Cash windfall: Thousands to receive $256 financial relief—find out if you're eligible

As the cost of living continues to rise, many Australians feel the pinch, particularly our senior community, which often lives on fixed incomes.

But there's some good news on the horizon for South Australians: The state government is rolling out a significant financial boost to help ease the burden.

Starting this month, the South Australian government will begin distributing its annual Cost of Living Concession to thousands of eligible recipients across the state.


Eligible households can expect to receive a $255.60 Cost of Living Concession for the 2024-25 financial year.

This concession is aimed explicitly at supporting pensioners, Centrelink recipients, and low-income households within South Australia.

In addition to this annual concession, recipients were granted a once-off extra cost-of-living payment of $243.90 in June, a measure announced in the state budget earlier this year.


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SA Government doubles annual Cost of Living Concession for 2024-25. Credit: Shutterstock


This extra payment reached more than 210,000 households.

The government has also confirmed a substantial investment of $36.6 million over four years to double the concession for two key groups: renters and self-funded retirees.

This change means these groups will now receive the same amount as homeowners.


Premier Peter Malinauskas has emphasised the importance of this initiative, stating:

'We are providing significant additional ongoing support for those recipients who are renters and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders. From July, they will receive double what they previously received.'

The concession payments are scheduled to be paid in late August, and funds will be directly deposited into the bank accounts of eligible recipients.

It's also worth noting that the concession amount is indexed each year.

The SA Cost of Living Concession targets pensioners, low-income households, and Centrelink recipients of payments such as JobSeeker, the Parenting Payment, and Youth Allowance.


Tip
To find out if you're eligible, visit the SA government’s website.

It provides comprehensive eligibility criteria and information on how cardholders and Centrelink recipients can apply.

If you want to receive the concession for the current financial year, apply by December 31.

The application process can be completed online.

If you've received the payment in the past and your circumstances haven't changed, there's no need to reapply—the concession will be automatically paid to one person per household.


Similar to previous news, Centrelink recipients are eligible for an automatic rebate on their electricity bills, with the rebate amount varying by state.

Services Australia will send letters to recipients, providing instructions on how to consent to share their details with electricity retailers for automatic payment. Read more about this news here.
Key Takeaways
  • The South Australian government doubled its annual Cost Of Living Concession for some recipients for the 2024-25 financial year.
  • Eligible pensioners, Centrelink recipients, and low-income households will receive a concession of $255.60, with some recipients getting additional support.
  • Renters and self-funded retirees received double the previous amount, equalling the concession given to homeowners, as part of a $36.6 million investment over four years.
  • Concessions will be paid directly into eligible recipients' bank accounts starting in late August, and the full eligibility criteria are available on the SA government's website. Applications must be submitted by December 31 to receive the concession for that financial year.
Have you received the Cost of Living Concession before, or will this be your first time applying? Share your experiences and tips with fellow members in the comments below.
 
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a concession that is given to everyone on a concession card
TELL ME HOW MANY OF THESE RECIPIENTS PAY THOUSANDS IN COUNCIL RATES
WHAT IS $256 compared to low-income workers who get a $3800 increase over the year compared to pensioners who get $480 a year
And lets not forget politicians whose take-home pay which has increased by@12,000 a year
ISNT IT ABOUT TIME THIS GOVT DID WHAT IT IS SAYING IT IS DOING FOR THE ELDERLY GENERATION AND INCREASED BENEFITS THE SAME IF NOT MORE THAN LOW INCOME EARNERS
PENSIONERS ARE HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS UNDER THE INFLATION RATE DUE TO GOVT DELIBERATE DISCRIMINATION AND LIES ABOUT THE CPI
 
Please don't complain if you're in WA! You receive a LOT more than other States for concessions and you have very cheap electricity. I would swap places with what you get in WA with what South Australians and Victorians any day!
Guess it all comes down to who is Governing your state, wouldn't you say?
 
I thought Victorians were getting a cash grant advertised in budget. I'm Victorian, didn't get it. Just checked, it's coming August 2024
Fingers crossed don’t think so at least in Victoria seems like everyone else is
 
We are all Ausies yet we don't get the same government help to keep up with the rise in living. It's really unfair. I'm in Tasmania and food is dear and rentals isn't cheap like everywhere, so why ??????
 
How about concessions for Victorians. I see lots of cash boosts for other states but nothing for us. We are hurting just as much.
Victorians are getting screwed and being forced to pay back what the government spent on COVID. Dan Andrew’s really made a mess of Victoria.
 

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Extortion ? I have level 2 age care, I was charged $884 for 2 visits by a social worker, to tell me what I should get. That my doctor had recommended I get was less than half the price quoted by the OT. And the social worker charged me $560 to fill out a form, which could have been done on line, then $49 for the phone call she made to me, saying she needed to redo the forms. Altogether almost $1400 and what I got was a pick up stick for $88 (they were $15 on line ) Ripppppp offfff. Do not tell me they are not on a commission. Wait....plus the provider adds 12% on top of it, as well as administration fees.
 
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