How to Apply for a Low Income Health Care Card Through Centrelink

Who can get a Low Income Health Care Card?

The Low Income Health Care Card is a Services Australia concession card for people on a low income. It can provide access to cheaper health care and other concessions. Unlike many Centrelink payments, the card has no assets test.

You must satisfy both the income test and residence rules. The card can therefore be relevant when you have a low assessable income but do not receive another payment that automatically gives you a Health Care Card.

If you are an older Australian, the eligibility rules for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card are different, so check which card matches your circumstances.

What is the income limit when you apply?

Services Australia looks at the gross income you earned before tax during the 8 weeks immediately before you submit your claim. The applicable limits verified on 18 September 2026 are:

These are the limits for claiming or renewing the card. Services Australia applies a different, higher income limit once you already hold the card.

How much can you earn while keeping the card?

Once you have the card, the current limits for keeping it are higher:

Services Australia says it will cancel the card if your income is above the applicable keep-the-card limit in any 8-week period before the card expires. You must tell Centrelink if your income or circumstances change.

What income does Centrelink assess?

The test is broader than wages alone. Services Australia lists assessable income including employment and self-employment income, employer-provided fringe benefits, rental income, reportable super contributions and salary sacrifice, some Centrelink payments, Paid Parental Leave payments and Department of Veterans' Affairs payments.

It can also include deemed income from financial investments and certain income streams, foreign income, income from private trusts and companies, compensation and certain lump-sum payments. This means a person should not compare only their take-home pay with the limit.

The Low Income Health Care Card has an income test but no assets test. However, some assets can produce income that is counted under deeming rules, so having no assets test does not mean income generated or deemed from financial assets is ignored.

What are the residence rules?

On the day you claim, Services Australia requires you to be living in Australia and physically in Australia. You must also have an eligible status: Australian citizenship, a permanent visa, a Special Category visa, or certain temporary visas including specified partner provisional or temporary protection visa types.

If you recently became an Australian resident, a newly arrived resident's waiting period may apply. Services Australia states that the waiting period can be 2 or 4 years depending on the circumstances, with exemptions available in some cases. Your own residence history and visa status determine whether a waiting period applies.

Can your children be included on your card?

Services Australia may include a dependent child on your Low Income Health Care Card if you are their main carer or they live with you for at least 2 nights every fortnight. If you support the child while they study, they must be younger than 19 to be included under the rule published for this card.

Including an eligible dependent child also affects which income limit applies to your claim.

Does your partner need a separate claim?

Yes. Services Australia assesses the relevant combined income for couples, but a partner who is also eligible for a Low Income Health Care Card must submit their own online claim if they want their own card.

This is an important distinction: being included as a partner in one person's income assessment is not the same as automatically receiving a separate Low Income Health Care Card.

What documents should you prepare?

Services Australia tells applicants to prepare supporting documents before starting the claim. Exactly what you need depends on the answers you give and your circumstances.

You may need identity documents for yourself and, in some circumstances, your partner; information establishing your income during the relevant period; residence or visa information; and details relating to dependent children or care arrangements. The Services Australia concession-card claim information also identifies circumstances where additional forms or evidence can be requested.

You may need to prove your identity before starting the claim. Services Australia notes that, for a Low Income Health Care Card claim, a partner does not have to prove their identity if they are already receiving an income support payment or currently hold a concession or health care card.

How do you apply through myGov?

The easiest route published by Services Australia is online. You need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov.

1. Sign in to myGov and open your linked Centrelink service.
2. Select Make a claim or view claim status.
3. Select Make a claim.
4. Select Concession Cards.
5. Follow the prompts, answer the questions and provide the requested supporting information.
6. Submit the claim and keep the receipt.

If you have a correspondence nominee, Services Australia says the nominee can also claim for you online. The nominee needs their own myGov account.

What if you cannot claim online?

If you cannot claim a Low Income Health Care Card online, Services Australia says you can contact the Youth and students line or go to a service centre. This provides an alternative for people who cannot use the myGov and Centrelink online route.

What happens after you submit the claim?

After an online claim is submitted, Centrelink gives you a receipt containing the claim ID, an estimated completion date and a link to track progress. Services Australia does not publish one fixed processing period that applies to every Low Income Health Care Card claim.

You can track the claim through your Centrelink online account linked to myGov or through the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app. If Services Australia needs more details, it will ask you for them.

The outcome is sent to your myGov Inbox if you receive electronic letters. Otherwise, Services Australia sends a letter by post.

How long is a Low Income Health Care Card valid?

A Low Income Health Care Card is valid for 12 months. You must meet the income test again when renewing so Services Australia can confirm that you remain eligible and issue another card.

The income threshold used to qualify or renew is different from the higher threshold that applies while you already hold the card. You should therefore check the correct table for the stage you are at.

What can you do if Centrelink rejects your claim?

If you think Services Australia made a mistake, you can ask for an explanation or apply for a formal review of the decision. An explanation can be requested at any time and is free. Services Australia says it aims to contact you within 14 days after an explanation request.

You can also apply directly for a formal review without first requesting an explanation. An Authorised Review Officer independently reviews the facts, law and policy and can change the decision if it is wrong. There is no fee for a Centrelink formal review.

For most claim and entitlement decisions, Services Australia says you should request a formal review within 13 weeks from the date it tells you about the decision. A later review may still be possible, but if the decision is changed your entitlement may only apply from the date you requested the formal review.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Comparing only take-home pay with the limit instead of the gross income Centrelink assesses.
• Using only one week's income instead of considering the relevant 8-week assessment period.
• Assuming there is an assets test and deciding not to claim because you own assets.
• Forgetting that deemed income, foreign income, some superannuation income, rental income and other assessable income can count.
• Assuming an eligible partner automatically receives a card without making their own claim.
• Not providing requested identity or supporting documents.
• Ignoring a request from Services Australia for more information after submitting the claim.
• Using the higher keep-the-card income limit when checking eligibility for a new claim; the initial claim and renewal limits are lower.