You don’t need to submit a claim for Remote Area Allowance. It will be applied automatically if you are entitled. Centrelink will check if you are eligible to get it when you either:
- get your income support payment, or
- move to an eligible tax zone.
If you are eligible, Centrelink will inform you when your payment starts and let you know how much you get.
How much you can get
The amount of Remote Area Allowance you can get depends on if you’re single or in a couple as seen in the table below.
| If you’re | The fortnightly payment is |
|---|---|
| Single | $18.20 |
| Couple | $15.60 each |
If you have any dependent children, Centrelink will pay you an extra $7.30 per fortnight for each one.
Note these few things about Remote Area Allowance
- This is a tax-free allowance.
- You don’t have to meet an income or asset test.
- If you get the allowance, Centrelink will reduce how much zone tax offset you’d usually get dollar for dollar.
- Centrelink will review your allowance if you change your address.
If you receive Remote Area Allowance and anything changes that could affect your payments, you need to inform Centrelink within 28 days. You must let them know if you, your partner, or your dependent child:
- are away from home for more than 8 weeks
- move house
- leave Australia, even for a short time
- start or stop living with a partner
- have a death in your household
- have any changes to the information you told us previously
If you are not receiving it and think you should be, contact the Department of Human Services, Services Australia, or refer to the relevant government websites.