Centrelink is the part of Services Australia that pays income support, family payments, and concession cards. If you have just been granted permanent residency, the first question is not “which payment do I want” but “how long do I have to wait”. This guide lists the main payments, who qualifies for each, and the waiting period that most new migrants must serve first. Everything here was checked against Services Australia’s own pages on 14 October 2026.
Key facts at a glance
| Who pays | Centrelink, part of Services Australia |
|---|---|
| Residency rule | You usually need to be an Australian resident |
| Waiting period | Newly arrived residents may wait up to 4 years for most payments |
| Temporary visa holders | Generally cannot claim most payments |
| How to claim | Online through myGov, or by phone and in person |
| Last verified | 14 October 2026 |
What Centrelink pays for
Centrelink runs several different kinds of payment, and it helps to separate them before you start:
- Income support — payments that replace or top up your income, such as JobSeeker Payment, Youth Allowance, Age Pension, Disability Support Pension, Parenting Payment, and Carer Payment.
- Supplementary payments — smaller top-ups, such as Carer Allowance and Commonwealth Rent Assistance.
- Family payments — such as Family Tax Benefit, which helps with the cost of raising children.
- Concession cards — such as the Health Care Card, which give you discounts rather than cash.
Each payment has its own eligibility rules, and most of them combine an income test, an assets test, and a residence test. The residence test is the one that trips up new migrants, so it comes first.
The newly arrived resident’s waiting period (NARWP)
This is the single most important rule for anyone who has recently been granted permanent residency, and it is the one most often left out of summaries.
New residents may have to wait up to 4 years before they can get most Centrelink payments or concession cards. This is called the newly arrived resident’s waiting period, or NARWP. You serve it by being in Australia as an Australian resident — every day you are here counts towards it. Time you spend overseas does not count.
The length of the waiting period depends on two things: the payment you are claiming, and the date your visa was granted. For visas granted on or after 1 January 2019, the waiting periods are:
| 4 years | Austudy, Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) Health Care Card, Farm Household Allowance, JobSeeker Payment, Low Income Health Care Card, Mobility Allowance, Parenting Payment (single and partnered), Pensioner Education Supplement, Special Benefit, Tertiary Access Payment, Youth Allowance |
|---|---|
| 2 years | Carer Payment, Parental Leave Pay |
| 1 year | Carer Allowance, Family Tax Benefit Part A |
| No waiting period | Child Care Subsidy, Double Orphan Pension, Family Tax Benefit Part B, Stillborn Baby Payment |
If you hold a partner provisional visa (subclass 309 or 820), the waiting period starts from the later of the date you applied for the visa or the date you arrived in Australia to live. Partner provisional visa holders can only get a limited set of payments while they wait — the Low Income Health Care Card and Special Benefit, plus Parental Leave Pay under the 2-year rule and Family Tax Benefit Part A under the 1-year rule.
There are exemptions. You may not have to serve the NARWP if you are an Australian citizen, a refugee or former refugee, or the holder of certain visa subclasses, or the family member of a refugee or humanitarian migrant. Some payments also have their own exemptions — for example, there is no waiting period for Family Tax Benefit Part A if you got your permanent residence or partner provisional visa before 1 January 2019, or if you hold or have held a temporary protection type visa, or a Special Category visa subclass 444, or a Pacific Engagement visa subclass 192.
Two things follow from all of this, and they are worth stating bluntly:
- Being granted permanent residency does not mean you can claim straight away. For most payments, you must serve the waiting period first.
- Temporary visa holders generally cannot claim these payments at all. Most payments require you to be an Australian resident, which in practice means a citizen or permanent resident. The partner provisional visa is a specific exception, not the general rule.
Services Australia’s advice is simple: always lodge a claim anyway, because that is how the department checks whether an exemption applies to you. See how Australian permanent residency works if you are still working out your status.
The main payments, and who qualifies
JobSeeker Payment
JobSeeker Payment is financial help if you are between 22 and Age Pension age and looking for work, or if you are sick or injured and cannot do your usual work or study for a short time. You must meet income and assets tests and the residence rules. The NARWP for JobSeeker is 4 years.
Youth Allowance
Youth Allowance is for people 24 or younger who are studying or doing an Australian Apprenticeship, or 21 or younger and looking for work. The exact age bands are: 16 to 21 and looking for full-time work; 18 to 24 and studying full time; 16 to 24 and doing a full-time apprenticeship; and some 16 to 17 year olds who are independent, need to live away from home to study, or are studying full time after completing Year 12. The NARWP for Youth Allowance is 4 years.
Age Pension
Age Pension is the main income support payment for people who have reached Age Pension age, which is 67 or older. To get it you must be 67 or older, be under the income and assets test limits, and be an Australian resident — normally for at least 10 years. The 10-year residence requirement is separate from, and on top of, the NARWP. If you have lived in a country that has a social security agreement with Australia, different rules may apply.
Disability Support Pension (DSP)
Disability Support Pension is financial help if you have a physical, intellectual, or psychiatric condition that is likely to persist for more than two years and stops you from working. To get DSP you must meet both non-medical rules and medical rules. DSP is an income support payment and is completely separate from the NDIS, which funds services rather than income — our NDIS guide explains the difference.
