Centrelink cash boost coming in weeks for 2.4 million Aussies: ‘More money in bank accounts'
Around 2.4 million Australians will benefit from the latest round of indexation, which will come into effect from July 1. The increase will see a range of rates, thresholds and limits increase by 2.4 per cent.
That includes payment increases for families receiving the Family Tax Benefit A and B, the Multiple Birth Allowance, and the Newborn Supplement. Income and asset thresholds will also be increased for recipients of the Age Pension, Disability Support Pension and Carer Payment.
RELATED
Centrelink payment change happening next week: 'Will increase'
Major RBA interest rate call set to give homeowners $250 per month win
$400 cash boost available for thousands of Aussies in new energy rebate
Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek said the government's "number one priority" was addressing cost-of-living pressures.
'From 1 July, millions of recipients of social security payments will see more money in their bank accounts," she said.
'Payments like the Family Tax Benefit help cover the costs of raising children for many Australian families, and indexation is a crucial way to help families when cost of living rises."
Families getting the Family Tax Benefit Part A will see their maximum fortnightly payments go up to $227.36 a fortnight, an increase of $5.32.
For those with children aged 13 or over, the rate will increase to $295.82 a fortnight, which is an increase of $7.
Families receiving the Family Tax Benefit Part B will see their maximum rate increase to $193.34, an increase of $4.48. Families with children aged over 5 will see their rate increase to $134.96.
First-time parents of a newborn child will receive an extra $48 over 13 weeks, with the Newborn Supplement increasing to $2,052.05.
The Multiple Birth Allowance will increase to $196.56 per fortnight for those giving birth to triplets, while payments for quadruplets and more will go up to $261.94 per fortnight.
This round of indexation won't impact payment rates for the Age Pension, JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, the Disability Support Pension or Carer Payment. However, there will be income and asset threshold changes.
Age Pensioners will be able to earn $218 a fortnight, up $6 a fortnight, and still be eligible for the full pension. The maximum amount you can earn before your pension cuts out will increase to $2,516.
For couples, those limits will be $380 per fortnight and $3,844.40 per fortnight for the disqualifying income limit.
Single homeowners will be able to have assets of $321,500 and receive the full pension, while couples will be able to have $481,500.
The cut-off threshold to receive a part pension will increase to $704,500 for single homeowners and $1,059,000 for couple homeowners.
The Paid Parental Leave annual income limits will also increase, with the individual limit increasing to $180,007 per annum and the family limit increasing to $373,094 per annum.
Full details of the new rates and thresholds can be found here.Sign in to access your portfolio
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Major retirement mistake millions of Aussies are making
A finance expert has revealed the 'biggest mistake' that Aussie retirees are making, and it has nothing to do with their superannuation or money at all. Retirement is supposed to be a time for some well-earned relaxation, but many Aussies have admitted they are worried about their retirement. The Barefoot Investor Scott Pape has urged Aussies to "treat retirement like a job' and said many Aussies don't take the time to plan what they are actually going to do in retirement. Pape's message was sparked by the retirement of his long-time editor, Wally, this year. Pape said the pair spent quite a bit of time simplifying his portfolio, lowering his fees and ensuring he had enough living expenses at hand 'to ride out any Trump slumps' in the lead up to his retirement. RELATED Superannuation balances needed at different ages for 'comfortable' retirement Centrelink reveals 'common misconception' about $1,732 pension payment Aussie mum turns dirty laundry from side hustle to $8 million business 'However, we've devoted even more time to avoiding what I think is the biggest mistake retirees make … and it has nothing to do with money,' Pape wrote in his weekly newsletter. 'Most people spend years making sure they've got enough superannuation to never work another day in their life. 'Yet they don't spend a single day planning what they're actually going to do.'Pape said his friend, former Deputy Prime Minister Tim Fischer, told him he had spent 12 months preparing for his retirement before it happened and said you needed to 'treat your retirement like it's a full-time job'. Pape said Fischer was 'dead right'. 'I've had thousands of conversations with retirees, and I can tell you the happiest ones are not those with the biggest SMSF balance – they're the ones with purpose and a plan,' he said. Aussies worried about retirement New research from UniSuper found more than 90 per cent of Aussies were concerned about retirement. Money was a worry for many, with 45 per cent of all working Australians feeling they weren't financially prepared for retirement and 48 per cent in the dark about how much money they would need to comfortably retire. Meanwhile, more than two-thirds were worried about outliving their retirement savings. The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) estimates that a single homeowner would need $595,000 and a couple $690,000 to retire comfortably at age 67. This is based on them drawing down all their capital and receiving a part Age Pension from the government. Purpose and social connection were another major concern, with 61 per cent worried about losing their social ties formed in the workplace when they retired. Feeling isolated and losing social connections, and boredom were other big worries. UniSuper CEO Peter Chun said there was no one-size-fits-all approach to retirement. 