In the current climate, with rental prices soaring and the cost of living reaching new heights, many Australians are feeling the pinch. The situation can be particularly challenging for seniors, who often live on fixed incomes.

Thankfully, there's a lifeline available in the form of Rent Assistance from Services Australia.

As part of our commitment to keeping you informed and financially savvy, here’s an essential guide to understanding this benefit, its rates for 2024, and how to determine your eligibility.

Rent Assistance is a supplementary payment designed to help those already receiving certain payments from Services Australia and struggling with their rental obligations.

This support system is essential for people paying rent for traditional housing, retirement village fees, or other types of lodging, such as boarding houses.

Rent Assistance is a Services Australia program that supports eligible individuals struggling to pay rent. Image source: Freepik

It also includes those who live in alternative dwellings like caravans or boats, where site or mooring fees are applicable.

​

Who is Eligible for Rent Assistance?​

Eligibility for Rent Assistance is contingent on receiving one of the following Centrelink payments:

• Age Pension, Carer Pension, or Disability Support Pension
• ABSTUDY Living Allowance, Youth Allowance, or Austudy
• Special Benefit
• Family Tax Benefit
• Parenting Payment
• JobSeeker Payment or Farm Household Allowance

To be eligible, you must be paying rent above a certain threshold, which varies depending on your circumstances.

You will not be eligible for Rent Assistance if:

• You own or are purchasing the home where you currently reside, except for relocatable homes.
• You are away from your owned home for less than 12 months.
• The Australian Government is already subsidising the approved residential aged care facility where you reside.
• Your partner is already receiving Rent Assistance with Family Tax Benefit.
• You are receiving an allowance, and your partner receives Rent Assistance with their pension.

​

How to Apply for Rent Assistance​

One of the benefits of Rent Assistance is the ease of application.

There's no need for a separate claim—eligibility is assessed when you apply for one of the qualifying Centrelink payments.

If you're approved for the primary payment, Rent Assistance will automatically be considered.

Should you qualify, you may be required to provide proof of your rental arrangements.

This can be done by uploading documents via the Services Australia portal or submitting them in person at a service centre or by post.

Understanding Rent Assistance Payments in 2024​

Determining the amount of Rent Assistance you can receive can be complex.

The payment varies based on the amount of rent you pay, with a minimum rent threshold that must be met to qualify for assistance.

According to the Services Australia website, ‘There’s a minimum amount of rent you need to pay to get Rent Assistance. For every $1 of rent you pay above this amount, you’ll get 75c. You can’t get more than the maximum amount.’

The current rates, when paid with an income support payment or ABSTUDY, are as follows:



These rates are indexed each year on March 20 and September 20 to keep pace with inflation.

From March 20, 2024, individuals on an income support payment will see an increase in their Rent Assistance rates by $2.27 - $3.40 per fortnight, while those under the Family Assistance Act will see an increase of $3.92 - $4.49 per fortnight.

It's always vital to stay informed about the financial assistance available to you.

Rent Assistance can provide significant relief in managing rental costs, and understanding how to access this support is key to maintaining financial stability.

For the latest Rent Assistance rates and eligibility information, visit the Services Australia website. And remember, if you're facing difficulties with your rental situation, don't hesitate to ask for help. Services Australia and various senior support organisations are there to assist you.

Key Takeaways

• Rent Assistance is a supplementary payment for individuals on specific Centrelink payment plans who also pay for accommodation, including household rent, retirement village fees, or mooring fees for boats and caravans.
• To be eligible for Rent Assistance, individuals must receive payments like Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, various student allowances, Family Tax Benefit, Parenting Payment, JobSeeker Payment, or other specified payments from Services Australia.
• Applying for Rent Assistance does not require a separate claim; if eligible, the assistance is automatically applied. Proof of rent arrangements may be needed to be submitted.
• Rent Assistance payments range from $123 to $245 per fortnight in 2024, with the actual amount received depending on the recipient's rent.

Do you know about this benefit, members? Share your experiences in the comments below.

 

[zacca]

I’m 65 on the dole with a medical certificate so unable to work and are trying to apply for disability pension my rent is 1/2 of the unemployment income so$2.27 will go nowhere my rent is going up $65 a fortnight in May. It’s hard enough to get by now. There needs to be more done to help. I have 2 years to wait till I can get the seniors pension which would give me an d extra $350 a fortnight to live off. The rules need to be changed so that people in my situation can transfer to the pension earlier.

