Frequently Asked Questions

Enhanced Income Management

What is enhanced Income Management?

Enhanced Income Management is a tool that helps participants manage their welfare payments and prioritise spending on essential goods and services such as food, housing, electricity and education.

On enhanced Income Management, a portion of a participant’s payment is income managed. Participants on enhanced Income Management cannot purchase tobacco, pornography, alcohol, cash-like products, or gamble with their income managed funds.

A SmartCard supports the enhanced Income Management account.

Where does enhanced Income Management operate?

Enhanced Income Management operates in many forms across Australia. Since 4 September 2023, participants on Income Management can choose to move to enhanced Income Management, and newly eligible participants are placed on enhanced Income Management.

Enhanced Income Management operates in:

  • Northern Territory
  • Bankstown, New South Wales
  • Logan, Rockhampton and Livingstone, Queensland
  • Playford, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yakunytatjara (APY Lands) and Greater Adelaide, South Australia
  • Ngaanyatjarra (NG Lands), Kiwirrkurra Community, Kimberley Region, Perth Metropolitan and Peel District, Western Australia
  • Greater Shepparton, Victoria

Enhanced Income Management continues to operate in Ceduna, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay, East Kimberley, Goldfields and Cape York and Doomadgee regions. People in these regions are able to volunteer for enhanced Income Management.

Who can choose to move to enhanced Income Management?

Participants on Income Management in the following locations can choose to move to enhanced Income Management:

  • Northern Territory
  • Bankstown, New South Wales
  • Logan, Rockhampton and Livingstone, Queensland
  • Playford, Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yakunytatjara (APY Lands) and Greater Adelaide, South Australia
  • Ngaanyatjarra (NG Lands), Kiwirrkurra Community, Kimberley Region, Perth Metropolitan and Peel District, Western Australia
  • Greater Shepparton, Victoria

For more information about your choice to move to enhanced Income Management, you can go to servicesaustralia.gov.au/smartcard or call the SmartCard eIM hotline on 1800 252 604.

Will participants income managed percentage change on enhanced Income Management?

No, a person’s income managed percentage will remain the same if they choose to move to enhanced Income Management.

What is a SmartCard?

A SmartCard is a Visa debit card that is linked to an enhanced Income Management account. Participants will receive their SmartCard from Services Australia or Traditional Credit Union (TCU).

Participants can use their SmartCard:

  • to shop online or in store; at over 1 million places with Visa or EFTPOS around Australia
  • for tap to pay purchases or mobile payments such as ApplePay and GooglePay
  • to set up regular expenses via BPAY and direct debit from their enhanced Income Management account.

Does a SmartCard have tap to pay or contactless capability?

Yes, however, contactless payments will be “off” by default.

To enable tap to pay, participants can either:

  • log into their enhanced Income Management online account
  • log in through the SmartCard eIM app
  • contact Services Australia or TCU

When participants tap to pay, they don’t need to enter a PIN for purchases of $100 or less. The maximum value threshold can be temporarily increased from time to time.

For security reasons, participants must make one PIN transaction before they can start to use the contactless functionality.

What are the excluded goods and services on enhanced Income Management?

On enhanced Income Management, participants will not be able to use a SmartCard or income managed funds to do any of the following:

  • buy tobacco or tobacco products
  • buy pornography
  • buy alcohol or homebrew kits
  • gamble
  • buy cash-like products
  • get cash out

How can participants get a SmartCard?

Participants can:

  • get a SmartCard at select Services Australia service centres or participating Agents.
  • get a TCU SmartCard by visiting a TCU branch or contact TCU for help.
  • keep using their existing card until they get a SmartCard.

For more information:

Where can participants get additional support?

Support service directories are available, listing a range of services in each location and can be found at: dss.gov.au/supportservices

The Disability Gateway is a free Australia-wide service to help people with disability, their families and carers find trusted information and services.

Visit www.disabilitygateway.gov.au or call 1800 643 787. The Disability Gateway phone line is available Monday to Friday, 8 am to 8 pm AEDT.

How can participants check their account balance?

There are 5 ways to check your account balance:

  1. Online by logging in to your account
  2. Mobile App, download the eIM SmartCard app via the App Store or Google Play
  3. SMS “BAL XXXX” from your registered mobile where XXXX is the last 4 digits of your card number to 0488 112 114 and receive a reply with your balance
  4. ATM balance enquiries from participating Westpac and DC Payments ATMs.
  5. Call the Services Australia SmartCard eIM hotline on 1800 252 604.

There are no fees charged for any methods of balance checking.

Can participants in the Northern Territory still choose between card issuers?

Participants who live in the Northern Territory can choose TCU or Services Australia as their SmartCard issuer.

Additional information

If participants don’t agree with a decision what can they do?

If participants do not understand or agree with a decision relating to any enhanced Income Management measure, they can either:

  • ask Services Australia to explain the decision
  • apply for a formal review

If Services Australia is reviewing a decision under social security law, enhanced Income Management will continue until the review is finalised.

For more information, see servicesaustralia.gov.au/reviews-and-appeals

Do enhanced Income Management participants get the BasicsCard (green card)?

Participants on enhanced Income Management will get a SmartCard.

This means participants on enhanced Income Management will not receive a BasicsCard, and continue to use their existing card until they receive a SmartCard. Participants will be able to access more merchants, shop online and use BPAY.

Where can participants use the SmartCard?

On enhanced Income Management participants can use a SmartCard at merchants that accept Visa or EFTPOS, including overseas. Participants cannot use a SmartCard to buy excluded goods and services.

Can participants use income managed funds for grocery shopping?

Participants on enhanced Income Management can shop at supermarkets and grocery stores that accept Visa or EFTPOS, and to shop online at Coles and Woolworths.

Can participants shop at any business including online shopping?

Participants on enhanced Income Management can shop at most online shops and websites with the exception of blocked merchants who sell excluded goods and services.

eBay, Gumtree, Amazon, PayPal and Catch.com.au are blocked merchants as they sell excluded goods and services.

In situations where it is not possible to purchase unrestricted goods on enhanced Income Management, contact the SmartCard eIM hotline on 1800 252 604 for assistance.

Can participants build up savings in their enhanced Income Management account?

Participants can build up savings in their enhanced Income Management account to make larger purchases items such as electrical appliances, vehicles or a holiday.

Where can participants get more information?

For more information:

Last updated: