Maximum Age Pension Rate 2026: The $1,200.90 Single Figure Broken Down to the Cent
From 20 March 2026, the maximum single Age Pension is $1,200.90 per fortnight — but that headline figure is actually three separate payments stacked together: a base rate of $1,100.30, a pension supplement of $86.50, and an energy supplement of $14.10. A couple where both partners qualify gets $905.20 each ($1,810.40 combined), and couples forced to live apart for health reasons each receive the full single rate. Here is every cent, where it comes from, and what you must stay under to keep it all.
The $1,200.90 single figure, line by line
When Services Australia and the media quote “the maximum Age Pension,” they almost always quote the all-in fortnightly total. But your payment summary breaks it into three components, and understanding the split matters — because the income and assets tests reduce some parts before others, and the energy supplement has its own quirky eligibility rule.
Here is the full single rate effective 20 March 2026 to 19 September 2026:
| Component | Per fortnight | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum base rate | $1,100.30 | The core pension payment |
| Maximum Pension Supplement | $86.50 | Replaces several old allowances (phone, utilities, GST) |
| Energy Supplement | $14.10 | Fixed amount toward energy costs |
| Total (single) | $1,200.90 | Approx. $31,223.40 a year |
Add it up: $1,100.30 + $86.50 + $14.10 = $1,200.90. There is no rounding trick — the components are published to the cent and sum exactly to the headline number.
Beryl, 71, single, lives alone in Bendigo. She owns her home, has $40,000 in a term deposit and $9,000 in a car. Her only income is $1,200 a year of bank interest.
Step 1 — Income test. A single pensioner can earn up to $218 a fortnight before the pension reduces. Beryl's $1,200/year interest is about $46 a fortnight — well under $218. Income test passes; no reduction.
Step 2 — Assets test. Her assessable assets are $49,000 (term deposit + car; her home is exempt). A single homeowner can hold up to $321,500 and still get the full pension. Assets test passes; no reduction.
Step 3 — What Beryl receives. Because both tests pass at the full-rate threshold, Beryl gets the complete maximum: $1,100.30 base + $86.50 pension supplement + $14.10 energy supplement = $1,200.90 a fortnight, or roughly $31,223 a year, paid directly into her account every second Wednesday.
The couple rate: $905.20 each, not half of $1,200.90
A common shock for new couples on the pension: two people do not get two single rates. The couple rate is lower per person, on the logic that two people sharing a household have lower per-person living costs. From 20 March 2026 each member of a couple receives $905.20 per fortnight, for a combined $1,810.40.
| Component | Each (per ft) | Combined (per ft) |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum base rate | $829.40 | $1,658.80 |
| Maximum Pension Supplement | $65.20 | $130.40 |
| Energy Supplement | $10.60 | $21.20 |
| Total | $905.20 | $1,810.40 |
So a couple receives $1,810.40 combined versus $1,200.90 for a single — about 1.51 times the single rate, not double. Each partner's payment is means-tested as a couple: Services Australia adds both partners' income and both partners' assets together, then splits the result. One partner being a high earner reduces both pensions.
Illness-separated couples: each gets the single rate
There is an important exception. If a couple has to live apart because one or both partners need care — for example, one moves into residential aged care while the other stays home, or one is in hospital long-term — they can be assessed as an “illness-separated couple.” Each partner is then paid the higher single rate of $1,200.90 per fortnight, for a combined $2,401.80 (about $62,447 a year).
This recognises that two separate households cost far more to run than one. The couple is still assessed jointly for the means tests (their income and assets are still pooled), but the payment rate jumps to the single figure for each person. You must tell Services Australia about the separation — it is not applied automatically.
Tom and Lorraine, both 78. After a fall, Lorraine moves permanently into an aged-care home; Tom stays in their unit. They are still a couple legally and still on the pension.
Before the separation: as a standard couple they received $905.20 each = $1,810.40 combined per fortnight.
After being assessed illness-separated: each is paid the single rate of $1,200.90, so $1,200.90 (Tom) + $1,200.90 (Lorraine) = $2,401.80 combined per fortnight — an extra $591.40 a fortnight (about $15,376 a year) to help cover two households. Their combined income and assets are still tested jointly.
