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James Coyle
James has over 35 years experience in financial services with particular expertise in two of the key components of retirement finance - Superannuation and the Age Pension. He is passionate about providing the guidance and support that can help older Australians enjoy their best possible retirement. He lives in regional Victoria surrounded by dogs and chooks.
W.r.t the income test threshold per year, it is not clear whether this in the income for the tax year or calendar year or for the past 12 months at the time of application.
The income test thresholds for the CSHC are based on the most recent financial year. If however your circumstances have changed early in the new financial year you can let Centrelink know this and that you current income will be much less than the previous year. Our team can help with this.
I o not have employment income ….. only super income …… doe tis apply as income
I had the Health Care Card, but was taken away from me because of the deeming, so very unfair, as I do not live on the deeming and need money because I am self funded.
Very unfair system, surely everyone that is retired deserves the Health Care Card. No much to ask!
My husband is of pension age (over 66.5 yrs) and Is still working
Expected earnings say $65,000 year. I was made redundant in July last year and I have not been successful in finding another job at 64yrs old.
My final pay in July totalled $35,000 due to redundancy, holiday pay, days in lieu, etc. so this puts us over the $92,000 for a couple.
Can we apply for a CSHC for my husband, will he be eligible to receive the Card given that we have failed the income test for the 2022 financial year.
Hi Mary. Yes from what you have said you will fail the CSHC income test ($92,416) for the 2022 financial year (ending June 30) however you can apply in July 2022. You will need to let Centrelink know you are no longer employed and have the relevant paperwork for your redundancy and final payments. Our team can help with this. It is always good to get your application completed and submitted as early in July as possible.
Hello Mary Pritchard – you might need to recheck the amount for a couple as it is well over $92,000. Good luck let me know how you get on. As a widower, I was successful today in gaining a CSHC as the single rate is now in the vicinity of $90,000.
Thanks for the good advice. Have only recently applied for the card, and since receiving it
have saved quite a bit on Prescription meds. Australia Post also recognises the card and
gives pensioner concessions like cheaper postage stamps.
Unfortunately our council gives rebates only to age pension recipients. But the card is
well worth having. Thanks for your information.
The threshold too be eligible for the Commonwealth Seniors Card needs to be increased
Self funded retirees should all be untitled too this card
It is not fair that those of us who saved for our retirement now have to pay more for our medical & chemist bills than those who did not save
By the time we pay for all our chemist & medical bills when you both have serious medical conditions I wonder who is better off
The Government has deserted self funded retirees
I’m 64 and no longer working. However I recently received a redundancy of 40 weeks pay. Does that mean I have to wait 40 weeks to apply for a card?
Hi Wayne. Unfortunately there are age restrictions on the CSHC. You currently need to be 66 1/2 and this will increase to 67 on the 1st July 2023.
Thanks James. However, can I apply for a health care card when unemployed. I assume I would need to wait until my redundancy of 40 weeks is up?
Hi Wayne. My apologies as I thought you were referring to the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card which does have age restrictions. You can receive a Health Care Card if you are in receipt of other Commonwealth payments such as JobSeeker. You can find out more on the Services Australia site. There are income and assets tests that apply to JobSeeker.
I am a little confused re the example you gave (Sue and Robert ) and their CSHC card .
These medical tests would have been medicare rebated – up to a point – It seems there would also have been out-of pocket costs which the couple would normally have had to absorb.
As I understand it , the out-of-pocket costs would only have been waived at the discretion of the individual health providers doing these separate tests ie they accepted the medicare rebate only in these circumstances .
Your example seems to imply that the CHSC card covered these “out-of -pocket ” expenses.
Have I misunderstood the information in this example ? .
Hi, my husband has received his Seniors Health Care card. I am not eligible. Can you please advise how the PBS safety net works? Is is a combined amount or based solely on his cost of PBS. I’m not sure if we should be registered as a family or as 2 singles.
We have received the CSHC but did not receive the latest Government handout. What would be the reasons for this anomaly?
Hi Lynne. The payments were made to people in receipt of the Age Pension or CSHC as at the 29th March 2022. One possible explanation is that you received your CSHC after this date.
I have a CSHC and the only benefit has been reduced PBS medicine costs, apart from that no other benefits at all.
You would have received the $250 last month as well with the CSHC.
Is the income test pre or post tax? It seems unfair if pre tax since after tax take home pay bring you below the threshold but not eligible
Hi Deborah, thanks for posting a question! Centrelink assess your gross (pre-tax) income not the net (post-tax) amount. If it were assessed based on the net amount there would be potential for exploitation via pre-tax deductions.
Hi there,I understand that the income test for the CSHC is going to increase in september 22 to $115000 for couples,is this correct?
Thank you
Hi Deborah, thanks for joining in the conversation! At the moment it has been proposed to increase the CSHC income thresholds up to $90,000 for singles and $144,000 for couples. However it does need to pass through parliament before coming in to effect which although underway, is not yet complete. If passed, the proposed increase will come into effect from 20th September.
I phoned Bega Radiology for an appointment for a mammography. I have a referral from my doctor. They advised me that they do not recognize my Commonwealth Seniors Health Care Card and that I would have to pay the full cost. Is this correct?
Hi there,
Does the income test include superannuation contributions by my employer and paid bonus besides the gross salary?
Thanks
Hi, Al, thanks for commenting on our article! You are correct, Centrelink factor in other payments/contributions on top of your regular salary.
Can you please advise the process for using the CSHC card.
Do we need to show it to the Chemist when ordering PBS Medicines ?
Is our eligibility for the CSHC recorded on line, so benefits are automatically applied to our PBS purchases ?
Where can I find details on how this benefit works.
Appreciate your advice
Hi Brian, thanks for joining the conversation! It is best to always have and present your physical card when making any purchases as the staff will not be able to ‘check’ if you have the card or not. To make this a little easier you can get a digital card you can present via THESE steps.
I recently visited a GP for my annual check up, and was charged $85 of which I will be rebated $39.75 by Medicare. As part of providing my patient details I also provided the surgery with my CSHC details. Yet when I asked if I would receive a further rebate due to holding a CSHC they did not know how the card works or claim a rebate on my behalf. Is any rebate for out of pocket doctors visit costs at the discretion of the doctor or medical practice and not an across the board entitlement?
Thank you in advance for yourclarification.
Hi Joy, thanks for joining in the conversation! Unfortunately the bulk billed billed doctor visits are dependant on whether the doctor you are seeing partakes in the scheme or not. It is not by default across the board.