'Retirement is one of life's most significant milestones and it's natural for people to worry about losing their sense of connection, identity and purpose when they leave full-time work and their career,' he said. "What is inspiring is that rather than retreating, many Australians are reimagining retirement not as an end, but as the start of a new chapter filled with meaning, growth and fresh opportunity." Aussies reshaping retirement So what are Aussies doing to give themselves purpose in retirement? UniSuper found 81 per cent of Aussies said they planned to keep working in some way in retirement, whether that's through a new job, volunteering or flexible, hybrid work. Services Australia general manager Hank Jongen also revealed some Aussies were choosing to retire gradually rather than stopping work altogether, which is often called a "soft retirement". Aussies can continue working and still receive part of the Age Pension, depending on how much they earn. "This can offer both financial flexibility and a smoother emotional transition to this stage of your life," Jongen said While 71 per cent cited financial considerations as a key reason they would continue to work, others said they would do it to maintain a sense of purpose (56 per cent) and stay socially engaged (28 per cent). Two-thirds of Aussies said caring for loved ones was among their top priorities in retirement, while one in three said volunteering and community involvement were among their key goals. 'Australians are seeking meaningful ways to stay connected and they're doing it on their own terms," Chun said. "Whether it's part-time work, volunteering or creative pursuits, the path to purpose in retirement is deeply personal."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Major cash hit for millions as savings rates drop today after RBA decision
Several major banks have slashed their interest rates on savings accounts after the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) move earlier this week. The central bank dropped the cash rate from 3.85 per cent to 3.60 per cent, which will be great news for homeowners as their mortgage repayments will fall. However, this decision can sometimes cause savings rates also fall, and those with the Bank of Queensland (BOQ), NAB, and Macquarie have been hit with a reduction on Friday. Finder's head of consumer research, Graham Cooke, told Yahoo Finance that one group of people will be hit particularly hard by this. "Over the last couple of years, one of the things that was contributing to the cost-of-living crisis was interest rates going up," he said. RELATED Mortgage broker reveals $112,000 home loan mistake Work from home shift for millions of Aussies as 'clear link' with salaries revealed Hidden $3,000 per year cost of cashless revolt as record number of banknotes hoarded "So mortgages went up, but rents were also going up because landlords who were renting out their houses had mortgages, and they were pushing up rent. "Now mortgages are coming down and every homeowner is going to get probably a 1 per cent drop on their mortgage by the end of the year, which will be a huge saving. "They're not going to pass that on to renters, though." He said tenants will not only not receive a reprieve in their rent prices, but they will receive less money from their cash that's sitting in their bank much have savings interest rates fallen? In the wake of the RBA's decision to lower the cash rate on Tuesday, seven banks have reduced their savings rates. The rate for BOQ's Future Saver account fell from 5.10 per cent to 4.85 per cent on Friday, which is an account designed for people aged 14 to 35. The bank's Smart Saver also suffered a 0.15 per cent reduction. Two savings accounts at NAB, Reward Saver and iSaver, dropped by 0.25 per cent. There was also a 0.25 per cent cut in the transaction account and savings account at Macquarie Bank. However, mortgage holders on a variable rate will also see a cut in their interest repayments. Those with savings accounts at AMP, Great Southern Bank, ME Bank and Hume Bank will also see their savings rates fall from this week. Are more cuts coming? Savings rates could soon tumble at Commonwealth Bank and ANZ as those are currently "under review", while Westpac savers will see a 0.25 per cent drop in the rate for the Life and eSaver rates on August 22. The bank's Spend&Save, which is for 18-29-year-olds, will be spared from any reductions and will stay at 5 per cent for now. Canstar's data and insights director Sally Tindall warned there could be many more banks jumping on this trend in the weeks ahead. "Banks aren't likely to make a song and dance about them," she said. 