Enhanced Income Management and SmartCard
This is a Services Australia service.
Who can get it
Referrals to enhanced Income Management
If you get a payment from Services Australia and live in certain areas of Australia, you may be referred to enhanced Income Management.
Services Australia has information on their website about referrals to enhanced Income Management in the following states and territories:
Voluntary enhanced Income Management
If you get an eligible payment from Services Australia and live in certain areas of Australia, you may be able to volunteer for enhanced Income Management. Find out about voluntary enhanced Income Management on the Services Australia website.
If you're on Income Management
If you’re on Income Management, with or without a BasicsCard, you can choose to move to enhanced Income Management.
If you want to talk about your options, you can call the SmartCard eIM hotline on the Services Australia website.
How it works
If you start on enhanced Income Management, you’ll get an enhanced Income Management account with a SmartCard.
If you live in the Northern Territory you can choose who you manage your enhanced Income Management account and SmartCard through. You can choose either Services Australia or the Traditional Credit Union (TCU).
Some of your income support payment goes into your enhanced Income Management account and the rest goes to your regular bank account. You use a SmartCard to access the money in your enhanced Income Management account.
The SmartCard looks and works like a normal debit card. You can use your enhanced Income Management account and SmartCard to:
- shop in store or online
- pay bills with BPAY
- arrange direct debits
- transfer money to other enhanced Income Management accounts.
You can’t use a SmartCard to get cash out or buy:
- tobacco or tobacco products
- alcohol or homebrew kits
- pornography
- gambling products
- cash-like products and some gift cards.
Manage your enhanced Income Management account and SmartCard
You can manage your account and payments using your SmartCard online account or SmartCard eIM mobile app.
Find out more about the SmartCard online account on the SmartCard website.
If you have a Traditional Credit Union (TCU) SmartCard, you can find out more about SmartCard Access on the TCU website.