 

[melnugro]

Yeah know about Rent Assistance but the rates are the same as it was when last indexed November 2023 .
Bugger all when one pays on average $300 plus per week !!!!

 

[mylittletibbies]

With rents as astronomically high as they are how does the government think such a miserly amount will make any difference.
Rent is around $600/$700 per week and rent assistance around $100 per week. How are renters expected to survive when the bulk of their pension still has to cover their rent.
Politicians in their Macmansions have no idea of the struggles of people in the real world, despite all their babble to the contrary.
Public service fatcats in WA were recently awarded $50,000
a year payrises on top of their already obscene salaries and pensioners get $78 a year rent assistance rise.
It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.
My heart goes out to those of you living in these circumstances.

 

[AlanQ]

With rents as astronomically high as they are how does the government think such a miserly amount will make any difference.
Rent is around $600/$700 per week and rent assistance around $100 per week. How are renters expected to survive when the bulk of their pension still has to cover their rent.
Politicians in their Macmansions have no idea of the struggles of people in the real world, despite all their babble to the contrary.
Public service fatcats in WA were recently awarded $50,000
a year payrises on top of their already obscene salaries and pensioners get $78 a year rent assistance rise.
It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.
My heart goes out to those of you living in these circumstances.

and the tax they pay contributes to the welfare state. Most people are of their own destiny. Assuming you have been working for the last 30+ years, you would also have earnt a proportional income to these 'fat cats' and as such had a super contribution made by your employers. But, if like so many drew down all their super and didn't own a house (during the time home ownership was very achievable) then reliance on the welfare system falls at your own feet.

 

[mylittletibbies]

and the tax they pay contributes to the welfare state. Most people are of their own destiny. Assuming you have been working for the last 30+ years, you would also have earnt a proportional income to these 'fat cats' and as such had a super contribution made by your employers. But, if like so many drew down all their super and didn't own a house (during the time home ownership was very achievable) then reliance on the welfare system falls at your own feet.

I agree with you in some respects but not all people have good life experiences. They are bought up in dysfunctional families and this then seems to go from one generation to the next.
I do agree that people from our generation had ample opportunity to purchase their own home and many made bad life choices and did not do so .
I myself went thru two bad divorces, received nothing financial from these, but still managed to pick myself up and eventually, through hard work, managed to pay off my own home and eventually purchase a rental, but I was lucky enough to receive a good education.
However I still feel that those in high places are totally out of touch with reality and they may as well not have increased the rent assistance at all as give a miserly $3/fortnight while giving themselves $1000 a week
pay rise.

 

[IAN3005]

With rents as astronomically high as they are how does the government think such a miserly amount will make any difference.
Rent is around $600/$700 per week and rent assistance around $100 per week. How are renters expected to survive when the bulk of their pension still has to cover their rent.
Politicians in their Macmansions have no idea of the struggles of people in the real world, despite all their babble to the contrary.
Public service fatcats in WA were recently awarded $50,000
a year payrises on top of their already obscene salaries and pensioners get $78 a year rent assistance rise.
It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.
My heart goes out to those of you living in these circumstances.

The pension does not cover the rent..... about $182 a week down the gurgler

 

[Freeman27]

It would seem that I am rather lucky my rent only went up $46 dollars a fortnight recently but the big problem occurred when the best Money manager's( their words) stole the pension fund and placed it in consolidated revenue and some poor investments by the treasury at the time depleated the fund that we had paid taxes for? Maybe the Pensioner Classes should investigate a class action?

 

[IAN3005]

It would seem that I am rather lucky my rent only went up $46 dollars a fortnight recently but the big problem occurred when the best Money manager's( their words) stole the pension fund and placed it in consolidated revenue and some poor investments by the treasury at the time depleated the fund that we had paid taxes for? Maybe the Pensioner Classes should investigate a class action?

I'm highly suspicious of companies that promote 'the best' at whatever they deal with....mongrels the lot of them. They take your money and RUN...

 

[Elvenwishes]

I am currently on job seeker and I am 63 and due to medical issues cannot work at the moment. My rent went up an extra $25 a week and now I am paying $950 a fortnight out of my Centrelink money. Which leaves me around roughly $83 a fortnight. So any little amount that I receive in Rent Assistance is a blessing but as I have said to some of my friends I have to live somewhere so I manage. I am lucky my son still lives with me as he covers alot of the bills. Also as I care for my Mum and I do not claim Carers Allowance what I would get for that my Mum helps with my groceries (as we both like the same food we buy extra) and also pays my registration on my car and services when needed...... So in the space of 2 years of living in this rental I have had a $250 increase in rent. I also get the maximum Rent Assistance...

