PBS glossary
What the words on your pharmacy receipt mean, with the 2026 amounts from the PBS.
What you pay for a PBS script
- PBS (Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme)
The Australian Government scheme that pays part of the price of many prescription medicines. You pay a set amount at the pharmacy, called the co-payment, and the government pays any amount above that.
- Co-payment
The amount you pay the pharmacy for a medicine listed on the PBS. In 2026 it is up to $25.00 a script for general patients and $7.70 a script with a concession card.
- General co-payment
What you pay for most PBS scripts if you do not hold a concession card: up to $25.00 a script in 2026, plus any brand or therapeutic group premium.
Source: Fees, Patient Contributions and Safety Net Thresholds, PBS
- Concession co-payment
What you pay for a PBS script with a concession card: up to $7.70 a script in 2026, plus any brand or therapeutic group premium.
Source: Fees, Patient Contributions and Safety Net Thresholds, PBS
- Co-payment discount
From 1st January 2026 a pharmacy may take up to 60 cents off the concession co-payment. Pharmacies can no longer discount the general co-payment.
The PBS Safety Net
- PBS Safety Net
A yearly limit on what your family spends on PBS scripts. Once your family reaches its threshold in a calendar year, scripts cost less for the rest of that year, or nothing with a concession card, apart from any brand or therapeutic group premium.
For the Safety Net, your family is you, your partner, children under 16 in your care and dependent full-time students under 25.
- General Safety Net threshold
$1,748.20 in 2026. Once a family without a concession card has paid this much in PBS co-payments in a calendar year, each PBS script costs $7.70 for the rest of the year, plus any premium.
- Concession Safety Net threshold
$277.20 in 2026. Once a family with a concession card has paid this much in PBS co-payments in a calendar year, PBS scripts are free for the rest of the year, apart from any brand or therapeutic group premium.
- Safety Net card
The card you get once your family reaches its Safety Net threshold. Show it with your scripts to pay the lower price until 31st December.