Free · official rates · checked 26 September 2026
JobSeeker self-employed calculator
Starting a business on JobSeeker? Enter your expected profit and see what you’d keep each fortnight at today’s rates, and how that compares with the Self-Employment Allowance in Small Business Coaching.
JobSeeker you’d keep
$0
a fortnight
Payment plus your income
$0
a fortnight, before tax
Business profit counted
$0
a fortnight (annual ÷ 26)
Small Business Coaching allowance
$0
a fortnight for up to 39 weeks, not cut by profit
Know your numbers. Then build on them.
- Your living and startup budgets, built from these figures
- A month-by-month plan for your start-up support
- The tools to build it, free options first
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How JobSeeker treats business income
Centrelink takes your net business profit as an annual amount and divides it across 26 fortnights. The first $150 a fortnight is free; then your payment drops 50c for each dollar up to $256 and 60c for each dollar above. Your Job Plan and points target continue unless the business is enough to pass the sufficient work test.
Make every month of your support count
Budgets built from your numbers, a clear plan, and the tools to build it. Free.
JobSeeker or Small Business Coaching?
Once your business plan is approved, Small Business Coaching gives you 12 months of mentoring with no mutual obligations, and the Self-Employment Allowance at the single JobSeeker rate for up to 39 weeks, whatever the business earns.
Questions
Can I get JobSeeker while starting a business?+
Yes. You can stay on JobSeeker Payment while you plan and start a small business. Your net business profit is set as an annual amount and spread over each fortnight, and your Job Plan still applies unless the business passes the sufficient work test.
How much can I earn on JobSeeker before it drops?+
The first $150 a fortnight is free. Above that your payment drops 50 cents for each dollar up to $256, then 60 cents for each dollar over $256. A single person with no children is paid nothing above $1,557.17 a fortnight.
Do I report business income every fortnight?+
No. You report job wages every fortnight, even if $0. Business income goes to Centrelink separately: tell them within 14 days of starting, with a Business details form (MOD F) and a Profit and Loss Statement (SU580), then an interim statement every 3 months until a tax return is available.
What is the Self-Employment Allowance?+
In Small Business Coaching, part of Self-Employment Assistance, the allowance replaces JobSeeker at the single rate for up to 39 weeks and is not reduced by what the business earns. You have no mutual obligation requirements during the 12 months of coaching.
Your start-up support is a head start. Use it well.
Plan your money, pick what you’ll build, and get the tools to build it. Free, and nobody sees your plan but you.
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Cite this page
"JobSeeker self-employed calculator (2026)", Pontia, https://pontia.xyz/au/jobseeker-self-employed-calculator/ (updated 25 September 2026)
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