Last updated July 2023

A person may be granted the Disability Support Pension (DSP) if they lodge a claim and are found to meet the eligibility requirements under either the manifest medical rules or the Impairment Tables.

Eligibility under the manifest medical rules

Manifest grants of the DSP may only be made where a person:

  • has a terminal illness (life expectancy of less than two years with significantly reduced work capacity during this period)
  • has permanent blindness (meets the test for permanent blindness for social security purposes)
  • has an intellectual disability where supporting evidence clearly indicates an IQ of less than 70
  • has an assessment indicating the person requires nursing-home-level care
  • has category 4 HIV/AIDS
  • is in receipt of a Department of Veterans’ Affairs disability pension at a special rate (totally and permanently incapacitated).

Eligibility under the Impairment Tables

There are multiple requirements to qualify for the DSP under the Impairment Tables (this chapter refers to the DSP criteria that apply to claims lodged on or after 1 April 2023).

A person qualifies for the DSP if they:

  • are aged 16 or above and less than the Age Pension age at the time of the claim
  • meet the residence requirements by either:
    • having 10 years qualifying residence
    • having an exemption
    • qualifying under an International Agreement
    • being an Australian resident within the meaning of the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth) (Social Security Act) when their continuing inability to work first arose)
  • have a diagnosed condition (or multiple conditions) not expected to significantly improve such that the person would be likely able to undertake work within the next two years even with reasonable treatments
  • are unable to work more than 15 hours per week for the next two years, and unable to undertake a training activity to prepare for any work in the open market within the next two years
  • have evidence indicating that because of their condition/s, they meet the specific criteria for at least 20 points (constituting a severe functional impairment) on the Impairment Tables or meet the Program of Support rules.

Applicants who do not have evidence indicating that they meet the specific descriptors for at least 20 points on a single Impairment Table must have participated in a Program of Support (e.g. with an employment service or disability support service) for 18 months within three years of applying for the DSP to be eligible based on meeting a total impairment rating of 2 points added across multiple Impairment Tables.

There are limited exceptions to this requirement for those who have had some active participation and who provide evidence that their impairments prevent them from improving their capacity to prepare for, find or maintain work. Any period where a person has an exemption from their participation requirement (e.g. any period where a person on Jobseeker has submitted medical certificates for temporary exemptions which have been accepted) will not count as active participation in a Program of Support.

Supporting medical evidence from different practitioners may be required depending on the person’s condition and the Impairment Table that is relevant to assessing their level of functional impairment. For example, mental health diagnoses needed to be confirmed by a psychiatrist or psychologist to be assessed for the purposes of DSP (claims prior to 1 April 2023 required the psychologist to be clinical).

As part of the DSP application process, a person is likely to undergo a Job Capacity Assessment (JCA). A JCA is an interview with a Centrelink assessor, who assesses whether a person can work, how much work they are able to do and how much assistance they need in order to find and keep a job. The JCA will also assess a person’s medical eligibility for the DSP and offer recommendations, for example, as to the points that the person meets on the relevant Impairment Tables. The JCA will offer a notional work capacity range (e.g. 8 to 14 hours) and will influence the outcome of the person’s DSP claim and whether further assessments are required. A person can request a copy of their JCA report (as well as medical eligibility assessment reports and disability medical assessor reports if relevant).

A person who applies for a DSP can receive the Jobseeker Payment (s 593(1B)(d) Social Security Act) or Youth Allowance (s 540A(1)(c) Social Security Act) as a provisional payment while their application is being processed. This will generally happen automatically. If not, enquiries should be made to Centrelink.

Disability Support Pension reviews

Centrelink conducts intermittent reviews to ensure that DSP recipients continue to qualify for the payment. Disability Support Pension eligibility can be reviewed at any time, and different qualification criteria may apply than those under which the pension was granted to the person.

Currently, the DSP criteria that a recipient’s eligibility is reviewed against are the criteria that are in force on the day the review assessment notice is given, regardless of how long the person has been a DSP recipient and regardless of the criteria that applied at the time when their claim was granted.

If a person is no longer eligible to receive the DSP, their payments will continue for 42 days once they have been notified of the cancellation decision. The cancellation decision can be appealed, and a person in this situation should request the continuation of their DSP payments until the appeal is decided (this is called ‘payment pending review’).

Working while on the pension

Disability Support Pension recipients must advise Centrelink if they commence work and must report their income. Depending on when the person has been assessed for the DSP, it is possible to work up to 30 hours a week and still receive a part pension if their income remains below the relevant limits. If a person is working more than 30 hours, their DSP payments will stop.

If, within two years and 14 days from the date that the DSP payments ceased due to the person obtaining paid work for at least 30 hours per week, the person’s hours reduce, they can contact Centrelink to request that their DSP be restored. It is possible for restoration to occur without the person needing to lodge a fresh DSP claim. If their income goes above the relevant limits due to employment income, they can also have the DSP restored within two years and 14 days without needing a new application.