 

[SEAN]

With rents as astronomically high as they are how does the government think such a miserly amount will make any difference.
Rent is around $600/$700 per week and rent assistance around $100 per week. How are renters expected to survive when the bulk of their pension still has to cover their rent.
Politicians in their Macmansions have no idea of the struggles of people in the real world, despite all their babble to the contrary.
Public service fatcats in WA were recently awarded $50,000
a year payrises on top of their already obscene salaries and pensioners get $78 a year rent assistance rise.
It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.
My heart goes out to those of you living in these circumstances.

i am on a pension at 76y.o my rent is $800 p/f i am skipping meals in order to pay rent ,medication etcetcetc. my over all health is on the decline (not eating well, stress lousy neighbours plus) i agree with you ---FAT CAT POLLIES COULD NOT GIVE A TOSS.

 

[SEAN]

i am on a pension at 76y.o my rent is $800 p/f i am skipping meals in order to pay rent ,medication etcetcetc. my over all health is on the decline (not eating well, stress lousy neighbours plus) i agree with you ---FAT CAT POLLIES COULD NOT GIVE A TOSS.

 

[IAN3005]

I am currently on job seeker and I am 63 and due to medical issues cannot work at the moment. My rent went up an extra $25 a week and now I am paying $950 a fortnight out of my Centrelink money. Which leaves me around roughly $83 a fortnight. So any little amount that I receive in Rent Assistance is a blessing but as I have said to some of my friends I have to live somewhere so I manage. I am lucky my son still lives with me as he covers alot of the bills. Also as I care for my Mum and I do not claim Carers Allowance what I would get for that my Mum helps with my groceries (as we both like the same food we buy extra) and also pays my registration on my car and services when needed...... So in the space of 2 years of living in this rental I have had a $250 increase in rent. I also get the maximum Rent Assistance...

And I thought my rent was bad at $835 a week.... it recently went up $200.00

 

[IAN3005]

I pay $835 a week... you are correct, the pollies couldn't give a toss.....

 

[Littleboy8]

I pay $835 a week... you are correct, the pollies couldn't give a toss.....

What the fkare you renting a mansion in Potts point

 

[IAN3005]

What the fkare you renting a mansion in Potts point

No.... a townhouse in the middle of the Fairfield area... I consider myself lucky as the new ones in the area are going for over $1,000 a week.
They squeeze 2 to normal sized block with no backyard and a very small front yard and they are built with cardboard.

 

[Elvenwishes]

And I thought my rent was bad at $835 a week.... it recently went up $200.00

Bleeding Hell , if my rent goes up again which I pray to the rent gods it doesn't then I think I might have to sell my soul to the devil...

 

[IAN3005]

Bleeding Hell , if my rent goes up again which I pray to the rent gods it doesn't then I think I might have to sell my soul to the devil...

We have already sold our souls to the devil

 

[gamiry]

and the tax they pay contributes to the welfare state. Most people are of their own destiny. Assuming you have been working for the last 30+ years, you would also have earnt a proportional income to these 'fat cats' and as such had a super contribution made by your employers. But, if like so many drew down all their super and didn't own a house (during the time home ownership was very achievable) then reliance on the welfare system falls at your own feet.

funny how people don't know or have forgotten that many people have NEVER had superannuation. It wasn't in existence for most of my working life and when I stopped actual employment the Super mob claimed I owed them almost $10 after they'd been taking my money for over 15 years.

 

[IAN3005]

With rents as astronomically high as they are how does the government think such a miserly amount will make any difference.
Rent is around $600/$700 per week and rent assistance around $100 per week. How are renters expected to survive when the bulk of their pension still has to cover their rent.
Politicians in their Macmansions have no idea of the struggles of people in the real world, despite all their babble to the contrary.
Public service fatcats in WA were recently awarded $50,000
a year payrises on top of their already obscene salaries and pensioners get $78 a year rent assistance rise.
It would be laughable if it wasn't so serious.
My heart goes out to those of you living in these circumstances.

My rent is $835 a week and I get $186 a fortnight $93.00 a week which is peanuts.