The income you can earn and the value of assets you can own in retirement, while still qualifying for the age pension, will rise next week.

The Department of Social Services has just announced the next lot of indexation changes to means testing for the pension.

These indexation changes are made twice per year to reflect the impact of inflation.

Pension amounts will remain as they are today. All that is changing next Wednesday, 1 July, is the parameters for means testing.

The full age pension $1,200.90 per fortnight for singles and $905.20 per person, per fortnight, for couples.

Let’s review.

When can I get the age pension?

Australians born on or after 1 January 1957 are eligible for the pension at age 67, whether retired or not.

The pension is subject to an assets test and an income test. You have to pass both to receive the full pension.

If you own too much in assets, or earn too much income, you may only qualify for a part-pension, or no support at all.

What are the new pension thresholds for asset values?

The first thing to know is that your home is excluded from the pension assets test if you own your residence.

If you rent your home, you are allowed to own more assets (and earn more income) while still qualifying for the pension.

Assessable assets include ASX shares, international shares, superannuation, bonds, managed funds, rental properties, and cash.

Single homeowners

Under next week’s changes, single homeowners will be able to own up to $333,000 in assets and still qualify for the full age pension.

Single homeowners with assets worth between $333,001 and $733,500 will qualify for a part-payment.

Single non-homeowners

Single renters will be able to own up to $600,000 in assets and still qualify for the full age pension.

Single non-homeowners with assets worth between $600,001 and $1,000,500 will be eligible for a part-pension.

Couple homeowners

Couple homeowners will be able to own up to $499,000 in assets and still qualify for the full age pension.

Couple homeowners with assets worth between $499,001 and $1,102,500 will still be eligible for a part-payment.

Couples who are renting in retirement

Couple non-homeowners will be able to own up to $766,00 in assets and still be eligible for the full pension.

Renters who own assets worth between $766,001 and $1,369,500 will qualify for a part-payment.

How much income can you earn and still get the age pension?

Under next week’s changes, singles will be able to earn up to $226 per fortnight and still qualify for the full pension.

If they earn between $227 and $2,627.80 per fortnight, they will qualify for a part-payment.

Couples will be able to earn up to $396 per fortnight and still receive the full age pension.

Couples who earn between $397 and $4,016.80 per fortnight will be eligible for a part-payment.

Assessable income includes wages and investment income.

To make things easier, Centrelink relies on deeming rates to determine a pensioner’s investment income.

(The only exception is rent from investment properties. Pensioners must report actual net rental income each year.)

Deeming rates have been well below market average returns for many years.

The Albanese Government has been gradually increasing deeming rates and the asset value thresholds.

Under next week’s changes, the lower deeming rate will remain at 1.25% and the upper deeming rate will remain 3.25%.

However, the thresholds will lift.

The lower deeming rate will apply if a single pensioner’s assets are worth less than $66,800. For couples, the new threshold is $110,600.

If your investments are worth more than that, the upper deeming rate will apply.

The post Age pension income and asset test limits to rise next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bronwyn Allen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is having another rough session on Thursday.

At the time of writing, the ASX 200 is down 0.47% to 8,766 points.

That leaves the benchmark on track for another disappointing session. The market is struggling to build on a more positive lead from Wall Street futures.

At the latest check, 103 ASX 200 shares are rising, while 92 are falling and 5 are unchanged.

Let’s take a closer look at what’s putting the index in the red.

Banks and resources weigh on the ASX 200

The big miners are doing a fair bit of damage today as commodity prices fall across the board.

At the time of writing, BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP) is down 1.93% to $58.35, Rio Tinto Ltd (ASX: RIO) is down 2.61% to $169.38, and Fortescue Ltd (ASX: FMG) is down 1.09% to $19.04.

Energy shares are also under pressure after oil prices dropped back toward pre-war levels.

Woodside Energy Group Ltd (ASX: WDS) shares are down 3.10% to $27.37 as crude oil trades below US$70 a barrel.

