Age Pension assets test: limits for singles and couples

The Age Pension assets test looks at what you and your partner own and applies different limits for homeowners and non-homeowners. Use this guide to identify assessable assets, check the dated threshold table and understand how the assets test works alongside the income test.
Age Pension calculator guide · Means test guide

How much can you own and still get Age Pension?

The answer depends on your relationship status, homeownership and whether you are checking the full-pension threshold or the part-pension cut-off. For couples, the assets limits apply to combined assets. A result under the assets limit does not guarantee a payment: income, age, residence and other eligibility rules still need to be checked. See the non-homeowner assets-test guide and guide to assets that count for Age Pension.

Check the income test and deeming rules too.
The assets test can be decisive, but the income test and deeming rules still shape the final Age Pension estimate. These pages belong together:

Age Pension income test
Deeming rates and Age Pension
Means test guide
Bridge years planning

Rules checked 20 September 2026 against the current Services Australia pages.

  Official rules checked 20 September 2026

Current assets-test thresholds used for Pension Pilot modelling.
The assets test starts with the household category. A homeowner and a non-homeowner can have the same assessable assets and receive different estimates because their thresholds are different.

Household type
Full-pension threshold
Approximate cut-off

Single homeowner
$333,000
About $745,750

Single non-homeowner
$600,000
About $1,012,750

Couple homeowner
$499,000 combined
About $1,121,000 combined

Couple non-homeowner
$766,000 combined
About $1,388,000 combined

The usual assets-test reduction is $3 a fortnight per $1,000 for a single pensioner or a couple’s combined pensions—equivalent to $1.50 per eligible partnered pensioner per $1,000 of combined excess assets. These are standard limits; Rent Assistance, illness-separated and transitional-rate cases can have different cut-offs. Check the current official table for your circumstances.

What assets usually need to be counted.

Financial assets
Bank accounts, cash, term deposits, shares, managed funds and assessable super can count under the assets test and may also create deemed income under the income test.

Non-financial assets
Cars, caravans, boats, household contents, personal effects, investment property and some business assets may need to be included.

Principal home
The family home is treated differently from other assessable assets, but homeowner status changes the threshold used in the calculation.

  Worked examples

How home status changes the result.

A single homeowner with $500,000 of assessable assets is above the full-pension threshold, so the assets-test taper reduces the Age Pension estimate.
A single non-homeowner with $500,000 of assessable assets is below the non-homeowner full-pension threshold, so the assets test may not be the tighter test.
A couple homeowner with $650,000 combined assessable assets is above the couple homeowner threshold, so the combined pension estimate is reduced by the taper.

The income test still needs to be checked. Financial assets can create deemed income, and work or passive income can also affect the final estimate.

Common assets-test traps.

Using the wrong home status
Homeowner and non-homeowner thresholds are materially different.

Forgetting deeming
Financial assets can matter twice: once under the assets test and again through deemed income.

Missing younger-partner super
Mixed-age couples can need special treatment where one partner has not reached Age Pension age.

Old thresholds
Rates and limits move, so the source date matters.

Before using an assets test calculator

Confirm single or couple status.
Confirm homeowner or non-homeowner status.
List financial assets separately from other assets.
Check whether each partner’s super is assessable yet.
Record any unusual assets, gifts, foreign pensions or defined-benefit income for official checking.

How Pension Pilot uses the assets test
Pension Pilot puts the assets-test estimate beside the income test, deeming, household spending, super drawdowns and retirement timing, so the result is easier to discuss with Services Australia or a qualified adviser.
Start my retirement estimate · Read the income test guide

Assets test questions people ask.

Does the family home count?
The principal home is generally treated differently, but homeowner status changes the assets-test threshold.

Can assets reduce the Age Pension to zero?
Yes. Once assessable assets are high enough, the taper can reduce the estimate to nil.

Is the assets test the whole means test?
No. The income test is also checked, and the lower payment estimate usually matters.

Check assets, income and retirement timing together: Calculator guide · Means test guide

Official source
The assets test limits described on this page are published by Services Australia’s assets test for Age Pension page. Thresholds are reviewed regularly, so confirm the current limits before making decisions.