4.10.4.20 Historical widow B means test limits & additional payments
Summary
This topic contains historical means test limits and additional payments for Widow Class B from July 1942 to March 2020. On 20 March 2020, WidB ceased with remaining recipients transferring to Age. This topic contains the following 3 tables:
| Table Numbers | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 1 | Means test - July 1942 to October 1958 |
| 2 | Merged means test - March 1961 to November 1984 |
| 3 | Income and assets (1.1.A.290) test - March 1985 to March 2020 |
Act reference: SSAct section 8(1)-'income'
Table 1: Means test - July 1942 to October 1958
The table shows amounts in dollars. Income is shown in dollars per annum.
| Date Note A | Permissible income | Limit of property | Property exemption | RA Note B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27/07/1942 | 65 | 800 Note C | 100 | - |
| 13/08/1946 | 104 | 1,300 | 100 | - |
| 26/10/1948 | 156 | 1,500 | 200 | - |
| 06/11/1951 | 156 | 2,000 | 200 | - |
| 05/11/1953 | 208 | 2,500 | 300 | - |
| 19/10/1954 | 364 | 3,500 | 400 | - |
| 28/10/1958 | 364 | 4,500 | 400 | 52 Note D |
Notes for Table 1
| Note | Explanation |
|---|---|
| A | Dates on which the rates applied. |
| B | Before 5 September 1985 RA was known as 'supplementary assistance'. |
| C | No pension was payable if income or property exceeded the limits. |
| D | RA of $52.00 per year was paid to pensioners paying rent (1.1.R.160) and entirely dependent upon pension. |
Table 2: Merged means test - March 1961 to November 1984
The table shows amounts in dollars. Income is shown in dollars per annum.
| Date Note E | Means as assessed | Property exemption | RA Note F |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14/03/1961 | 364 Note G | 400 | 52 |
| 19/10/1965 | 364 | 400 | 104 Note H |
| 02/05/1967 | 520 | 400 | 104 |
| 30/09/1969 | 520 Note I | 400 | 104 |
| 10/10/1972 | 1,040 | 400 | 208 |
| 05/11/1974 | 1,040 | 400 | 260 Note J |
| 25/11/1976 | 1,040 | abolished Note K | 260 |
| 11/02/1982 | 1,040 | - | 416 Note L |
| 04/11/1982 | 1,560 | - | 520 Note M |
| 01/11/1984 | 1,560 | - | 780 Note N |
Notes for Table 2
| Note | Explanation |
|---|---|
| E | Dates on which the rates applied. |
| F | Before 5 September 1985 RA was known as 'supplementary assistance'. |
| G | The merged means test was introduced. Maximum pension was reduced by amount by which 'means as assessed' (income plus property component) exceeds $364.00. The fixed disqualifying limit of property was abolished. |
| H | RA - means test was introduced under which the maximum rate was reduced by the amount by which means as assessed exceeded $52.00. |
| I | A tapered means test was introduced. Maximum rate of pension was reduced by half of the amount by which means as assessed exceeded permissible means as assessed. |
| J | The increase was applied subject to the principle that the rate did not exceed the amount of rent paid. No existing payment was reduced as a result of adopting this principle. |
| K | The property test was abolished. The means test became an income test only with property excluded. However, income from property was included as income. |
| L | The maximum rate of RA increased to $8.00 per week (one half was paid to each member of a pensioner couple) and the rules for payment changed. The rate of RA was:
RA was not payable if rent was paid to a State or Australian Government Housing Authority. A savings provision protected payments current at 1 February 1982. |
| M | The maximum rate of RA was increased to 10.00 per week. The rate of RA payable was:
|
| N | The maximum rate of RA was increased to $15.00 per week. The rate of RA payable was:
The savings provision which applied on 1 February 1982 still applied. |
Table 3: Income & assets test - March 1985 to present date
The table shows amounts in dollars. Income is shown in dollars per annum.
