We have information in different languages about How to claim
For Centrelink payments and services, you can call our multilingual phone service.
Call the Centrelink Indigenous Call Centre to speak to us about Centrelink payments and services for free.
Steps to claim Disability Support Pension
1. Get ready to claim
Before you start, you can use our DSP pre-claim guide to help you decide whether to claim.
The easiest way to claim is online. If you have a correspondence nominee they can also claim for you online.
An advocate can support you while you’re seeking help, claiming a payment from us, and can also attend appointments with you. Read about National Disability Representative Organisations on the Department of Social Services website. Find advocacy services in your area and use the Disability Advocacy Finder from the Department of Social Services.
To claim online, you need a Centrelink online account linked to myGov. If you have a nominee they also need to have their own account.
If you don’t have a myGov account or a Centrelink online account you’ll need to set them up.
You may need to prove your identity with us before you start your claim.
If you’re about to turn 16, you can start your claim early. You can do this from 13 weeks before you turn 16.
2. Get your documents ready to claim
You’ll need to get some supporting documents ready to help answer some of the questions in the claim.
You’ll need medical evidence for the claim.
You need to give us all the medical evidence and supporting documents we ask for. If you don’t, we may not accept your claim or we may reject it.
3. Make your claim
If you can claim online
If your Centrelink account is linked to myGov you can apply online.
To do this:
- Sign in to myGov.
- Select Make a claim or view claim status, then Make a claim.
- Under Disabled, ill or injured, select Get started then follow the prompts to complete your claim.
If you can’t claim online
If you can’t claim online you can claim by form.
4. Track your claim
After you submit your claim online, you’ll get a receipt telling you all of the following:
- you’ve submitted your claim
- the ID number of your claim
- the date we estimate your claim will be complete
- a link to track its progress.
To track the progress of your application online, sign in to myGov and select Make a claim or view claim status.
You can also use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
We’ll contact you if either:
- we need more details
- you need to attend an assessment.
Support while we assess your claim
If you claim DSP, you may be eligible for financial support while we assess your claim. This may be an income support payment such as:
If you want one of these income support payments, you may need to claim it separately to DSP. If you claim DSP using the online claim, you can claim JobSeeker Payment as part of your online claim.
If you already get an income support payment
If you already get an income support payment you won’t need to meet mutual obligation requirements while we assess your DSP claim.
You can also choose to keep meeting your mutual obligation requirements as it can help your participation in a Program of Support.
Read about how Program of Support helps people with disability to prepare for, find and keep a job.
5. Claim outcome
We’ll send you a letter to let you know your claim outcome.
If your claim is unsuccessful, we’ll let you know.
If you don’t agree with our decision, call us on the Disability, sickness and carers line. We’ll explain it and make sure it’s correct.
If you still don’t agree, you can ask us to review our decision.
If you’re eligible for DSP, we’ll let you know:
- when you’ll get your first payment
- how much you’ll get.
Contact numbers available on this page.
Disability, sickness and carers line
Use this line if you need help with your Disability Support Pension, Special Disability Trusts, Mobility Allowance, Carer Payment or Carer Allowance.
There are other ways you may want to contact us.