Partner Income Testing

Written by Claude Haiku 4.5 from the extracted text on 10 Jul 2026. It can miss or misread redacted and scanned pages. Check the source before relying on it.

This policy brief outlines DSS rationale for the partner income test applied across primary income support payments. The test assesses combined couple income to ensure assistance targets those most in need and promotes equity—preventing scenarios where one wealthy partner could receive full benefits while their spouse earns all household income. The document clarifies that Services Australia can exercise discretion to treat individuals as single rather than partnered when "special reasons" apply, particularly in family and domestic violence (FDV) cases, allowing recipients to access single payment rates without partner income/asset test restrictions. This discretion applies only when circumstances would make application "unjust or unreasonable." The document specifies five factors used in couple status assessments: financial aspects, household nature, social aspects, sexual relationship, and commitment nature. Notably, the disclosed excerpt cuts off mid-sentence when addressing caseload impacts, preventing full understanding of how many people are affected by partner income test settings.