Parenting Payment
Parenting Payment is the main income support payment while you are the main carer of a young child. You must be under the income and assets test limits, meet the principal carer rules for a child under 14 if you are single or under 6 if you have a partner, meet the residence rules, and your partner must not be getting Parenting Payment. The NARWP is 4 years, though there is a 2-year rule for an Australian citizen who starts living in Australia for the first time.
Carer Payment and Carer Allowance
These are two different payments and it is easy to mix them up. Carer Payment is an income support payment if you give constant care to someone with disability or a medical condition, or an adult who is frail aged, and that person needs care for at least six months. Carer Allowance is a smaller supplementary payment — $162.60 each fortnight — if you care for someone who needs ongoing daily care for at least 12 months, or who has a terminal medical condition. You can get both. The NARWP is 2 years for Carer Payment and 1 year for Carer Allowance.
Family Tax Benefit (FTB)
Family Tax Benefit is a two-part payment that helps with the cost of raising children. It is a family payment rather than an income support payment, and its waiting periods are shorter than most: FTB Part A has a 1-year NARWP, and FTB Part B has no waiting period at all. Because it has its own detailed rules, we cover it in a dedicated guide — see Family Tax Benefit explained.
Commonwealth Rent Assistance
Rent Assistance is a regular extra payment if you pay eligible rent or accommodation costs and already get an eligible payment from Centrelink. You do not claim it separately — Centrelink checks whether you qualify when you claim an eligible payment, or when you tell them your address, accommodation, or rent details have changed.
Special Benefit
Special Benefit is a payment for people in financial hardship who are not eligible for any other income support payment. You must be ineligible for any other income support and in financial hardship for reasons beyond your control. The NARWP is 4 years, but you may not have to wait if, since arriving in Australia, you are in severe financial hardship, cannot get any other income support, and your circumstances have changed substantially — for example, you are homeless or at risk of homelessness, you have experienced family and domestic violence, your health has declined, or your sponsor can no longer support you.
Step-by-step: how to claim
- Create a myGov account and link Centrelink. Most claims start online, and you will need proof of identity to link your account.
- Check the payment’s residence and waiting-period rules. Read the specific page for the payment you want, because the NARWP length differs from payment to payment.
- Lodge a claim even if you think you are not eligible yet. Services Australia checks exemptions when you claim, and some exemptions are applied automatically.
- Provide your documents. You will usually need identity documents, and for income-tested payments, details of your income and assets.
- Keep your details up to date. Tell Centrelink if your income, address, rent, or relationship status changes, because this affects what you are paid.
Common mistakes
- Assuming permanent residency means you can claim immediately. For most payments you must serve the NARWP first, which can be up to 4 years.
- Not realising temporary visa holders are usually excluded. Most payments require Australian residency, which generally means citizenship or permanent residency.
- Thinking you must wait before you even lodge a claim. Lodge the claim anyway — that is how exemptions get checked.
- Forgetting that overseas time does not count. Days spent outside Australia do not count towards serving the waiting period.
- Confusing DSP with the NDIS. The DSP is income support; the NDIS funds services. They are separate schemes with separate rules.
- Confusing Carer Payment with Carer Allowance. One is income support; the other is a smaller supplementary payment. You can get both, but they are claimed and assessed differently.
FAQ
Can I get Centrelink payments as soon as I get permanent residency?
Not usually. Most payments impose the newly arrived resident’s waiting period, which can be up to 4 years for visas granted on or after 1 January 2019. Family Tax Benefit Part B has no waiting period, and Family Tax Benefit Part A has a 1-year waiting period.
Can I claim Centrelink on a temporary visa?
Generally, no. Most payments require you to be an Australian resident. A partner provisional visa (subclass 309 or 820) is a specific exception that gives limited access to a small set of payments while you wait.
How long is the waiting period?
It depends on the payment and when your visa was granted. For visas granted on or after 1 January 2019, it is 4 years for payments such as JobSeeker and Youth Allowance, 2 years for Carer Payment and Parental Leave Pay, and 1 year for Carer Allowance and Family Tax Benefit Part A.
Does time overseas count towards the waiting period?
No. Every day you are in Australia as an Australian resident counts, but time you spend away from Australia does not.
Is the NDIS the same as a Centrelink payment?
No. The NDIS funds disability support services and is run separately. The Disability Support Pension, by contrast, is a Centrelink income support payment.
What is Special Benefit for?
Special Benefit helps people in financial hardship who are not eligible for any other income support payment. It has a 4-year NARWP, but exemptions can apply in severe hardship.
Official sources
- Newly arrived resident’s waiting period — Services Australia
- Exemptions from the newly arrived resident’s waiting period — Services Australia
- JobSeeker Payment — Services Australia
- Youth Allowance — Services Australia
- Age Pension — Services Australia
- Disability Support Pension — Services Australia
- Parenting Payment — Services Australia
- Carer Payment — Services Australia
- Carer Allowance — Services Australia
- Rent Assistance — Services Australia
- Special Benefit — Services Australia
AU0061 publishes general information, not personal migration advice. Visa rules and fees change, and eligibility depends on your individual circumstances. Always confirm the current requirements with the Department of Home Affairs or a MARA-registered migration agent before you act on anything in this guide.