Cost of living relief

Tax cuts for every taxpayer

From 1 July 2024, every taxpayer is getting a tax cut.

The former Government's tax cuts left out people earning $45,000 or less. Under our Government, everyone who pays income tax gets a tax cut.

Our cost of living tax cuts are about rewarding hard working Australians.

Find out how much tax you'll save.

Energy bill relief

We're shielding Australians from the worst impacts of energy price increases through the $3.5 billion Energy Bill Relief Fund. All Australian households will receive a $300 electricity bill rebate during the 2024–25 financial year, applied in quarterly instalments, while small businesses will receive a $325 rebate.

Find out more about the Energy Bill Relief Fund.

Families

In July 2023, we lifted the maximum child care subsidy for the first child in child care to 90%, making child care cheaper for more than one million families and reducing barriers for parents to work.

Find out if you're eligible to claim the subsidy and how much your family will save with cheaper child care.

On 20 September 2023, we expanded access to the single parent payment so it covers families until the youngest turns 14, up from 8.

Find out if your family is eligible for the single parent payment.

We're making the biggest boost to paid parental leave since the scheme was introduced. Starting from 1 July 2024, we are increasing paid parental leave by two weeks every year until it reaches a full 6 months. And we're making the leave more flexible, so parents have more choice on how and when they take their leave.

Find out about how your family can access paid parental leave.

Health and Medicare

We're making medicine cheaper. On 1 January 2023, we reduced the maximum amount you'll pay for PBS medicines.

Find out more.

We've cut medicine costs further with 60-day prescriptions. Nearly 200 medicines are available for a 60-day prescription for a range of ongoing health conditions.

Australians with eligible prescriptions are now able to collect twice the medication for the cost of a single prescription.

Find out if your prescription is eligible.

We're also freezing the maximum cost of PBS prescriptions until 1 January 2026, meaning no one pays more than $31.60 for a PBS script. For Australians with pensioner or concession cards, prices are frozen for 5 years and they won't pay more than $7.70 for the medicine they need.

Costs won't rise with inflation, keeping medicines cheaper and easing pressure on household budgets.

We're expanding the network of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics to a total of 87 across the country. This means more Australians can better access the care they need and it will take pressure off busy hospital emergency departments. These new bulk-billed clinics are open 7 days a week with extended hours, and all you'll need is your Medicare card.

Find a Medicare Urgent Care Clinic near you.

We're making the biggest-ever investment in bulk billing. It will help more than 11 million children under 16, pensioners and other Commonwealth concession card holders see the doctor for free.

Find out more about bulk-billed GP appointments.

Income support

From 20 September 2023, we increased income support for more than 1 million Australians receiving JobSeeker, Austudy, Youth Allowance and other income support payments. These have also increased with indexation on 1 January 2024.

Find out more about eligibility for income support and whether your payment is increasing.

Housing

We're building more homes. We have an ambitious goal of building 1.2 million homes by the end of the decade.

It's part of our comprehensive $32 billion Homes for Australia plan.

We're delivering the first back to back increase in rent assistance in more than 30 years. We're delivering a better deal for renters through National Cabinet.

Find out more about how to apply for Commonwealth Rent Assistance.

We've expanded Home Guarantee Scheme eligibility, with 50,000 new places available from July 1, helping more Australians into their own home.

Find out if you're eligible and how to apply through the Eligibility tool.

Wages and employment

From 1 July 2024, 2.6 million minimum and award wage workers receive a pay rise of 3.75% – the third consecutive pay rise. And 250,000 aged care workers on modern awards received an historic 15% pay rise. Our Government backed these wage increases, and the independent Fair Work Commission has delivered them.

Check your pay rate and find out what changes apply to your pay this financial year.

We're also making it easier for older Australians to work if they choose to do so, by making the Work Bonus permanent. It means that if pensioners choose to return to work, or work more their earning will have less of an impact on their pension.

Small business

We're supporting small businesses with our energy relief plan that provides a $325 annual electricity bill rebate. Find out if your business is eligible for energy relief.

And we're continuing to improve small business cash flows and reduce compliance costs by extending the $20,000 instant asset write off by 12 months to 30 June 2025.

Find out if your business can claim the instant asset write-off.

More information

For more information on how to access other financial support, visit Services Australia.