Who can get it?
You may qualify for a Service Pension Partner if you meet the residency requirements and are the:
- current partner of a veteran who has qualifying service
- former partner of a veteran who has qualifying service
- widow or widower of a veteran who had qualifying service.
There are other requirements depending on your situation. The following sections contain more details about who is eligible.
Current partners
You may be eligible if the veteran you are partnered to either:
- receives a Service Pension, or is eligible to receive one
- is registered as a member of the Pension Bonus Scheme (PBS)
- has qualifying service but is not yet eligible for a Service Pension, and you have reached Social Security Age Pension age.
How does DVA define a partner
DVA consider you to be partnered if you and the veteran either:
- are legally married and live together
- live together in a de facto relationship
- remain a couple but have to live apart due to illness.
If DVA need to clarify whether you are partnered, DVA consider whether you:
- think of yourselves as a couple
- share financial and household responsibilities
- do social and leisure activities together
- appear as a couple to the general community.
DVA may consider you to be partnered if some or all of those factors apply.
Age requirements for current partners
To be eligible for a Service Pension Partner you need to be at least 60, except in some situations.
You may be eligible from age 50 if your partner either:
- receives a Disability Compensation Payment under the Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986 (VEA) at Above the General Rate (AGR)
- has at least 80 impairment points under the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 (MRCA).
The following rates of VEA Disability Compensation Payment count as AGR:
- Extreme Disablement Adjustment (EDA)
- Intermediate Rate
- Temporary Special Rate
- Additional Disability Compensation Payment for specific disabilities.
You may be eligible for a Service Pension Partner at any age if one of the following applies:
- you have a dependent child or children when you apply
- your partner receives a Disability Compensation Payment under the VEA at the Special Rate (TPI)
- your partner receives or is eligible to receive a Special Rate Disability Pension (SRDP) under the MRCA.
If none of the above categories apply to you, and your partner has qualifying service but is not yet eligible for a Service Pension, you need to be Social Security Age Pension age.
Former partners
If you have been receiving a Service Pension Partner and your relationship with the veteran ends, your pension will usually continue for 12 months. There are some exceptions, depending on your circumstances.
You can remain eligible for Service Pension Partner indefinitely if either:
- you reach Social Security Age Pension age within 12 months of your separation
- special domestic circumstances apply.
Special domestic circumstances apply if the veteran has a mental health condition, and you or your family were in an unsafe or abusive domestic relationship before your separation. If this may apply to you, you should contact DVA.
If the above points do not apply, you will stop being eligible for Service Pension Partner 12 months after the date of your separation.
If you enter a new relationship, you will stop being eligible for Service Pension Partner immediately. The only exception is if you qualify as the current partner of a veteran in your new relationship. To keep receiving Service Pension Partner, your combined income and assets as a couple would need to be below the thresholds.
If you weren’t receiving a Service Pension Partner at the time of your separation, you can apply for one as a former partner. To be eligible you need to be at least 60 years or have a dependent child. The age exemption criteria relating to TPI or SRDP payments that your former veteran partner may receive, no longer applies as you are no longer a current partner.
What to do if your relationship ends
If you become single, you need to let DVA know so they can pay you correctly. DVA will need to remove your partner’s income and assets from your assessment and change your pension to the single rate.
You may need to give DVA new bank account details to pay your pension into. If you have authorised your partner to communicate with DVA on your behalf, DVA can update your preferences to remove this authority.
Widows and widowers
If you were receiving a Service Pension Partner immediately before the veteran’s death, you continue to be eligible regardless of your age.
If DVA has granted you a War Widow(er)’s Pension, you will no longer be eligible for a Service Pension but you may receive an Income Support Supplement instead.
If you were not receiving a Service Pension Partner at the time of the veteran’s death, you can apply for one as a widow(er).
You may be eligible if the veteran either:
- was receiving, or was eligible to receive, a Service Pension
- was registered as a member of the Pension Bonus Scheme (PBS)
- had qualifying service, and you have reached Social Security Age Pension age
- had made a claim for Service Pension that would have been granted if they had not died.
If you enter a new relationship, you will stop being eligible for Service Pension Partner. The only exception is if you qualify as the current partner of a veteran in your new relationship. To keep receiving Service Pension, your combined income and assets as a couple would need to be below the thresholds.
