How Rent Assistance is calculated
The calculation has three steps and no hidden parts. First, take your fortnightly rent and subtract the threshold for your family situation. Second, multiply what is left by 75 cents per dollar. Third, compare the result with the maximum rate for your situation and pay the lower of the two. If your rent is at or below the threshold, the first step gives zero or less, and no Rent Assistance is payable.
The formula
Rent Assistance = 75 cents × (fortnightly rent − rent threshold), capped at the maximum rate for your family situation. All three inputs — your rent, your threshold, and your maximum — are fortnightly figures. If you pay rent weekly or monthly, convert it to a fortnightly amount first: weekly rent × 2, or monthly rent × 12 ÷ 26.
Worked example 1: single, no children, mid-range rent
A single person with no children pays $300.00 a fortnight in rent. The threshold is $157.80, so the rent above the threshold is $142.20. Multiply by 0.75: $142.20 × 0.75 = $106.65. The maximum for this situation is $223.80, and $106.65 is below it, so Rent Assistance is $106.65 a fortnight, before any other adjustment to the main payment.
Worked example 2: single, no children, high rent
A single person with no children pays $500.00 a fortnight in rent. The rent above the threshold is $342.20, and $342.20 × 0.75 = $256.65. That is above the $223.80 maximum, so the maximum caps the payment at $223.80 a fortnight. Paying more rent beyond $456.20 a fortnight does not increase Rent Assistance further, because the maximum is already reached at that rent level.
Worked example 3: couple, no children, combined rent
A couple with no children pays $600.00 a fortnight in combined rent. The combined threshold is $255.80, so the rent above the threshold is $344.20, and $344.20 × 0.75 = $258.15. The combined maximum is $211.00, so the payment is capped at $211.00 a fortnight combined. When both members of a couple qualify, the combined amount is generally divided between them.
Worked example 4: sharer
A single sharer with no children pays $300.00 a fortnight in rent. The sharer threshold is the same $157.80, so the rent above the threshold is $142.20, and $142.20 × 0.75 = $106.65. The sharer maximum is $149.20, so $106.65 is payable. The sharer maximum is reached at $356.74 a fortnight in rent, much sooner than the $456.20 needed for a single person who is not a sharer. The sharer rules page explains who counts as a sharer.
What the formula does not do
Rent Assistance is not separately income tested. It is, however, part of the payment it is paid with, so the income test and other rules of your main payment can still affect your overall payment. Rent Assistance is also not a percentage of your whole rent: only the part above the threshold is counted, and only at 75 cents in the dollar. A common mistake is to take 75 per cent of the full rent, which overstates the amount. Another common mistake is to use a weekly rent figure against a fortnightly threshold, which understates it. Keep every figure fortnightly and the arithmetic stays honest.
All thresholds, maximums, and examples on this page use the rates from 20 September 2026. The full tables are on the rates and thresholds page, and the family tables are on the families with children page.