e-Blast: Eligible lower income Australians to receive one-off stimulus payment
On 12 March the Government announced a stimulus payment to assist lower income Australians. They are doing this to support the confidence and demand in the Australian economy as a response to the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19).
What does this mean?
The Government will provide a one-off $750 payment to social security, veteran and other income support recipients and eligible concession card holders.
There will be one payment per eligible recipient. That is, if a person qualifies for the one-off payment in multiple ways, they will only receive one payment.
The payment will not be taxed and will not count as income for Social Security, Farm Household Allowance and Veteran payments.
Who is eligible?
People who are living in Australia and who are receiving one of the following payments or hold one of the following concession cards on 12 March 2020:
- Age Pension
- Disability Support Pension
- Carer Payment
- Parenting Payment
- Wife Pension
- Widow B Pension
- ABSTUDY (Living Allowance)
- Austudy
- Bereavement Allowance
- Newstart Allowance
- Youth Allowance
- Partner Allowance
- Sickness Allowance
- Special Benefit
- Widow Allowance
- Family Tax Benefit, including Double Orphan Pension
- Carer Allowance
- Pensioner Concession Card holders
- Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders
- Veteran Service Pension; Veteran Income Support Supplement; Veteran Compensation payments, including lump sum payments; War Widow(er) Pension; and Veteran Payment.
- Veteran Gold Card holders
- Farm Household Allowance
When will payment be made?
Payments will be paid from 31 March 2020 by Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Most eligible people will receive payments by mid-April 2020. So this means, between 1 April 2020 and mid-April 2020 payments will be made to eligible people.
What do I need to do?
You don’t need to do anything. The one-off payment will be paid automatically by Services Australia or the Department of Veterans’ Affairs if you are eligible. That is, if you receive one of the above social security allowances as at 12 March 2020.
Australian Government Factsheet
There is a good factsheet that has more information about:
- What to do if you cannot meet mutual social security obligations due to isolation because of the Coronavirus,
- What you may qualify for if you work and are unable to go to work because of the Coronavirus, and
- Who to contact if you receive Youth Allowance but are isolated and unable to study because of the Coronavirus.
Click here to go to the factsheet about the stimulus payment
Click here to get the latest Queensland Health Coronavirus information