| Date Note O | Permissible income | Allowable assets | RA Note P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homeowner | Non-homeowner | |||
| 21/03/1985 | 1,560 | 70,000 Note Q | 120,000 | 780 |
| 1/05/1986 | 1,560 | 75,750 | 129,750 | 780 |
| 25/12/1986 | 1,560 | 75,750 | 129,750 | 780 Note R |
| 25/06/1987 | 1,560 | 83,250 | 143,250 | 780 |
| 09/07/1987 | 2,080 | 83,250 | 143,250 | 780 |
| 23/06/1988 | 2,080 | 89,250 | 153,250 | 780 |
| 22/06/1989 | 2,080 | 96,000 | 164,500 | 780 or 1,040 |
| 21/12/1989 | 2,080 | 96,000 | 164,500 | 1,040 or 1,300 |
| 26/04/1990 | 2,080 | 96,000 | 164,500 | 1,040 or 1,300 |
| 21/06/1990 | 2,080 | 103,500 | 177,500 | 1,300, 1,560 or 1,820 |
| 27/09/1990 | 2,080 | 103,500 | 177,500 | 1,560, 1,820 or 2,080 |
| 28/03/1991 | 2,080 | 103,500 | 177,500 | 1,612, 1,882.40 or 2,150.20 |
| 01/07/1991 | 2,184 | 110,750 | 190,250 | 1,612, 1,882.40 or 2,150.20 |
| 26/03/1992 | 2,184 | 110,750 | 190,250 | 1,635.40, 1,911 or 2,181.40 |
| 01/07/1992 | 2,236 | 112,500 | 193,000 | 1,635.40, 1,911 or 2,181.40 |
| 24/09/1992 | 2,236 | 112,500 | 193,000 | 1,638, 1,913.60 or 2,184 |
| 01/07/1993 | 2,288 | 112,750 | 193,250 | 1,747.20, 1,918.80 or 2,189.20 |
| 01/07/1994 | 2,340 | 115,000 | 197,000 | 1,778.40, 1,955.20 or 2,230.80 |
| 01/07/1995 | 2,444 | 118,000 | 202,000 | 1,825.20, 2,002.00 or 2,288.00 |
| 01/07/1996 | 2,548 | 124,000 | 212,500 | 1,918.80, 2,236.00 or 2,532.40 |
| 01/07/1997 | 2,600 | 125,750 | 215,750 | Note V |
| 01/07/1998 | 2,600 | 125,750 | 215,750 | - |
| 01/07/1999 | 2,652 | 127,750 | 219,250 | - |
| 01/07/2000 | 2,756 | 133,250 | 228,750 | - |
| 01/07/2001 | 2,912 | 141,000 | 242,000 | - |
| 01/07/2002 | 3,016 | 145,250 | 249,750 | - |
| 01/07/2003 | 3,120 | 149,500 | 257,500 | - |
| 01/07/2004 | 3,172 | 153,000 | 263,500 | - |
| 01/07/2005 | 3,224 | 157,000 | 270,500 | - |
| 01/07/2006 | 3,328 | 161,500 | 278,500 | - |
| 01/07/2007 | 3,432 | 166,750 | 287,750 | - |
| 01/07/2008 | 3,588 | 171,750 | 296,250 | - |
| 01/07/2009 | 3,692 | 178,000 | 307,000 | - |
| 01/07/2010 | 3,796 | 181,750 | 313,250 | - |
| 01/07/2011 | 3,900 | 186,750 | 321,750 | - |
| 01/07/2012 | 3,952 | 192,500 | 332,000 | - |
| 01/07/2013 | 4,056 | 196,750 | 339,250 | - |
| 01/07/2014 | 4,160 | 202,000 | 348,500 | - |
| 01/07/2015 | 4,212 | 205,500 | 354,500 | - |
| 01/07/2016 | 4,264 | 209,000 | 360,500 | - |
| 01/01/2017 | 4,264 | 250,000 | 450,000 Note W | - |
| 01/07/2017 | 4,368 | 253,750 | 456,750 | - |
| 01/07/2018 | 4,472 | 258,500 | 465,500 | - |
| 01/07/2019 | 4,524 Note X | 263,250 | 473,750 | - |
Notes for Table 3
| Note | Explanation |
|---|---|
| O | Dates on which the rates applied. |
| P | Before 5 September 1985 RA was known as 'supplementary assistance'. |
| Q | Assets test introduced on 21 March 1985. Non-homeowners were allowed extra assets. The assets test only applied if it produced a lesser rate. Recipients whose rates were determined under the assets test were ineligible for RA. |
| R | From 25 December 1986 the rate of RA payable was:
|
| S | From 22 June 1989 the maximum rate of RA for recipients with dependent children increased by $5.00 per week to $20.00 per week. |
| T | From 26 June 1989 the rates of RA increased by $5.00 per week plus an additional increase of $5.00 per week for recipients with 3 or more children. |
| U | From March 1991 RA became subject to twice yearly indexation. |
| V | Rates of RA set after 1 July 1996 can be found in topic 5.2.6.10 RA rates - June 1990 to present date. |
| W | From 1 January 2017, the assets test free areas increased under a one-off adjustment as part of the measure to rebalance the assets test parameters. Regular indexation arrangements continued after this date. |
| X | On 20 March 2020, WidB ceased with remaining recipients transferring to Age. |