'Our rate tracker shows more than 60 banks have rushed to share the good news on mortgage rates, yet many banks are leaving their savings customers guessing." Double-edged sword of RBA's falling cash rate Homeowners had been pleading with the RBA to drop interest rates after they were raised more than a dozen times from May 2022 to November 2023. The 4.35 per cent cash rate was then held all the way until February this year when the first rate cut since 2020 was approved. We've had two more rate cuts since then, which Tindall said have had an unfortunate impact on savings rates. "The third RBA rate cut of the year is already hitting savers in the hip pocket," she said. 'If your bank hasn't told you what's happening with your savings yet, don't wait – call, email, or even reach out on social media. "It's your hard-earned money, and you have every right to know where your rate is headed.' Once the dust settles on this third round of savings rate cuts, she predicted a competitive rate will likely be 4.75 per cent or above, however you might have to meet monthly terms and conditions to access this higher in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Mortgage broker reveals $112,000 home loan mistake: ‘Costing you a bomb'
A mortgage broker has revealed how Aussies could shave thousands off their home loan and pay it off quicker by making one simple change to their repayments. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cut the cash rate this week, providing welcome relief to millions of borrowers, but there are other ways to save aside from getting a lower interest rate. Most banks and lenders will set monthly home loan repayments as a default and Cameron Capital founder Mary Cameron said it could be 'costing you a bomb'. She said just switching the frequency of your repayments to fortnightly or weekly can make a surprisingly big difference to your loan. 'Having a smart structure and paying it off with these earlier and more frequent payments [means] that you can save over $100,000 over the life term and four years of your loan,' Cameron told Yahoo Finance. RELATED RBA cuts interest rates delivering cash boost for millions of mortgage holders Hidden $3,000 per year cost of cashless revolt as record number of banknotes hoarded ATO $2,548 tax refund cash boost for 2.6 million Aussies Cameron gave the example of a borrower with a $550,000 home loan with an interest rate of 5.8 per cent over 30 years. They would have monthly repayments of $3,208, but if they switched to fortnightly repayments of $1,604 they could take four years off their loan and save $109,000 in interest. If they switched to weekly repayments of $802, they could save four years on their loan and save $112,000 in interest. Cameron said to consider how often you get paid. If you are paid weekly or fortnightly, it might make sense to match your repayments to your pay can paying fortnightly or weekly save me money? The reason for the difference is because you are actually making more repayments during the year compared to monthly. That's because by paying half the monthly amount every two weeks, you'd make the equivalent of an extra month's repayment each year, as there are 26 fortnights in a year, which works out to 13 monthly repayments annually. There are similar benefits for weekly repayments too. 'It's a sneaky little way of actually slipping in an extra repayment for the year. So by paying it off weekly, you're actually without realising it getting a whole month repayment in that annual year,' Cameron explained. Interest is also calculated daily, so the more frequently your debt is being repaid, the lower your interest costs will be. Cameron said most banks will allow you to switch to fortnightly or weekly repayments. You can ask your mortgage broker for help with this or call up the bank directly and make sure it suits your personal circumstances. How else could I save on my home loan? If you're looking for more ways to pay off your loan quicker, Cameron said keeping your repayments the same after the RBA's recent cash rate cuts could be worth considering. Vanguard calculated that borrowers with a $600,000 mortgage and 25 years remaining on an interest rate of 5.8 per cent could pay off their loan more than a year earlier and save $29,705 in interest over the life of their loan just by keeping repayments the same after Tuesday's rate cut. 'You're smashing down the loan a lot sooner, just keeping the repayments the same without reducing your repayments to the new, smaller amount,' Cameron said. CBA, NAB and ANZ revealed millions of borrowers have already been doing this, with just one in 10 opting to lower their repayments following the May rate cut. Westpac is the only Big Four bank that automatically drops repayments for customers paying the minimum amount. Popping any lump sum bonus money you receive, like any tax refund, is another way to bring down your home loan, Cameron said. 'Even if it's once a year and they get $5,000 from their tax return, throw that in your mortgage account. Don't keep it in a savings account because it's doing nothing for you,' she said. You could also consider rounding up your repayments. 'If your repayment is something like $2,378 per month, just round it up to $2,500 a month,' Cameron said. 'You'd be surprised with just that $130 extra a week, throwing that in other than just the standard amount that you're required to make, how that little extra adds up massively over time.' Aussies have also been switching to different banks, with recent ABS data revealing nearly 100,00 mortgages switched to a different lender in the June quarter. That works out to more than 1,000 mortgages refinanced a day.