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185,000 Centrelink recipients to get $231 cash boost

Eliza Bavin
·Personal Finance Editor
Updated ·2-min read
Australian currency and the Centrelink logo on the exterior of a building.
Centrelink recipients in SA will receive a cash boost. (Source: Getty)

The South Australian government has announced additional payments for Centrelink recipients to help with the rising cost of living.

The Cost of Living Concession payment was announced as part of the state government's Budget.

Those eligible for the concession will receive up to $449 in the next financial year - an increase of up to $231.80 on the current payment.

The boost will be for the 2022-23 financial year and will cost the government $39.3 million.

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The increase was more than 100 per cent because the government was doubling the amount after indexation, Premier Peter Malinauskas said.

The Cost of Living Concession can only be paid to one person per household. There are currently approximately 185,000 recipients.

Assessment will be based on an individual’s circumstances on July 1 of the relevant financial year.

“The rising cost of living is hitting everybody’s budgets, but it is disproportionately hurting those on low and fixed incomes,” Malinauskas said.

“While the government can’t click its fingers and make the cost of everyday items cheaper, what we can do is provide targeted relief to those who need it most.”

Malinauskas said many South Australians had been forced to tighten their household budgets to meet rising costs.

“Doubling the Cost of Living Concession will provide additional relief to people on low and fixed incomes to give them that little bit of extra breathing space,” he said.

Who is eligible

To be eligible for the concession, recipients must:

  • Live at their stated property

  • Hold an eligible card, receive an eligible Centrelink payment, or meet low-income provisions

  • Eligible cards include: Pensioner Concession Card, DVA Gold Card, Totally and Permanently Incapacitated (TPI), Extreme Disablement Adjustment (EDA), War Widow, issued to a person with 80 or more overall impairment points under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (Cth), Low Income Health Care Card, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

  • Tenants must not be living with anyone who earns more than the low-income provisions, unless they either: get an allowance from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA) or are your spouse, domestic partner or dependent

South Australians yet to register for the concession payment can apply online through the South Australian Government website: www.sa.gov.au.

The money should start hitting recipients' bank accounts from August.

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