What a PBS prescription costs in 2026

How much is a PBS script in 2026?

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) caps what you pay for each prescription of a PBS-listed medicine. The cap is the co-payment, and the government pays the rest of the medicine’s price. You need a Medicare card, and a concession card for the lower price.

These are the figures from 1 January 2026:

Two things can make a script cost something other than the co-payment. If the medicine’s full price is less than the co-payment, you pay the pharmacy’s own price, which can differ from one pharmacy to the next. And if you choose a brand that carries a brand premium, you pay the premium on top.

The concession price applies if you hold a Pensioner Concession Card, a Health Care Card (including the Low Income, Foster Child and Ex-Carer Allowance (Child) cards), a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, a PBS Safety Net card, or a Department of Veterans’ Affairs Gold, White or Orange card.

Why did the co-payment fall?

On 1 January 2026 the general co-payment dropped from $31.60 to $25 for everyone with a Medicare card. It stays at $25 for the whole of 2026, and from then on is adjusted each year in line with the consumer price index.

The concession co-payment hasn’t changed. It was frozen at $7.70 from 1 January 2025 for five years, so it stays at $7.70 until 2030.

Pharmacies used to be able to take up to $1 off the co-payment. For general patients that discount ended on 1 January 2026. For concession card holders it is shrinking each year, to at most 60 cents in 2026, and ends in 2030.

How does the PBS Safety Net work?

The Safety Net protects people who need a lot of medicine. It adds up what you spend on PBS scripts over a calendar year. Once the total reaches the threshold, scripts cost less for the rest of that year: $7.70 each for general patients, and nothing for concession card holders. The count usually starts again on 1 January.

A family can combine its spending to reach the threshold sooner. For the Safety Net, a family is a married or de facto couple, with or without dependent children, or a single person with dependent children. A dependent child is under 16, or a full-time student under 25, who gets substantial financial support.

Nothing happens automatically, so keep a record:

1. Fill in the PBS/RPBS Safety Net prescription record form from Services Australia (page 1 is yours to complete) and print both pages.
2. Hand both pages to the pharmacist each time you collect a PBS medicine, for yourself or anyone in your family. The pharmacist records what was spent.
3. If you always use the same pharmacy, you can ask it to keep the record on its computer instead and tell you when you’re close. If you use more than one, ask each for a printout of your PBS spending.
4. When you reach the threshold, the pharmacist gives you a PBS Safety Net card. Show it every time you fill a script for the rest of the year.

Some spending doesn’t count. A brand premium (the extra for choosing a more expensive brand) doesn’t, and neither does a supply collected early. Once you’ve reached the threshold you can’t get an early supply at the Safety Net price.

What is a brand premium?

Some brands of a medicine cost more than others with the same active ingredient. The difference is a brand premium, set by the company that makes it, and you pay it on top of the co-payment. It doesn’t count towards the Safety Net, and you still pay it once you have a Safety Net card.

Most PBS scripts name the active ingredient rather than a brand, which leaves you free to choose a cheaper brand, often a generic medicine. Your pharmacist can tell you which brands carry a premium. If your doctor has ticked “brand substitution not permitted” on the script, the pharmacist has to supply the brand named.

What does a private script cost?

The PBS covers about 80% of prescription medicines. A script for a medicine it doesn’t cover is a private prescription: you pay the full price, and that price can vary between pharmacies. Your private health insurance may pay part of it back, depending on your fund and your level of cover.

How can I pay less?

• Ask about brands. If your medicine has a cheaper brand without a premium, you can usually choose it.
• Ask your doctor about 60-day scripts. For many PBS medicines taken long term for a stable condition, your doctor can write a script for two months’ supply at once. For one medicine taken all year, that saves up to $150 for general patients and up to $46.20 for concession card holders. Read who can get a 60-day prescription.
• Keep your Safety Net record up to date, with every family member’s scripts on it, so you reach the threshold as soon as you’re entitled to.
• Compare prices for medicines that cost less than the co-payment, and for private scripts. The directory lists 6,454 pharmacies across Australia: you can find pharmacies near you or browse pharmacies by state and call ahead.
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people may be able to get more help with the cost of PBS medicines through the Closing the Gap PBS Co-payment. Ask your doctor.