Booklet: Special Disability Trusts (SDT) (Chapter 8 – What is the effect of the assets test assessment exemption?)

Under the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth), a means test applies to the assets and income of an individual for the purposes of assessing their entitlement to social security payments.

The asset test exemption means that the beneficiary may have assets worth up to the set amount in an SDT as well as certain other exempt assets (such as the beneficiary’s principal residence) before there are any implications on the beneficiary’s Disability Support Pension or other relevant social security payment.

Example

A single adult receives a Disability Support Pension and is assessed by Services Australia as an eligible beneficiary under the SDT requirements. The parents of the beneficiary, who set up an SDT for the beneficiary, contribute a house and $400,000 for their child’s care and accommodation costs. The beneficiary of the SDT lives in the house.

In that scenario:

• The house is assessed as the beneficiary’s principal residence and therefore, for the beneficiary, this is an exempt asset under the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth) and not counted for assets test assessment purposes; and
• The trust’s $400,000 is under the Special Disability Trust beneficiary’s concessional limit.

Therefore, there is no effect on the beneficiary’s Disability Support Pension payments.

The information contained in this post is current at the date of editing – 04 August 2025.