Why a calculator, when the rates are just two numbers?
Because the rates are the smallest part of the difference. A single person gets $808.70 a fortnight on JobSeeker against a full single Age Pension of $1,200.90 — a gap of about $392. But the two payments are means-tested in structurally different ways, and for most people those differences dominate.
1. The assets test is a CLIFF, not a taper
Services Australia’s own wording for JobSeeker: “Your payment will cancel when your assets are more than” the limit. There is no gradual reduction — one dollar over and the payment is zero.
The Age Pension does the opposite: it reduces gradually, at $3 a fortnight for every $1,000 above the free area. So at the exact asset level where JobSeeker pays nothing, the Age Pension may still pay almost in full.
And a detail worth stating: the JobSeeker couple limits — $499,000 for homeowners, $766,000 for non-homeowners — are exactly the Age Pension assets free areas. The asset level at which the pension merely starts reducing is the level at which JobSeeker stops entirely.
2. The income taper is steeper, and has two steps
JobSeeker: nothing counts up to $150 a fortnight, then 50 cents in the dollar between $150 and $256, then 60 cents above $256. The Age Pension has a higher free area and a flat 50 cents.
So the same part-time job costs noticeably more JobSeeker than it would Age Pension — which matters, because working part-time is exactly what many people in this age group are doing.
A third difference is quieter but real: the Age Pension deems financial assets to earn income, and JobSeeker does not. Two people with identical total assets can get the same JobSeeker and different Age Pension, depending on how much of it is financial. The calculator asks for that split for exactly this reason.
How the model is checked
Services Australia publishes the income at which JobSeeker reaches $0. Those figures were not used to build the model — the model is built from the rates, the supplements and the taper. Reproducing the published cut-offs is therefore an independent check that pins every one of those inputs at once:
| Cohort | Computed | Published |
|---|---|---|
| Single, no children | $1,530.17 | $1,530.17 |
| Single, dependent child, not principal carer | $1,626.83 | $1,626.84 |
| Single, 55+ after 9 months (incl. Pharmaceutical Allowance) | $1,638.50 | $1,638.50 |
That third row earns its place. It only reconciles once Pharmaceutical Allowance is included, which is how we know that cohort is expected to receive it — the second row is the control, identical base and supplement but no allowance. A web search asserted the allowance was $6.20; the primary source says $7.00, and only $7.00 makes the published figure come out. The arithmetic caught the error.
The Age Pension side of the comparison is not reimplemented here. It calls the same engine the Age Pension calculator uses, so the two tools cannot drift apart.
Figures used, with sources
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| JobSeeker Payment maximum — single, no children | $808.70 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker Payment maximum — single, 55+ after 9 months on payment | $866.00 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker Payment maximum — partnered, each | $740.30 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| Energy Supplement — allowance, single no children | $8.80 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| Energy Supplement — allowance, single 55+ after 9 months | $9.50 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| Energy Supplement — allowance, partnered | $7.90 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| Pharmaceutical Allowance — single | $7.00 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| Pharmaceutical Allowance — part of a couple, each | $3.50 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker income free area | $150.00 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker income test — second threshold | $256.00 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker income taper — between the free area and the second threshold | 50 cents | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker income taper — above the second threshold | 60 cents | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| Partner income free area — partner aged 22 to Age Pension age | $1,415.00 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| Partner income taper | 60 cents | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker assets cut-off — single homeowner | $333,000.00 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker assets cut-off — single non-homeowner | $600,000.00 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker assets cut-off — couple combined, homeowner | $499,000.00 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
| JobSeeker assets cut-off — couple combined, non-homeowner | $766,000.00 | servicesaustralia.gov.au |
Every figure is stored with its source and a verification flag, and the build refuses to publish an unverified one. JobSeeker rates are updated on 20 March and 20 September — the same cycle as the Age Pension.
What is not modelled
Stated rather than quietly approximated. Each of these changes the answer:
- Principal carers of a dependent child — a different rate and a 40c taper with no second step.
- Partners under 22, who have different partner-income thresholds.
- Partial capacity to work of under 15 hours a week — a higher rate.
- Rent Assistance, which increases both payments and every cut-off.
- Working Credit and the Income Bank, which let you keep more of the payment in a fortnight when earnings spike. Material for irregular work, and a genuine omission.
- Mutual obligation requirements — a real difference between the two payments, but not a number.
- Tax. JobSeeker is taxable; so is the Age Pension, though most recipients pay little or none because of the seniors and pensioners tax offset.
The calculator is built for a person aged roughly 55 to 67 on JobSeeker, or someone advising one. Covering every cohort would multiply the chance of a wrong number for readers who are not asking.
One thing the calculator cannot tell you
The Age Pension must be claimed. It is not always automatic, and a late claim generally cannot be backdated. Claims can be lodged up to 13 weeks before you reach qualifying age — which, for anyone the calculator shows is materially better off, is the single most useful thing on this page.
Citing this calculator
Journalists, advisers and researchers are welcome to cite this page. Suggested form:
iAdvice, “JobSeeker vs Age Pension — Methodology and Sources”, https://www.iadvice.net.au/jobseeker-age-pension-comparison-methodology.htmlEvery figure links to its Services Australia source. If you find an error, tell us at support@iadvice.net.au and we will correct it and say so.