Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Workforce Incentive) 2022

✦ Plain-English Summary

# Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Workforce Incentive) Bill 2022

## What it does
This law makes it easier for people to return to work while receiving government support payments. Instead of losing your benefits immediately when you earn money, your payments can now be suspended temporarily and restored if you stop working. It also lets people keep their pensioner concession cards (like the one that gives discounts) for longer after leaving a pension, and temporarily increases how much money pensioners can earn before losing benefits.

## Why it matters
The changes are designed to encourage people on pensions and disability support to take on work without fear of permanently losing their safety net. If work doesn't work out or ends, you can get your payments back instead of having to reapply from scratch—reducing the bureaucratic hassle and financial risk of trying employment.

## Key details
- **Suspension, not cancellation**: Benefits pause rather than cancel when you earn income, then restart when earnings drop again (applies to age pensions, disability support pensions, and veterans' entitlements)
- **Extended concession cards**: Former pension recipients keep discounts on essentials for longer even after their payments end
- **Higher work bonus**: Pensioners can earn more money before their payments are reduced (a temporary boost to encourage work)
- **Start date**: Most changes take effect from 1 January 2023, with the work bonus starting December 2022 or shortly after

Official Description

Amends the: Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to enable age pensioners and certain veterans' entitlement recipients to have their payment suspended for up to two years, instead of cancelled, if their income, which includes some income from the recipient's own employment, precludes payment; and provide for the same suspension period for partners of the age pension, disability support pension and certain veterans' entitlements recipients, where the partner is receiving a social security pension or certain veterans' entitlements; Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to make minor amendments to the existing suspension provisions for disability support pensioners; and Social Security Act 1991 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to: provide that working age pensioners, disability support pensioners and certain veterans' entitlement recipients, and their pensioner partners, can retain their pensioner concession card for up to two years after their payment ceases; and provide a temporary increase of $4,000 to eligible age pensioners and veterans’ existing and initial unused concession balance until 30 June 2023, enabling eligible recipients to earn up to another $4,000 before the income test is applied and their payments affected.

Committee Referrals

Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee

Full bill PDF →APH page →

Audit History

Introduced

28 Sept 2022

Last updated on APH

10 Apr 2026

Outcome date

23 Nov 2022

Last checked by Crossbench

yesterday

Full text indexed

yesterday

🗳️

No formal division recorded

This bill passed by voice vote — parliament agreed without calling a formal count. A division is only recorded when a member explicitly requests one.

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