Skip To Content Skip To Navigation

Sickness Allowance

Sickness Allowance provides income support to people who are temporarily unfit, due to illness or injury, to perform their usual work or study and have a job to return to, or intend to resume studying when fit to do so.

To be eligible for Sickness Allowance a person must:

  • be temporarily incapacitated for work or study because of sickness or an accident; and
  • have an incapacity for work or study wholly due to a medical condition arising from the sickness or accident; and
  • have been employed or in full-time education immediately before the incapacity occurred; and
  • be intending to return to that employment or resume full-time studies when their incapacity ends; and
  • be at least 21 (or 25 if receiving Austudy) and less than age pension age (65 for men and 62.5 for women); and
  • satisfy residence requirements.

To find out more about Sickness Allowance and your eligibility for this payment: