About
About Public Services Desk
Public Services Desk is an independent research site covering one subject: the Australian Age Pension and retirement income system. Every guide is researched and fact-checked by Saqlain Anjum, who writes and maintains the guides and calculators on Public Services Desk. We are not Services Australia and not financial advisers.
Key facts at a glance
- One topic only: the Australian Age Pension and closely adjacent retirement payments.
- All content researched and fact-checked by Saqlain Anjum.
- Primary sources first: Services Australia and the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth).
- Every numeric claim carries a source link and a "correct as at" date.
- Figures reviewed at each indexation — 20 March and 20 September.
- Independent of Services Australia, Centrelink and the Australian Government.
All figures correct as at 20 September 2026, sourced from Services Australia. Next indexation: 20 March 2027.
Who researches and fact-checks this site
Every page is written, researched and fact-checked by Saqlain Anjum, who writes and maintains the guides and calculators on Public Services Desk. Saqlain Anjum is not a licensed financial adviser, accountant or lawyer, and nothing here is personal advice. What this site offers instead is careful, sourced, up-to-date documentation of how the rules actually work.
Our editorial process
- Primary sources first. Every rule and figure starts with Services Australia or the Social Security Act 1991 (Cth). Where the two differ in wording, the legislation governs and Services Australia's guidance is cited for the practical process.
- Secondary sources only to fill gaps. Department of Social Services material, the Guide to Social Security Law and Parliamentary Library research are used for context and history, never as the source of a current dollar figure.
- One canonical number. All thresholds and rates live in a single reference used by every page and calculator, so the same fact is never stated two different ways.
- Dated and logged. Every guide shows when it was last reviewed, the date its figures are correct as at, and what changed.
- Reviewed twice a year at minimum. Age Pension rates and thresholds are indexed on 20 March and 20 September. Every page is re-checked at each indexation, and sooner if a rule changes.
What we publish
Eight in-depth guides and five calculators, all covering the Age Pension, the assets and income tests, deeming, the Work Bonus and the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. We deliberately do not cover other countries or unrelated benefits.
What we are not
- We are not Services Australia, Centrelink, or any government agency.
- We cannot access your Centrelink record, lodge a claim, or change your payment.
- We do not provide personal financial, tax or legal advice.
- Our calculators produce estimates from published rates — only Services Australia can assess your actual entitlement.
Corrections
If you find a figure that is out of date or wrong, email contact@publicservicesdesk.com with the page and the correct source. Corrections are made promptly and noted in the page change log. Our editorial policy sets out the full standard we hold ourselves to.
Source hierarchy
Current figures across the site are correct as at 20 September 2026; the next scheduled review is the 20 March 2027 indexation.