment when a child under 7 gets a severe illness or has a major disability. |
| Carer Supplement | No | An annual lump-sum payment for people who give care to a person with a disability or serious illness, and get certain payments. |
| Coronavirus Supplement | No | A temporary fortnightly payment for job seekers and students affected by coronavirus who get certain income support payments. |
| Crisis Payment | No | A one-off payment to help people who are in severe financial hardship because of extreme circumstances, for example victim of domestic violence, released from prison or a refuge. |
| Disability Support Pension | Yes | Financial support for people with a permanent physical, intellectual or psychiatric condition that stops them from working. |
| Double Orphans Pension | No | A regular payment for people who give care to a child whose parents can’t care for them or have died. |
| Economic Support Payment | No | One-off payments for people affected by coronavirus who get certain income support payments. |
| Education Entry Payment | No | A once-a-year payment made to people when they start study if they get certain income support payments. |
| Energy Supplement | No | An ongoing payment to help people pay for energy bills, for example electric or gas, if they get certain payments. |
| Essential Medical Equipment Payment | No | A yearly payment to help with energy costs to run medical equipment or medically required heating or cooling. |
| Family Tax Benefit Part A, paid on a fortnightly basis | Yes, except for people living in housing managed by Housing SA in an Aboriginal community. | Helps with the cost of raising children. |
| Family Tax Benefit Part B, paid on a fortnightly basis | Yes, except for people living in housing managed by Housing SA in an Aboriginal community. | Extra financial assistance to help with the costs of raising children. Provided to single parents, couples with 1 main income and non-parent carers, for example grandparents, great grandparents. |
| Family Lump Sum Payment | No | Family Tax Benefit Part A, Family Tax Benefit Part B paid as an annual lump sum. |
| Farm Household Allowance | Yes | Help for farming families in financial hardship. |
| JobSeeker Payment | Yes | Income support payment for people looking for work aged at least 22 years and under Age Pension age. |
| Language, Literacy & Numeracy Supplement | No | Newly arrived Australians may be eligible for the Language, Literacy & Numeracy Supplement if they are in the Skills for Education and Employment Program and received designated allowances. |
| Mobility Allowance | No | A payment to help with travel costs for work, study or looking for work for people with a disability, illness or injury that means they can’t use public transport. |
| Newborn Upfront Payment and Newborn Supplement | No | A lump sum increase to Family Tax Benefit Part A for people who start caring for a baby or child that’s recently come into their care. |
| Parental Leave Pay | Yes | Financial help for working parents for up to 18 weeks to care for a newborn or newly adopted child. |
| Parenting Payment | Yes | Income support for the principal carer of a young child. |
| Pensioner Education Supplement | No | A regular extra payment to help with study costs for people who get certain income support. |
| Pension Supplement | No | A regular extra payment to help with utility, phone, internet and medicine costs if you get certain income support. |
| Pensions Loans Scheme | No | A scheme that lets older Australians get a voluntary non-taxable fortnightly loan. |
| Remote Area Allowance | No | A regular extra payment for people who live in a remote area and get certain income support. |
| Rent Assistance | Yes, except for people registering for public or community housing. | Financial help towards rent for people who pay rent and receive certain Centrelink payments. |
| Sickness Allowance | Yes | New grants of Sickness Allowance stopped on 20 March 2020. People getting Sickness Allowance before that date keep getting it until their medical certificate expires. |
| Special Benefit | Yes | Help for people in severe financial hardship who can’t get other income support from Centrelink. |
| Status Resolution Support Service Payment (SRSS) | Yes | A regular payment for people waiting to hear about their immigration status to help with basic living costs. |
| Widow Allowance | Yes | New grants of Widow Allowance stopped on 1 July 2018. People getting Widow Allowance before that date keep getting it for as long as they’re eligible. |
| Youth Allowance | Yes | Financial help for people aged 24 or younger and are a student or Australian Apprentice, or aged 21 or younger and looking for work. |
| Youth Disability Supplement | Yes | An extra payment for a young person with a disability who receives certain income support payments. |
| Youth Jobs PaTH Internship | No | Incentive payment received in addition to regular income support payment. |
Contact the Department of Veterans’ Affairs for more information about the below income types.
