Are you paying more than $25 for a PBS script?
The maximum a Medicare card holder pays for a PBS medicine fell on 1 January 2026. Some pharmacies also discount below the maximum.
$25
the most a PBS prescription costs a Medicare card holder from 1 January 2026, down from $31.60
What this is
The PBS co-payment is the maximum a pharmacy can charge you for a medicine listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. On 1 January 2026 it fell from 31.60 dollars to 25 dollars for people with a Medicare card, the lowest it has been since 2004. The concession co-payment stays at 7.70 dollars. Pharmacies are allowed to charge less than the maximum, and some do, so the price is not identical everywhere.
Does it apply to you?
- Anyone with a Medicare card filling a PBS prescription
- Concession card holders, who pay the lower concession co-payment
- Anyone with high yearly medicine costs, who should also check the PBS Safety Net
How to do it
- Check your receipt: if a PBS medicine cost more than the maximum, ask the pharmacy why.
- Ask whether the medicine has a cheaper brand with the same active ingredient. Pharmacies can offer one.
- Ask about a 60-day prescription where your doctor says it is suitable: one co-payment instead of two.
- If you hold a concession card, the lower concession co-payment applies instead.
Where people lose the money
Assuming every pharmacy charges the same.
The co-payment is a maximum, not a fixed price. Pharmacies may discount below it and some consistently do.
Not registering the household for the PBS Safety Net.
Family members' scripts can count together towards the threshold, but only once you are registered as a family.
Paying privately for something that is on the PBS.
If a medicine is PBS-listed and you are eligible, the co-payment applies. It is worth asking the pharmacist whether it is listed.
Questions
What is a PBS medicine?
One listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, which is the Australian Government's subsidised medicines list. Medicines not on the list are priced by the pharmacy and the co-payment does not apply.
Do I need to do anything to get the lower price?
No. The maximum applies automatically when you present a Medicare card at the pharmacy. The thing worth doing is checking the receipt and registering for the Safety Net.
What is the PBS Safety Net?
Once your household's PBS spending passes a threshold in a calendar year, scripts for the rest of the year cost less. You have to be registered as a family for members' scripts to count together.
Can I ask for a cheaper brand?
Pharmacies can often supply a different brand with the same active ingredient at a lower price. Whether it suits you is a question for your pharmacist or doctor, not for us.
Where these numbers come from
Last gone over 2026-09-22. Figures change; the link above is always the current one.