In short

Since 1 January 2022 Utilities Allowance is paid only to Disability Support Pension recipients under 21 without children, so JobSeeker recipients and Age Pensioners do not get it. Pharmaceutical Allowance ($7.00 a fortnight single) and Telephone Allowance ($39.40 basic per quarter) can still be paid to some people over 55 before Age Pension age.

If you are in your late 50s or 60s and on JobSeeker Payment, you may have read that you can get a Utilities Allowance, Telephone Allowance and Pharmaceutical Allowance on top of your base rate. Part of that is out of date. This article sets out who can get each one now, using the Services Australia pages and the Department of Social Services (DSS) Social Security Guide as at 2 October 2026, and what happens once you reach Age Pension age.

The short version

  • Utilities Allowance: since 1 January 2022 it has been payable only to Disability Support Pension (DSP) recipients aged under 21 with no children. JobSeeker recipients and Age Pensioners do not get it.
  • Pharmaceutical Allowance: still paid with some payments before Age Pension age, including JobSeeker Payment in set circumstances, including being over 55 and having received income support continuously for at least 9 months.
  • Telephone Allowance: also still paid, including to people over 55 who have received JobSeeker Payment for 9 months with no break and have a phone or internet connection in their or their partner's name.
  • At Age Pension age, Pharmaceutical Allowance is no longer a separate payment for most people; its value was folded into the Pension Supplement.

Utilities Allowance: the one most guides still get wrong

The DSS Guide is unambiguous: "From 1 January 2022, only DSP recipients aged under 21, without children may receive UA." Parenting Payment and Widow Allowance recipients under Age Pension age could receive it until those payments ended on 1 January 2022 (DSS Guide 3.8.13). Services Australia's page tells the same story: it says you will be assessed "when you claim Disability Support Pension and are younger than 21, with no dependent children".

For those who do qualify, Services Australia lists $206.70 a quarter for a single person and $103.35 a quarter for each eligible member of a couple, adjusted on 20 March and 20 September, with no tax and no means test (page updated 20 September 2026). If you are a JobSeeker recipient and a website or old forum post says you can claim Utilities Allowance, check the date on it.

This matters for retirees planning household budgets after the end of the federal energy bill rebates; see our article on energy bill relief for pensioners after the federal scheme ended.

Pharmaceutical Allowance: $7.00 a fortnight, in certain cases

Pharmaceutical Allowance (PhA) is a small payment to help with PBS prescription costs. Services Australia lists it at $7.00 a fortnight for a single person and $3.50 each for a member of a couple (page last updated 1 January 2026), paid with your regular payment, and it is not taxed.

The DSS Guide (3.8.2.10) sets out who may be paid it. For JobSeeker Payment, the person must be one of:

  • temporarily incapacitated,
  • partially capable of work,
  • a single principal carer, or
  • over 55 and have received income support continuously for at least 9 months.

Similar 55-plus and 9-month rules apply to Parenting Payment (partnered), Austudy, and Special Benefit (in each case only while under the qualifying age for Age Pension). The DSS Guide also lists situations where PhA is not paid, including to a person on a transitional rate pension.

Telephone Allowance: quarterly, and tied to a connection

Telephone Allowance is paid quarterly. Services Australia lists a basic rate of $39.40 and a full (higher) rate of $57.80 per payment, updated each 20 September in line with the Consumer Price Index.

For the basic rate you need a telephone connected, including a mobile, with the account in your name or your partner's name. Services Australia says that, among the payments that can qualify you, a person "over 55 and have got JobSeeker Payment for 9 months with no break" may get it. The higher rate applies to some DSP recipients under 21 and to Farm Household Allowance recipients who also have internet.

What changes at Age Pension age

The DSS Guide explains that from 20 September 2009, as part of the pension reform, the value of PhA was incorporated into the Pension Supplement for most pensioners and for income support recipients who have reached the qualifying age for Age Pension (DSS Guide 1.2.7.20). The Pension Supplement similarly absorbed the old Telephone Allowance and Utilities Allowance; see our article on the Pension Supplement and Energy Supplement.

In practice, moving from JobSeeker to the Age Pension at 67 means the small standalone allowances stop and the Pension Supplement is paid inside your pension instead. It is worth knowing this so you do not budget for both. Rates and conditions for the Age Pension itself are in our 20 September 2026 explainer, and for people bridging to Age Pension age, our article on JobSeeker for older Australians covers the base payment.

Worked example

Illustrative only, not personal advice.

Margaret, 61 and single, has been on JobSeeker Payment for 14 months without a break and has a mobile phone in her own name. On the rules above she may qualify for Pharmaceutical Allowance (over 55 and 9 months of continuous income support) at $7.00 a fortnight and the basic Telephone Allowance at $39.40 a quarter, but not Utilities Allowance, which is limited to DSP recipients under 21. Services Australia assesses these automatically for some payments and asks you to confirm a phone or internet service in your myGov account for Telephone Allowance, so it is worth checking that it is set up. When Margaret reaches Age Pension age she would move to the Pension Supplement inside her pension and the standalone allowances would no longer be paid.

Sources

Key takeaways

  • Utilities Allowance has been limited to Disability Support Pension recipients aged under 21 without children since 1 January 2022 (DSS Guide 3.8.13).
  • Pharmaceutical Allowance is listed by Services Australia at $7.00 a fortnight for a single person and $3.50 each for a couple member.
  • On JobSeeker Payment, being over 55 with 9 months of continuous income support can qualify you for Pharmaceutical Allowance (DSS Guide 3.8.2.10).
  • Telephone Allowance is a quarterly payment, basic rate $39.40, which needs a phone or internet connection in your or your partner's name.
  • At Age Pension age these standalone payments give way to the Pension Supplement, so do not budget for both.

Frequently asked questions

Can JobSeeker recipients get Utilities Allowance?

No. From 1 January 2022 only Disability Support Pension recipients aged under 21 without children may receive Utilities Allowance, according to DSS Guide 3.8.13.

How much is Pharmaceutical Allowance?

Services Australia lists $7.00 a fortnight for a single person and $3.50 each for a member of a couple, paid with your regular payment and not taxed.

Do Age Pensioners get Telephone Allowance separately?

Not for most people. From 20 September 2009 the value of these allowances was folded into the Pension Supplement for most pensioners and those who have reached Age Pension age.

Who qualifies for Telephone Allowance on JobSeeker?

Services Australia says a person over 55 who has received JobSeeker Payment for 9 months with no break, and who has a phone or internet service in their or their partner's name, may qualify for the basic rate.

A note on advice. This article is general information only and doesn't account for your personal circumstances. Everyone's situation is different — before acting, it's worth talking it through with a licensed adviser who knows your full picture.