Federal Budget 2022: Who will receive the $250 cost of living payment?
More than six million Australians will receive a one-off $250 payment from the Federal Government to help ease the cost of living on items such as groceries, fuel and rent.
The payment – which will cost the government $1.5 billion – will be made to a select group of Australians including pensioners, carers and veterans.
Here’s what you need to know about the $250 Cost of Living Payment:
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$250 PAYMENTS: Who is eligible?
The payment – which will cost the government $1.5 billion – will be made to a select group of Australians including pensioners. Orla Maher
How much is the Cost of Living Payment?
The payment is a one-off sum of $250.
Who can receive the $250 Cost of Living Payment?
Not everyone will receive the payment.
Currently, only people who receive one or more of the following payments are eligible:
• Age Pension
• Disability Support Pension
• Parenting Payment
• Carer Payment
• Carer Allowance (if not in receipt of a primary income support payment)
• Jobseeker Payment
• Youth Allowance
• Austudy and Abstudy Living Allowance
• Double Orphan Pension
• Special Benefit
• Farm Household Allowance
• Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holders
• Commonwealth Seniors Health Card holders
• Eligible Veterans’ Affairs payment recipients and Veteran Gold card holders
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When will they receive the payment?
Eligible recipients will receive the payment in April 2022.
The government has not provided any specific timeline of when in April.
The $250 Cost of Living Payment explained. Connor McKenzie
What if I’m eligible under more than one of the categories? Will I get two $250 payments?
No.
A person can only receive one $250 Cost of Living Payment, even if they are eligible for two more categories outlined above.
Will the payments be taxed, or counted as income support?
No.
The payments will not be taxed and they will not be counted as “income support” for the purposes of any income support payment.
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How do I get the payment?
We don’t know – yet.
Treasury did not outline in the Federal Budget how the $250 payment will be made, but it’s likely considering the eligible categories that it will be paid via the normal avenues of receiving welfare payments without any action from the recipient.
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