How to Apply for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card in Australia

Who can get a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card?

The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is a federal concession card administered by Services Australia. It is particularly relevant to older Australians who have reached Age Pension age but do not receive an income-support payment.

To qualify under the standard rules, you must:

• be Age Pension age;
• meet the residence rules;
• not receive an income-support payment from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs;
• provide your Tax File Number and your partner's TFN unless exempt;
• meet identity requirements; and
• meet the income test.

You do not have to be retired. You may continue working if you otherwise satisfy the eligibility requirements, including the income test.

How old must you be to claim?

You can claim the card once you have reached Age Pension age. Age Pension age is currently 67 years or older.

You cannot receive the card before reaching Age Pension age, even if you are retired or otherwise meet the income and residence requirements.

What residence rules must you meet?

On the day you claim, Services Australia requires you to be both living in Australia and physically in Australia.

You must also have one of these statuses:

• Australian citizenship;
• a permanent visa; or
• a Special Category visa.

To continue using the card, you must continue living in Australia as an Australian resident or Special Category visa holder.

If you recently arrived in Australia as a resident, a newly arrived resident's waiting period of 2 or 4 years may apply depending on your circumstances. Services Australia provides exemptions for some people, so recent arrivals should check the waiting-period rules rather than assuming they are immediately eligible or automatically excluded.

What is the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card income test?

Services Australia assesses both your adjusted taxable income, including your partner's where applicable, and deemed income from relevant account-based income streams.

At the verification date, your annual income for the test must be below:

• $101,105 a year if you are single;
• $161,768 a year for a couple; or
• $202,210 a year for a couple separated by illness, respite care or prison.

Add $639.60 a year for each child in your care to the applicable limit.

Services Australia reviews these limits on 20 September each year in line with the Consumer Price Index. Because the limits can change annually, use the limits current when you actually claim.

Is there an assets test?

There is no assets test for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. However, this does not mean investments and retirement products are irrelevant. Deemed income from certain account-based income streams can be added to your adjusted taxable income for the income test.

What income does Services Australia assess?

For the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, adjusted taxable income can include taxable income, target foreign income, total net investment losses, employer-provided benefits and reportable superannuation contributions. Services Australia also adds deemed income from relevant account-based income streams.

Account-based pensions and account-based annuities can therefore affect eligibility even though the card has no assets test.

Do you need a Tax File Number?

Yes, unless an exemption applies. Services Australia requires you to provide your TFN and your partner's TFN if you have a partner.

If you do not have a TFN, Services Australia directs applicants to apply for one through the Australian Taxation Office. If this applies to you, Helpydo also explains the TFN process for eligible migrants and temporary visa holders in its guide to applying for a Tax File Number in Australia.

What documents should you prepare?

The exact evidence depends on your circumstances. Services Australia identifies documents and information as you complete the claim, and required documents shown on the online claim's Next steps page must be provided before you can submit it.

Common information and evidence can include:

• your TFN and your partner's TFN;
• tax notices of assessment;
• personal tax returns;
• income statements or payment summaries;
• savings, term deposit and overseas bank account details;
• investment information;
• income stream schedules;
• your latest annual superannuation statement;
• annual member statements for relevant self-managed superannuation funds or small APRA funds;
• partner, citizenship, income or separation details;
• visa, citizenship and overseas residence information if relevant;
• employment separation information and payslips if you stopped working; and
• information about work, small-business income, rent or other income where applicable.

You may not need every document on this list. Follow the requirements generated for your individual claim.

How do you apply online through myGov?

Services Australia describes online claiming as the easiest route. You need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov.

Once Centrelink is linked:

1. sign in to myGov and open Centrelink;
2. select Make a claim or view claim status and then Make a claim;
3. under Concession Cards, select Get started;
4. select Apply for a Concession card;
5. answer the questions and provide the requested information;
6. upload any documents marked as required; and
7. submit the claim.

After submission, you receive a receipt with a claim ID and can track the claim through your Centrelink online account or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.

