How to claim

Claim through myGov linked to Centrelink, with medical evidence from the care receiver's treating health professional.

Claim as soon as you are giving constant care and believe you meet the rules. Processing takes time, and a claim cannot be assessed until both your part and the care receiver's part are complete. The steps below follow the standard online claim; if you cannot claim online, call the Disability, sickness and carers line or visit a service centre and staff will help you start the claim another way.

Step by step

1. Set up myGov and link Centrelink. You need a myGov account with Centrelink linked. If you already receive a Centrelink payment, your accounts are usually already linked. If not, linking requires identity documents, so allow time for that step before you start the claim itself.
2. Start the Carer Payment claim. In your Centrelink online account, choose to make a claim and select Carer Payment. You will be asked about yourself, your partner if you have one, your income and assets, your work, and the care you provide.
3. Complete your part fully. Income and assets questions need figures, not estimates, where you have them: bank balances, investment values, superannuation, property other than your home, and any business or rental income. Guessing at this stage causes delays and, if the figures are wrong, debts later.
4. Arrange the medical report. The care receiver's treating health professional completes a medical report — for a person aged 16 or over, the Carer Payment and/or Carer Allowance medical report form (SA332a) is the standard form. The report covers the condition, how long it is likely to last, and what the person can and cannot do. Book this early: health professionals are often the slowest part of a claim.
5. Complete the care receiver's part. The person you care for (or their authorised representative, nominee, or guardian where applicable) provides their own details, including their income and assets for the care receiver test, unless they already receive an income support payment. A claim stalls if this part is missing, so agree who will do it and by when.
6. Consider claiming Carer Allowance at the same time. The two claims share much of the same evidence. Claiming both together avoids repeating the medical and caring evidence, and the Carer Supplement follows automatically if you hold either payment over a period including 1 July — there is no separate claim for the supplement.
7. Submit, then watch for requests. Services Australia may ask for extra documents or clarification. Respond promptly and keep copies of everything you send, with dates. If you are asked for something you do not understand, call and ask before the deadline passes.

What documents to have ready

Identity documents for yourself and, where needed, the care receiver; your tax file number; bank, investment, and superannuation details; property and vehicle details; income details for you and your partner; and the care receiver's income and asset details for the care receiver test. If the care receiver has a nominee or guardian, have that authority ready too. You do not need to send original documents unless asked — copies and online uploads are the normal route — but keep originals safe.

While you wait

Processing times vary with the completeness of the claim and the complexity of the assessment. Keep giving the care, keep a simple diary of the care you provide and the hours you work, and report any change within 14 days — including starting work, a change in hours, a hospital admission, or a change in who provides the care. If your circumstances change while the claim is being assessed, tell Services Australia rather than waiting for the decision: an assessment made on out-of-date information helps no one, and a decision based on the wrong facts is harder to fix afterwards.

If the claim is refused

A refusal letter explains the reason and the review options. Common next steps are asking Services Australia to review the decision, providing extra evidence (for example, a more detailed medical report or corrected financial figures), and, if the review does not change the outcome, appealing to the Administrative Review Tribunal within the time limit in the letter. Do not miss the time limit while gathering evidence: lodge the review first and add evidence as it arrives. If your circumstances change — the condition worsens, your income falls, or the care increases — a new claim may also be appropriate.

Sources: Services Australia, Carer Payment pages (including “How much Carer Payment you can get”, last updated 20 September 2026; “Income and assets test for Carer Payment”; “How much Carer Allowance you can get”; “Working while you get Carer Payment”; “Breaks from caring when you get Carer Payment”); Services Australia pension income and assets test pages. Photo credits: see IMAGE_MANIFEST.md in the site build notes; every photograph is a freely licensed Wikimedia Commons image.