PBS Co-payment Calculator 2026: How Much Will Your Prescription Cost?

Updated January 2026 · Based on PBS Schedule effective 1 January 2026

From 1 January 2026, the Australian Government reduced the maximum PBS co-payment from $31.60 to $25.00 for general patients with a Medicare card. This is the largest reduction since the PBS co-payment was cut from $42.50 to $30.00 in January 2023. Concessional patients continue to pay $7.70 per script, with this amount frozen until 2030.

2026 PBS Co-payment Rates at a Glance

What Changed on 1 January 2026?

The general co-payment dropped by $6.60, from $31.60 to $25.00. This is the second time the government has reduced the co-payment, following the 2023 cut. The concessional co-payment of $7.70 is frozen and will not increase with inflation until at least 2030. The optional $1 pharmacist discount for general patients has been fully phased out as of 1 January 2026, while a reduced discount of up to $0.60 remains available for concessional patients.

Understanding Brand Premiums

Some brand-name medicines carry an additional cost called a brand premium, which you pay on top of the co-payment. This extra charge does not count toward your Safety Net threshold. You can avoid brand premiums by asking your pharmacist for the generic equivalent, which contains the same active ingredient and is approved by the TGA as bioequivalent.

How to Save More on PBS Prescriptions

Beyond the co-payment reduction, there are several ways to lower your annual medicine costs. Check if your medications qualify for 60-day dispensing, which halves the number of co-payments you need to make each year. If you take multiple medications, track your spending toward the PBS Safety Net threshold to get cheaper or free scripts once you reach it. You can also ask your pharmacist about a free MedsCheck review to identify any opportunities to optimise your medications.

What Is the PBS and How Does It Work?

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) is an Australian Government programme that subsidises the cost of prescription medicines. Without the PBS, many common medications would cost hundreds of dollars per script. Instead, you pay a fixed co-payment amount, and the government covers the rest.

The PBS lists over 5,200 medicines covering a wide range of conditions — from blood pressure and cholesterol medications to treatments for asthma, diabetes, mental health conditions, and more. There are two co-payment tiers: general patients (most Australian residents with a Medicare card) and concessional patients (holders of a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, Health Care Card, or Pensioner Concession Card). Your tier determines how much you pay per prescription and when you hit the Safety Net threshold.

How the PBS Safety Net Works

The PBS Safety Net is designed to protect individuals and families who need a large number of prescriptions each year. Once your total co-payments reach the Safety Net threshold within a calendar year (1 January – 31 December), your remaining PBS prescriptions become cheaper or free for the rest of the year.

Reaching the Safety Net: How Many Scripts?

• General patients hit the Safety Net after approximately 70 scripts ($1,748.20 ÷ $25.00), after which they pay $7.70 per script.
• Concessional patients hit the Safety Net after approximately 36 scripts ($277.20 ÷ $7.70), after which all scripts are free.

If you take 4 or more regular medications, you could reach the Safety Net within the first few months of the year — after which every additional script is significantly cheaper or free.

How to Track Your Safety Net

You can track your progress towards the Safety Net through a PBS Safety Net card (ask your pharmacy to record each prescription), your Medicare online account via myGov, or the Express Plus Medicare app on your phone. Make sure every pharmacy you visit records your scripts against the same Safety Net record. If you use multiple pharmacies without linking them, you risk not having all your co-payments counted.

60-Day Dispensing: Fewer Pharmacy Visits, Lower Costs

Since 2023, the Australian Government has been progressively expanding the list of PBS medicines eligible for 60-day dispensing. Instead of receiving a 30-day supply and paying a co-payment every month, eligible medicines can be dispensed as a 60-day supply for a single co-payment. The maths is straightforward: you pay half as many co-payments per year.

Estimated savings based on 2026 co-payment rates. Actual savings depend on which medicines are eligible for 60-day dispensing.

Which Medicines Are Eligible?

As of early 2026, over 300 medicines are approved for 60-day dispensing, covering common conditions including high blood pressure (e.g., amlodipine, perindopril, irbesartan), high cholesterol (e.g., atorvastatin, rosuvastatin), type 2 diabetes (e.g., metformin), thyroid conditions (e.g., levothyroxine), mental health (e.g., sertraline, escitalopram), and contraceptives. The full list is available on PBS.gov.au. Your doctor and pharmacist can confirm whether your specific medications qualify.

60-Day Dispensing and the Safety Net

With 60-day dispensing, you fill fewer scripts per year, which means it takes longer to reach the Safety Net threshold. For most patients, the upfront savings from halving your co-payments more than offset the delayed Safety Net benefit. However, if you take a large number of medications, it is worth calculating both scenarios.

Generic Substitution: Same Medicine, Lower Price

Generic medicines contain the same active ingredient, in the same dose, as the original brand-name medicine. They must meet the same quality and safety standards set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). In Australia, pharmacists can offer you a generic alternative unless your doctor has ticked "brand substitution not permitted" on the prescription.

Choosing a generic can save you money in two ways. First, you avoid the brand premium — an additional charge on top of the co-payment that does not count towards your Safety Net. Second, some generic medicines are priced below the general co-payment of $25.00. In this case, you simply pay the listed price of the medicine rather than the full co-payment. These under co-payment purchases are recorded against your Safety Net threshold, so they still count towards reaching cheaper or free prescriptions.

How to Calculate Your Annual PBS Costs

Follow these steps to estimate your annual PBS prescription costs:

1. List your regular medications — write down every PBS medicine you take regularly, including the dosage and how often you fill the script.
2. Check 60-day dispensing eligibility — for each medicine, check whether it qualifies at PBS.gov.au. If eligible, you fill 6 scripts per year instead of 12.
3. Check for generic alternatives — ask your pharmacist if a generic version is available to eliminate brand premiums.
4. Add up your co-payments — multiply the number of scripts per year by your co-payment rate ($25.00 for general, $7.70 for concessional).
5. Check against the Safety Net — if your total co-payments exceed $1,748.20 (general) or $277.20 (concessional), scripts after that point cost $7.70 or are free.

Example Calculation

Maria is a general patient taking 4 regular medications. Two are eligible for 60-day dispensing, two are not.

Key PBS Dates for 2026

Take Control of Your PBS Costs

Understanding how PBS co-payments, the Safety Net, 60-day dispensing, and generic substitution work together can save you hundreds of dollars each year. The key steps: ask about 60-day dispensing for your regular medications, consider generic alternatives to avoid brand premiums, track your Safety Net so you do not miss out on cheaper or free scripts, and review your medications annually with your doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions

General information only, not medical or financial advice. Prices shown are standard PBS co-payments as published by the Australian Government Department of Health. Actual costs may vary. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for advice specific to your situation. Data sourced from PBS.gov.au.