| Income type | Assessable | Description and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Defence Force Income Support Allowance | Yes | May be paid to veterans or their partners when their social security income support payment is reduced or not payable because of a payment of adjusted disability pension from the Department of Veterans' Affairs. |
| Department of Veterans' Affairs allowances | No | Depending on the accepted disability, people may also be eligible for some or all of the below types of allowances:
|
| Economic Support Payments | No | One-off payments for people affected by coronavirus who get certain income support payments. |
| Incapacity Payments | Yes | Compensation payments for an inability or reduced ability to work because of a service injury or illness. Incapacity payments are based on the difference between a person's normal earnings and their actual earnings. |
| Income Support Supplement | Yes | Means tested income support for war windows or widowers in addition to their War Widow or War Widowers Pension. |
| Orphan's Pension | No | An additional pension paid to war widows or widowers. |
| Pension Supplement | No | Paid as part of certain regular fortnightly income support payments to help eligible people meet the costs of daily household and living expenses. |
| Prisoner of War Recognition Supplement | No | Special recognition of former surviving Australians prisoners of war, both veteran and civilian, for the severe hardships and deprivations they experienced. It applies to all surviving former Australian prisoners of war from World War 2 and the Korean War. |
| Service Pensions | Yes |
A means tested income support payment that provides a regular income for people with limited means. The Service Pension is also known as the War Service Pension. Service Pensions cover:
|
| Totally and Permanently Incapacitated Pension | Yes |
Also known as the Special Rate, it provides for severely disabled veterans who aren't able to have a normal working life because of a permanent incapacity resulting from their war or defence service. An amount equal to a normal Service Pension rate is assessable. Any amount above this rate is non-assessable. |
| War Widows Pension / War Widowers Pension, including Domestic Allowance | Yes | Paid to compensate widowed partners and dependent children of veterans who have died as a result of war service or eligible defence service. |
| Income type | Assessable | Description and notes |
|---|---|---|
| Allocated Pension Income or Annuities | Yes | Income stream of a Self-Managed Superannuation Fund or Small Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Fund. Customers must provide proof of the income stream to Housing SA from their financial institution, including if they participate in the Centrelink Income Confirmation Service. |
| Australia Awards Scholarships | Yes | Scholarships provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to foreign students for the purposes of studying in Australia. |
| Alternative Care Carer Payment | No | A fortnightly payment from the Department for Child Protection paid to foster families and relative carers to help cover the costs of caring for a child in alternative care. |
| Child Care Payment | Yes | Total net income, or gross less allowable expenses, that is received for provide childcare service is assessable income. |
| Child Support Maintenance | Yes | A regular agreed amount paid by 1 parent to another parent to help with the costs of raising children. |
| Cost of Living Concession | No | A South Australian Government concession available to eligible South Australians on low or fixed incomes. |
| Defence Force Reserve Pay | Yes | Payment for those in reserve defence forced, not regular defence force personnel. |
| Enterprise, employment and training schemes | Yes | Enterprise, employment and training schemes, for example New Employment Incentive Scheme, Australian Government, are assessable. |
| Interest received | Yes | This includes interest received on invested lump sums, for example invested superannuation funds, bank accounts or any other interest yielding invested sum payment. All interest is assessable, there is no minimum limit. |
| JobKeeper payment | Yes | The JobKeeper payment is open to eligible employers, sole traders and other entities to enable them to pay their eligible employee’s salary or wages. Employers pay employees a minimum of $1,500 before tax per fortnight to claim the JobKeeper payment. The employer is reimbursed by the Australian Taxation Office. Income derived from the JobKeeper payment is assessable. |
| Loss of earnings payments | Yes | Payment for loss of earnings, for example ReturnToWorkSA claim, insurance claim. Payments may be made in a lump sum or on an ongoing basis. If a tenant or household occupant receives a lump sum payment for loss of earnings, they may be ineligible for Centrelink for a time. Housing SA bases its assessment on the income assumed by Centrelink to establish the period the person is precluded from Centrelink income. This applies even if the person disposes of the lump sum payment. |
| Lump sum payments - other | No | Redundancy payments for loss of employment including Targeted Voluntary Separation Payments. The total amount of the payment is excluded rent and other assessment purposes. Superannuation paid as a lump sum. Victims of crime compensation. Ex gratia payments - one off payments as follows:
|
| National Redress Scheme payment | No | A payment under the National Redress Scheme for people who experienced institutional child sexual abuse. |
| Overseas pensions or benefits | Yes | Any pension or benefit derived from a country that isn't Australia. |
| Real estate and business income | Yes | Any income associated with owning property or land, or any income derived from any commerce or trade. |
| Reimbursements | No | A reimbursement is a repayment for money already spent, for example reimbursement for expenses related to travel for work. |
| Salaries and wages | Yes | An annual salary is an agreement about the amount of pay for work over a 12 month period as a regular income. Someone who is paid wages receives a pay rate per hour, multiplied by the number of hours worked. |
| Salary sacrifice | Yes | Salary sacrifice in lieu of part of the salary is included and added to the gross income. |
| Self-employed income | Yes | Any income derived from a person's own business, trade or enterprise. |
| Scholarships, prizes and grants | Yes |
There are a number of scholarships, prizes and grants awarded. The type and purpose of the payment determines if it's assessable or non-assessable. Any living component of the payment, including accommodation expenses but excluded education, travel expenses, is assessable. |
| Spousal Maintenance | Yes | A payment or regular payments from 1 partner to their former partner after separation. |
| Student Homestay Payment | Yes | Payments made to people who house students providing bed and board, usually paid by the student's family. |
| Supported by family | Yes | A payment or regular payments from a family member. |
| Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme payment | No | A payment under the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme for Stolen Generations survivors who were removed from their families or communities in the Northern Territory, the Australian Capital Territory or the Jervis Bay Territory. |