Financial assets to which deeming applies
Financial assets to which deeming applies include:
- bank, building society and credit union cheque and savings accounts
- cash
- term deposits
- cash management accounts
- money held in solicitors' trust accounts (for property settlements, see Assessment of Assets (CLK))
- managed investments
- listed shares and securities
- bonds, debentures, unsecured notes, bank bills
- loans made to individuals, private companies and trusts
- shares in unlisted public companies
- gold and other bullion
- investments in superannuation and roll-over funds held by recipients who are over Age Pension age
- asset-tested income stream (short term)
- from 1 January 2015, asset-tested income stream (long term) that is an account-based pension
- from 1 January 2015, asset-tested income stream (long term) that is an account-based annuity
- deprived assets
Deeming rates and thresholds
Table 1
Item | Deeming rates - current and historical |
1 | Current Deeming rates 1 July 2026 to 19 September 2026 - 1.25% for the first $66,800 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 1.25% for the first $110,600 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 1.25% for the first $55,300 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 3.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
2 | Historical deeming rates from 20 March 2026 to 30 June 2026 - 1.25% for the first $64,200 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 1.25% for the first $106,200 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 1.25% for the first $53,100 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 3.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
3 | Historical deeming rates from 20 September 2025 to 19 March 2026 - 0.75% for the first $64,200 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 0.75% for the first $106,200 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 0.75% for the first $53,100 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 2.75% for any balances above these amounts
|
4 | Historical deeming rates from 1 July 2025 to 19 September 2025 - 0.25% for the first $64,200 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 0.25% for the first $106,200 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 0.25% for the first $53,100 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 2.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
5 | Historical deeming rates from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025 - 0.25% for the first $62,600 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 0.25% for the first $103,800 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 0.25% for the first $51,900 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 2.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
6 | Historical deeming rates from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 - 0.25% for the first $60,400 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 0.25% for the first $100,200 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 0.25% for the first $50,100 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 2.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
7 | Historical deeming rates from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 - 0.25% for the first $56,400 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 0.25% for the first $93,600 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 0.25% for the first $46,800 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 2.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
8 | Historical deeming rates from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 - 0.25% for the first $53,600 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 0.25% for the first $89,000 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 0.25% for the first $44,500 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 2.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
9 | Historical deeming rates from 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021 - 0.25% for the first $53,000 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 0.25% for the first $88,000 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 0.25% for the first $44,000 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 2.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
10 | Historical deeming rates from 1 May 2020 to 30 June 2020 - 0.25% for the first $51,800 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 0.25% for the first $86,200 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 0.25% for the first $43,100 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 2.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
11 | Historical deeming rates from 1 July 2019 to 30 April 2020 - 1% for the first $51,800 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 1% for the first $86,200 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 1% for the first $43,100 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 3% for any balances above these amounts
|
12 | Historical deeming rates from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019 - 1.75% for the first $51,200 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 1.75% for the first $85,000 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 1.75% for the first $42,500 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 3.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
13 | Historical deeming rates from 1 July 2017 to 30 June 2018 - 1.75% for the first $50,200 of financial investments held by a single customer
- 1.75% for the first $83,400 of financial investments held by a pensioner or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) couple
- 1.75% for the first $41,700 of financial investments held by each member of a non-pensioner couple
- 3.25% for any balances above these amounts
|
Examples of calculating income using the deeming threshold and rates
Table 2
Item | Examples |
1 | Single JobSeeker Payment (JSP) customer Jane is a single JSP customer with a total of $67,900 in financial investments: $11,100 is in a working account, $15,000 in a cash management account and $41,800 in a term deposit. - Determine the value of the customer's financial assets:
- add financial investments and deprived assets
- The value of the financial assets ($67,900) is more than the current threshold ($66,800)
- Determine the unused value amount:
- total value of total financial assets ($67,900)
- less threshold ($66,800)
- Result: $1100
- Multiply the threshold by lower deeming percentage
- Result: $66,800 x 1.25% = $835.00 deemed income per year
- Multiply the unused value by the higher deeming percentage
- Result: $1100 x 3.25% = $35.75 deemed income per year
- Determine total deemed income:
- Result: $835.00 + $35.75 = $870.75
If the total value of financial assets was less than the threshold amount, only the 1.25% deeming rate would apply |
2 | Non-pensioner couple (neither receiving a pension) Neither member of the couple receives a social security pension, service pension or rehabilitation allowance. Ben receives JSP and his partner Chrissy receives Parenting Payment (PP). Ben has $5,000 in a working account and a further $20,000 in a joint account. Chrissy has $20,000 in another account, shares valued at $33,300 and her share of the joint account. Deemed income for Ben and Chrissy is calculated separately because the separate allowance Income Tests apply. - Determine the value of each customer's total financial assets:
- add financial investments and deprived assets
- Result for Ben: $15,000. This is less than the threshold of $55,300
- Result for Chrissy: $63,300. This is more than the threshold of $55,300
- Determine the amount in excess of threshold:
- total value of financial assets
- less threshold
- Result for Ben: Not Applicable
- Result for Chrissy: $63,300 - $55,300 = $8000
- For Ben:
- multiply the total value of his financial assets by 1.25%
- $15,000 x 1.25% = $187.50 deemed income per year
- For Chrissy:
- multiply the threshold by 1.25%
- $55,300 x 1.25% = $691.25 deemed income per year
- multiply the balance in excess of the threshold by 3.25%
- $8000 x 3.25% = $260
- Determine total deemed income:
- add total below threshold and above threshold amounts
- Result for Ben: $187.50
- Result for Chrissy: total deemed income $691.25 + $260 = $951.25
|
3 | Pensioner couple Blair and Joanna are both Age Pension customers with a combined total of $135,600 in financial investments. $89,600 is in a term deposit and they have $46,000 worth of managed investments. - Determine the value of the customer's total financial assets:
- add financial investments and deprived assets
- Result: $135,600
- Determine the balance in excess of the threshold:
- total value of financial assets ($135,600)
- less threshold ($110,600)
- Result: $25,000
- Multiply threshold by 1.25%
- Result: $110,600 x 1.25% = $1382.50 deemed income per year
- Multiply excess by 3.25%:
- Result: $25,000 x 3.25% = $812.50
- Determine total deemed income:
- Result: $1382.50 + $812.50) = $2195
If the total value of financial assets was less than the threshold, amount, only the 1.25% deeming rate would apply |
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