In this guide
The Work Bonus is an incentive to keep pensioners in the workforce. If you are eligible, a portion of any income you earn via gainful employment does not count towards Centrelink’s income test.
Under existing Work Bonus rules, eligible pensioners can generally earn up to $300 a fortnight before they lose any of their pension entitlements.
The government has made a few changes to this program to make it more attractive for people who have reached Age Pension age to participate in the workforce.
First, in September 2022, a temporary one-off credit of $4,000 was added to the work bonus balance of all existing eligible pensioners. The plan was to remove this one-off credit on 1 January 2024.
Then in September 2023 the government announced this temporary increase would be made permanent.
This means eligible pensioners can now earn up to $11,800 a year before losing any of their pension.
Whether you earn regular employment income or sporadic amounts from a side hustle, please read on. You may be missing out on your Work Bonus and therefore potentially thousands of dollars in additional income.
Here’s how the scheme works.
Am I eligible?
To be eligible, you must be over Age Pension age and in receipt of a pension payment (Age Pension, Carer Payment or Disability Support Pension).