Oil had rallied earlier this month on Middle East supply fears, but that support has quickly faded as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz improves.

And looking at the banks, they aren’t offering much help either.

National Australia Bank Ltd (ASX: NAB) is down 3.07% to $37.56, Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) is down 0.59% to $35.57, and ANZ Group Holdings Ltd (ASX: ANZ) is down 0.70% to $35.39.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) is only slightly lower, down 0.03% to $164.75.

Not everything is falling

But while the heavyweights are in the red, there are still some winners on the ASX 200 today.

Wesfarmers Ltd (ASX: WES) is up 2.25% to $89.23, while Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW) is up 1.73% to $40.05.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL) is also having a positive session, rising 2.91% to $118.34.

The S&P/ASX All Technology Index (ASX: XTX) is 0.1% higher, helped by a solid lead from US tech futures after Micron Technology Inc (NASDAQ: MU)’s strong update.

What investors are watching now

The jobs data has added another wrinkle to today’s session.

Australia’s unemployment rate fell to 4.4% in May, with employment rising by 40,300 jobs.

That’s good news for the economy, but it may also keep the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) cautious if the labour market stays firm.

Despite today’s fall, the ASX 200 remains up about 0.6% since the start of 2026.

The post ASX 200 drops again as investors dump banks and miners appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Aaron Teboneras has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL, Micron Technology, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended BHP Group, CSL, and Wesfarmers. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

JB Hi Fi Ltd (ASX: JBH) shares are charging higher today.

Shares in the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) electronics retailer closed trading yesterday for $78.40. In afternoon trade on Thursday, shares are swapping hands for $81.57 apiece, up 4.1%.

For some context, the ASX 200 is down 0.4% at this same time.

Today’s rally adds fuel to the stock’s recent rebound. JB Hi-Fi shares plumbed a one-year closing low of $68.89 on 3 June, and the share price is now up 18.4% in three weeks.

Longer-term, however, shares in the ASX 200 electronics retailer remain down 25.0% since this time last year, underperforming the 2.5% 12-month gains posted by the benchmark index.

Though we shouldn’t forget the two fully franked dividends, totalling $4.15 a share, that the company paid out to eligible stockholders over this time.

JB Hi-Fi stock currently trades on a 5.1% fully franked trailing dividend yield.

And looking ahead, Baker Young’s Toby Grimm believes the stock’s recent rally has further to run (courtesy of The Bull).

Here’s why.

Should I buy JB Hi-Fi shares today?

“The share price of this consumer electronics giant has significantly fallen since August 2025 in response to cost of living and supply chain cost pressures and increasing interest rates,” Grimm noted.

Citing the first reason he’s bullish on the ASX 200 stock, Grimm said, “Despite these issues, JBH is expected to deliver positive sales and underlying earnings growth during the next two years.”

As for the second reason, he has a buy recommendation on JB Hi-Fi shares, Grimm said, “The outlook for consumer electronics remains structurally sound. Diminishing rate hike expectations is another positive.”

And the third reason you may want to buy shares in the Aussie electronics retailer today is the attractive passive income.

“The stock is trading on more appealing multiples compared to 2025 and was recently offering an attractive dividend yield above 5%,” Grimm concluded.

What’s the latest from the ASX 200 electronics retailer?

The last price-sensitive news from JB Hi-Fi was the company’s third quarter (Q3 FY 2026) sales update, released on 6 May.

The company reported a 4.0% year-on-year increase in sales at JB Hi-Fi Australia and a whopping 23.2% increase in sales at JB Hi-Fi New Zealand.

As for its other two business segments, third-quarter sales at the Good Guys were up 2.5% year-on-year, while e&s sales went the other way, falling 1.4% from Q3 FY 2025.

With investor expectations clearly running high, JB Hi-Fi shares closed down 6.3% on the day of the update.

The post 3 reasons to buy the rebound in JB Hi-Fi shares today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Bernd Struben has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.