The type of concession card you may be eligible for is based on your age and circumstances.
A Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) is issued to pensioners, a Low Income Health Care Card (LIHCC), is issued to someone on lower income, regardless of their age, and a Commonwealth Seniors health Card (CSHC), is available to someone who is above age pension age and doesn’t qualify for any social security payment.
The basic eligibility criteria for each of the abovementioned cards are as follows:
Pensioner Concession Card
- Automatically issued to recipients of:
- Age Pension
- Carer Payment
- Disability Support Pension
- Parenting Payment (single)
- DVA Service Pension war widows receiving income support supplement.
- People aged 60 or over and receive JobSeeker Payment, Parenting Payment (partnered) and Special Benefit. Need to have been in continuous receipt of the payment for at least 39 weeks.
- Recipients of JobSeeker or Youth Allowance who have a partial capacity to work or are single and care for a dependent child.
- Parenting Payment and have a partial capacity to work.
- Meet residency rules (need to reside in Australia and either be an Australian citizen or permanent visa holder or Special Category visa holder).
Low Income Health Care Card
- Aged 19 or over.
- Have income under the income test limits. Weekly income (as at 20 Sept 2023) less than:
- $757 (single, no children)
- $1,295 (couple combined, no children)
- $1,295 (single, one dependent child)
- $1,329 (couple combined, one dependent child) and
- $34 added for each additional dependent child
- Meet residency rules.
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
- Age pension age or over
- Age 60 or over for a veteran with qualifying service
- Do not qualify for a Social Security Pension or Benefit, DVA Service Pension or Income Support Supplement
- Have income under the income test limits. Annual income (as at 20 Sept 2023) less than:
- $95,400 (single)
- $152,640 (couples)
- $190,800 (illness separated couple)
- Meet residency rules.
