Find out which test is setting your pension, then try legitimate moves that Services Australia's rules allow and see the before and after side by side. Every result shows the rule it relies on and links to the official source. Rates from 20 September 2026, checked 27 October 2026.
Savings, shares, super once you've reached Age Pension age (67), investment property, cars, caravans and contents. Couples: combined.
Bank accounts, term deposits, shares, managed funds and super. These are deemed to earn income.
For example rent or a defined benefit pension. Couples: combined. Wages go in the Work Bonus what-if below.
Estimated Age Pension now
$0
per fortnight
Assets test result
Income test result
Deemed income
Total assessed income
Before you try anything: the deprivation rules
If you give away money or assets, or sell something for less than it's worth, Services Australia calls it a gift (deprivation). Amounts over the gifting limits are still counted as an asset, and deemed to earn income, for 5 years. Spending only helps when you get fair value in return, such as paying a builder at market rates to repair the home you live in. You must tell Services Australia about gifts, sales and changes within 14 days. Source: Services Australia, Gifting and How gifting can affect your payment, checked 27 October 2026.
2. Try the what-ifs
Each card starts from your situation above. Move the slider to see the estimated fortnightly pension before and after.
Repairs or renovations to the home you live in
Your principal home isn't counted in the assets test, so money spent improving it at fair value moves out of the test.
Rule relied on: "The only real estate asset we don't include is your principal home" (the home you live in and up to 2 hectares on one title). Money spent on an investment property, or paid to family for less than fair value, doesn't get this treatment. Source: Services Australia, Real estate assets (page updated 5 June 2026, checked 27 October 2026).
Gifting within the allowed limits
You can gift up to $10,000 a financial year, and up to $30,000 over 5 financial years, without it being counted.
Count up to $10,000 for each of those years.
Rule relied on: gifting limits of $10,000 in one financial year and $30,000 over 5 financial years (no more than $10,000 in any one year), the same for singles and couples. Anything over is counted in the assets test and deemed for 5 years from the gift. Source: Services Australia, How much you can gift (page updated 3 February 2025, checked 27 October 2026).
Downsizing your home
Selling turns an exempt home into cash. See how the 24-month exemption works, and why putting the surplus into super doesn't change the pension.
Rules relied on: for homes sold from 1 January 2023, the part of the proceeds you plan to use for your next home is exempt from the assets test for up to 24 months (up to 36 in some cases) and you're still assessed as a homeowner, but it's deemed at the lower rate (1.75%). Extra proceeds are normal financial assets. Sources: Services Australia, Real estate assets and Deeming; DSS Social Security Guide 4.6.3.90. Downsizer contribution (a tax and super rule): from age 55, up to $300,000 each from the sale of a home owned for 10 years or more, within 90 days. Source: ATO, Downsizer super contributions (updated 20 January 2026). All checked 27 October 2026.
A younger partner's super in accumulation
For couples where one partner is under Age Pension age (67): their super isn't counted while it stays in accumulation and isn't paying them a pension.
Rule relied on: "We don't count you or your partner's superannuation in the income and assets tests" while under Age Pension age, if the fund isn't paying a superannuation pension. It's counted from when that partner reaches Age Pension age, or starts a pension from it. Putting new money into super must meet the ATO's contribution rules and caps. Sources: Services Australia, Superannuation; DSS Social Security Guide 4.6.5.75, checked 27 October 2026.
Funeral bond or prepaid funeral
Planning your funeral ahead can be exempt: a funeral bond up to the allowable limit, or a fully prepaid funeral.
Rule relied on: up to 2 funeral bonds aren't counted if the amount invested is within the Funeral Bond Allowable Limit, $16,250 as at 1 July 2026, and you don't also have prepaid funeral expenses. A joint bond has one limit, not double. If more than the limit is invested, the whole bond counts. Fully prepaid funeral services under a contract normally don't count. Sources: Services Australia, Funeral bonds and prepaid funerals; DSS Social Security Guide 4.6.2.10, checked 27 October 2026.
Working a little: the Work Bonus
The first $300 a fortnight of work income isn't counted in the income test, for each pensioner who works.
Rule relied on: $300 of Work Bonus credit a fortnight offsets employment and self-employment income before the income test. Unused credit builds up to $11,800, which helps with irregular or seasonal work. This estimate assumes steady fortnightly work and no saved balance. Source: Services Australia, How the Work Bonus works (page updated 14 February 2025, checked 27 October 2026).
Unlocking home equity: the Home Equity Access Scheme
If your assets or income limit your pension, the government's Home Equity Access Scheme lets you take a fortnightly or lump-sum loan secured against your home. It's a loan with interest, so it isn't right for everyone.
Pension rules are set by the Department of Social Services and applied by Services Australia (Centrelink). The ATO is cited only for the downsizer contribution. Uses normal (not transitional) rates. Doesn't include Rent Assistance, couples separated by illness, residence rules, overseas income or assets, minimum-rate rules, or the Work Bonus balance. Rates change each March and September, and some limits each July.
General information only. This planner gives estimates, not a Centrelink assessment and not financial advice. It doesn't take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs, and results aren't guaranteed. Services Australia decides your actual entitlement. Rules can change, and a move that helps your pension may not suit your wider plans, tax, estate or aged-care position. Consider whether the information suits your circumstances, read our Financial Services Guide, and get personal advice before acting.
3. Turn the what-ifs into a plan
We'll check your actual figures against the current rules, look at what suits your wider plans, and set out the options in writing.