What you must keep under to get the full rate
The figures above are the maximum rates — you receive them only if you pass both the income test and the assets test at the full-rate level. Services Australia applies whichever test produces the lower payment. Stay under both of these thresholds and you keep every cent.
| Full-rate threshold | Single | Couple (combined) |
|---|---|---|
| Income — keep fortnightly income under | $218 | $380 |
| Assets — homeowner, keep assets under | $321,500 | $481,500 |
| Assets — non-homeowner, keep assets under | $579,500 | $739,500 |
Earn or hold more than these limits and your pension tapers down rather than stopping abruptly: under the income test, the single rate reduces by 50 cents for every dollar of income over $218 a fortnight; under the assets test, by $3 a fortnight for every $1,000 of assets over the threshold. The pension cuts out entirely at much higher “disqualifying” limits. Your family home is always exempt from the assets test, no matter its value — which is why so many asset-rich, cash-poor retirees still qualify.
- $1,200.90/ft single = $1,100.30 base + $86.50 pension supplement + $14.10 energy supplement.
- $905.20/ft each for a couple ($1,810.40 combined) — roughly 1.5× the single rate, not double.
- Illness-separated couples each get the single rate, so $2,401.80 combined.
- You only get the maximum if you pass both tests at the full-rate level: single income under $218/ft and homeowner assets under $321,500.
- Rates change every 20 March and 20 September — these figures hold until 19 September 2026.
How the 20 March / 20 September indexation changes these numbers
The Age Pension is indexed twice a year, on 20 March and 20 September. The base rate is lifted to keep pace with the higher of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) or the Pensioner and Beneficiary Living Cost Index, and is then benchmarked against Male Total Average Weekly Earnings so the single pension stays at roughly 27.7% of MTAWE. The pension supplement is indexed to CPI; the energy supplement is a fixed amount and does not change at indexation.
The 20 March 2026 increase added $22.20 a fortnight to the single rate (it rose from $1,178.70 to $1,200.90) and $33.40 combined to the couple rate. That is why you may see slightly lower component figures (a $1,079.70 base, $84.90 supplement) quoted on older pages — those were the September 2025 numbers. Always check the effective date: the figures on this page apply 20 March 2026 – 19 September 2026, after which the September 2026 indexation will revise them again.
Sources for every figure on this page: Services Australia — How much Age Pension you can get, the Department of Social Services 20 March 2026 rate update, and the Services Australia income and assets tests. Confirm your own situation with Services Australia (Centrelink) before acting.
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Frequently asked questions
Is $1,200.90 the most a single person can ever get?
It's the most under the standard Age Pension from 20 March 2026. Some pensioners receive a little more if they also qualify for Rent Assistance (for renters) or the Pension Supplement is paid in full — but $1,200.90 is the maximum of the base pension + full pension supplement + energy supplement combination. The rate rises again at the 20 September 2026 indexation.
Why does a couple get less each than a single person?
The couple rate ($905.20 each) reflects shared household costs — two people running one home spend less per person than someone living alone. The combined couple rate of $1,810.40 is about 1.5 times the single rate, not double. It's a deliberate policy setting, not a penalty.
We're a couple but live apart because my partner is in care. What do we get?
You may be assessed as an “illness-separated couple,” in which case each of you is paid the single rate of $1,200.90 a fortnight ($2,401.80 combined). You must report the separation to Services Australia; it isn't applied automatically. Your income and assets are still assessed jointly.
Does the energy supplement come automatically with the pension?
For most Age Pension recipients, yes — it's built into the $1,200.90 figure. The main exception is people whose only entitlement is a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card granted after 20 September 2016, who don't receive it. If you're on the Age Pension itself, you receive the $14.10 (single) energy supplement at both full and part rates.
How much income or assets can I have and still get the full $1,200.90?
As a single, you keep the full rate if your income is under $218 a fortnight and, as a homeowner, your assessable assets are under $321,500 (your home is exempt). Above either limit the pension tapers — 50c per dollar of excess income, or $3 per fortnight per $1,000 of excess assets — not stops dead.
When will these figures change?
Every 20 March and 20 September. The $1,200.90 single rate applies from 20 March 2026 to 19 September 2026, then the September 2026 indexation revises it. Always check the effective date on any page quoting Age Pension rates, because stale figures circulate widely.