What if you do not have a Centrelink CRN?

If you do not have or cannot remember a Customer Reference Number, the online setup can check whether you already have one or create one after you prove your identity.

Services Australia also supports linking and proving identity using a strong Digital Identity. Its current guidance identifies myID as the Digital Identity provider that supplies the strong level required for Centrelink. If you need that route, see the Helpydo guide to setting up myID and verifying your digital identity.

If you cannot prove your identity online, Services Australia directs you to call the Centrelink Older Australians line.

What if you cannot claim online?

You are not limited to the online service. If you cannot claim online, Services Australia says you can:

• call the Centrelink Older Australians line on 132 300; or
• complete the Claim for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card form SA296.

If you previously had a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card and Services Australia cancelled it less than 26 weeks ago, it provides a separate Re-claim for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card form SA296A.

Services Australia specifically states that you do not need to visit a service centre simply to make the claim.

When must supporting documents be supplied?

For an online claim, documents marked as required on the Next steps page must be provided before you can submit the claim.

Some other documents may be classified as supplementary. Services Australia says you should provide these with the claim where possible, but you have up to 14 days after submitting the claim to provide them.

If Services Australia later asks for additional information while assessing the claim, its current guidance gives you 14 days to respond. The claim is placed on hold while it waits, and Services Australia warns that it may reject the claim if you do not respond within the required period.

How long does a claim take?

Services Australia's current Commonwealth Seniors Health Card claim guidance does not provide a standard processing-time commitment. Processing depends on the claim and whether further evidence is required.

You can help avoid preventable delays by supplying all documents marked as required and responding promptly if Services Australia requests more information. An online claim can be tracked through Centrelink in myGov or the Express Plus Centrelink app.

What happens after you apply?

If your claim is approved, your Commonwealth Seniors Health Card appears in the digital wallet in the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app. Services Australia also posts a physical card to you. A digital card can also be accessed through supported Services Australia digital services.

If your claim is unsuccessful, Services Australia sends the decision to your myGov Inbox if you receive electronic letters, or by post otherwise. If you believe the decision is wrong, you can contact the Older Australians line and can ask Services Australia to review its decision.

What does the card give you?

The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card can reduce health-care costs. Federal benefits may include:

• cheaper medicines under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme;
• bulk-billed doctor visits where the doctor chooses to bulk bill; and
• higher Medicare Safety Net benefits for eligible out-of-pocket, out-of-hospital medical expenses after the applicable threshold is reached.

States, territories, local governments and private businesses may offer additional concessions. Those benefits vary by provider and location and are not automatically identical across Australia.

Do you need to renew the card yourself?

Services Australia's current general concession-card guidance states that the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is valid for 2 years. If you remain eligible, Services Australia renews it and sends a new card before the old one expires.

You should continue to meet the card's eligibility rules and keep Services Australia informed of relevant changes to your circumstances.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Do not claim before reaching Age Pension age. The card is not available early simply because you have retired.
• Do not assume the card is available while receiving an income-support payment from Centrelink or DVA under the standard eligibility rules.
• Do not use only taxable income to estimate eligibility. The test uses adjusted taxable income and can include deemed income from account-based income streams.
• Do not apply an assets-test threshold to this card. There is no assets test.
• Do not omit your partner's TFN or financial information when Services Australia requires it.
• Do not assume permanent residence alone is enough on the claim date. You must also be living and physically present in Australia and meet any applicable waiting period.
• Do not submit the online claim without documents marked as required; the system requires them before submission.
• Do not ignore a later request for information. Services Australia may reject the claim if requested information is not supplied within the stated timeframe.

Is anyone exempt from the usual income test?

There is a specific legacy exception. Services Australia states that some people whose pension was cancelled on 1 January 2017 because of changes to the pension assets test were issued a non-income-tested Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. Those cardholders do not need to meet the ordinary CSHC income test.

This is a specific historical arrangement and should not be treated as a general income-test exemption for new applicants.