Rent Assistance (RA) historical information 108-08080100

RA extended to customers receiving Austudy.

Family Tax Benefit (FTB) RA arrears can be adjusted by deducting the RA amount already paid with income support payment for the same period.

The legislation change simplified the calculation of RA. It removed the RA calculators from within the 7 other calculators.

1 July 2000:

• The maximum rates of RA were increased by 10 per cent
• RA became payable with Family Tax Benefit (FTB) for customers with children
• Maximum rates rounded to 1 cent a day (not 20 cents per fortnight)

1 January 1999:

Customers were exempt from the sharers rate when living in marginal accommodation such as:

• private hotels
• boarding houses and similar

1 January 1998:

Customers who sub-let from a State Housing Authority (SHA) tenant were no longer eligible for RA. This is unless the SHA had taken the customer’s income into account:

• when assessing the household rent liability, or
• market rent was paid

1 July 1997:

RA reduced to two-thirds of the rate payable to a single person who lived alone:

• For a single customer without dependants
• Who shared a major area of accommodation

Note: some customers were exempt from this change

20 March 1996

The government introduced a strategy to phase out all remaining RA savings provisions faster.

20 March 1993:

• The change introduced a structure of thresholds based on a family situation as an effective targeting measure
• The rate of RA commenced being calculated at 75 cents in the dollar above the excess, up to the maximum RA rate payable relevant to the customer's circumstances
• A savings provision protected existing customers who would receive less RA under the new rules

1 January 1993:

RA paid to customers with dependent children as part of their Additional Family Allowance. Not with their pension, benefit or allowance payment.

20 March 1992:

The change abolished the waiting period for people:

• aged 18 years or over, and
• under 18 years with a dependent child or partner

20 March 1991:

RA subject to indexation in March and September.

26 June 1990:

This change introduced a higher rate of RA for families with 3 or more children.

13 June1989:

Two savings provisions where introduced for people:

• paying board and lodging before that date, and
• living in a retirement village before 3 November 1998 and receiving RA for service or maintenance fees paid

Protecting customers retrospectively from the:

• two-thirds rule, and
• the ineligible homeowners rule

13 December 1987:

A 26 week exclusion period applies to customers without dependent children.

July 1987:

The change abolished the separate income test applying to RA. RA became part of the basic rate of pension rather than a separate entitlement.

May 1986:

RA extended to Unemployment Benefit and Special Benefit (SpB) customers who:

• were married
• had dependents, and
• were previously on benefit for more than six months, or
• aged under 25 years and not living with their parents or guardians

5 September 1985:

Supplementary Assistance became Rent Assistance (RA). The rate of RA was calculated at 50 cents in the dollar above the excess, up to the maximum RA rate payable relevant to the customer's circumstances.

11 February 1982:

This change introduced:

• a rent threshold, and
• an accrual rate of 50 cents for each dollar of rent paid over the threshold

Supplementary Assistance was no longer payable to customers who paid rent to Commonwealth and state housing authorities. A savings provision protected the payments for customers who were current from 1 February 1982.

14 November 1974:

RA rate increased. This was conditional that the rate of Supplementary Assistance would not exceed the amount of rent paid by the customer.

5 October 1972:

A provision made for pensioner couples. Each person could receive half of the allowance paid to a single pensioner.

14 October 1965:

Means test introduced. Eligibility extended to pensioner couples where one person received a wife allowance.

23 October 1958:

Supplementary Assistance introduced to customers:

• paying rent, and
• entirely dependent on their pensions