Age requirements as a widow or widower
You may be eligible from age 60 if, before the veteran’s death, you either:
- were receiving a Social Security Age Pension
- had lodged a claim for Service Pension Partner
- were registered as a member of the Pension Bonus Scheme.
If you currently have a dependent child, you can apply as a widowed partner at any age.
In all other circumstances, you need to have reached Social Security Age Pension age.
What to do if you become widowed
When someone receiving a Service Pension dies, DVA may pay a bereavement payment to their surviving partner or estate.
In some situations, DVA may also help with the cost of a funeral. Visit Bereavement payments for more information.
It is important to notify DVA of the death as soon as possible, so that DVA can make sure that your payments are correct. A family member, friend, representative or funeral director can notify DVA instead, if that’s easier for you.
If you become widowed while receiving a Service Pension Partner, your payments will change to the single rate.
Depending on the circumstances, DVA may automatically grant you a War Widow(er)’s Pension and replace your Service Pension with an Income Support Supplement. If this does not happen automatically and you believe the veteran’s death was related to their service, you can apply for a War Widow(er)’s Pension.
How much you can receive
How much you receive will depend on:
- your income and assets
- whether you are partnered or single.
If you are permanently blind, you can receive the maximum rate of Service Pension regardless of your income and assets.
The following tables show the maximum you could receive each fortnight.
If you are partnered
| Couples rate | Maximum per fortnight (each) |
|---|---|
| Service Pension | $813.90 |
| Pension Supplement | $74.60 |
| TOTAL | $888.50 |
If you are single
| Single rate | Maximum per fortnight |
|---|---|
| Service Pension | $1,079.70 |
| Pension Supplement | $99.00 |
| TOTAL | $1,178.70 |
These rates are current from 1 January 2026 to 19 March 2026. Payment rates are reviewed every March and September and adjusted in line with the cost of living.
Depending on your situation, you may also be eligible for:
- Rent assistance
- Remote area allowance
- Pension Supplement as included in the rates tables.
If you receive a Service Pension, we will send you a Pensioner Concession Card.
How to apply
You can claim Service Pension Partner online through MyService.
Transferring from another payment
If you are receiving a Centrelink payment from Services Australia and become partnered to a veteran, you will need to notify Services Australia. If your partner receives a Service Pension, they will need to notify DVA.
You may be eligible for a Service Pension Partner, which would replace your Centrelink payment.
DVA will need information about your combined income and assets as a couple. This is regardless of whether you share your finances.
What you need to tell DVA
When you apply for a Service Pension, DVA collect information about your financial and other circumstances to work out how much DVA can pay you.
While you receive a Service Pension, you are obliged to keep DVA updated about any changes to your situation. Changes DVA need to know about include your:
- financial circumstances
- living situation
- relationship status.
You don’t need to tell DVA about minor everyday changes in your bank balances, or when you move money between your accounts. DVA receive automatic updates about some types of income and assets.
The amount of Service Pension Partner you can get will always depend on your circumstances at the time. If you do not keep DVA informed about changes, DVA may pay you too much, and you will need to pay the extra amount back.
Update DVA when your circumstances change
To avoid being overpaid, you must tell DVA about any changes to your circumstances within 14 days. If you live overseas or receive the Remote Area Allowance, you must tell DVA about these changes within 28 days.
If a change results in a higher rate of Service Pension, DVA can only pay the higher rate once the change has occurred, and you have told DVA about it.
If your payments are reduced to nil due to income, including some level of employment income, your payments will be suspended for 2 years instead of being cancelled. This provides a streamlined return to payment if your income falls below the thresholds in the future, and you won’t have to submit a full application to have your income support payment reinstated.
It is important that you take time to understand your obligations. If you have any questions, contact DVA.
How to tell DVA about changes
You can tell DVA about changes to your circumstances:
- online through MyService
- by calling DVA on 1800 VETERAN (1800 838 372)
- in person at a DVA VAN office
- by writing to DVA at:
Department of Veterans’ Affairs
GPO Box 9998
BRISBANE QLD 4001
Set yourself a reminder
Savings can increase over time, resulting in a gradual change in your finances. It may be helpful to set yourself a 6-monthly reminder to provide DVA with:
- updated bank balances
- other income and asset changes.
You still need to tell DVA about significant changes within 14 days, or 28 days if you live overseas or receive a remote area allowance.