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What a PBS script costs in 2026 and how the Safety Net works
PBS scripts now cost no more than $25, or $7.70 with a concession card. Here is why you might still pay more, and how the PBS Safety Net cuts your costs later in the year.
Since 1 January 2026, a medicine on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) costs a general patient no more than $25 a script, down from $31.60 in 2025. With a concession card it is $7.70, and that price is frozen until 2030. Yet plenty of people still hand over more than $25 at the counter and wonder whether they have been overcharged. Usually there is a clear reason, and knowing it can save you money.
This guide covers what you should pay in 2026, why a script can cost more, and how the PBS Safety Net brings your costs down once you have spent enough in a calendar year.
The two prices to know
The PBS co-payment is the most you pay for a PBS medicine prescribed under PBS conditions:
- General patients: up to $25.00 per script in 2026. Indexation starts again from 1 January 2027.
- Concession card holders: up to $7.70 per script, frozen for 2025 to 2029.
Veterans with a DVA Gold, White or Orange card pay $7.70 for medicines on the Repatriation PBS (RPBS).
Many cheaper medicines cost less than the co-payment in total. For those, you pay the pharmacy’s normal price, which can differ from one pharmacy to the next, up to the maximum general patient charge shown for that item on the PBS website. The old optional $1 discount on the co-payment is being phased out: none for general patients from 2026, and up to 60 cents for concession patients this year, falling to zero by 2030.
Why you might pay more than $25
If your receipt is higher than you expected, it is usually one of these:
- A private script. The medicine is not on the PBS, or your doctor did not prescribe it under the PBS conditions for your situation. You pay the full private price, which varies between pharmacies. A pharmacy that charges more than the PBS maximum turns the supply into a private one.
- A brand premium. Some brands cost more than the government pays for that medicine, and the difference is added to your co-payment. Ask whether a cheaper brand can be substituted. Often it can, and the premium disappears.
- A therapeutic group premium or special patient contribution. These apply to a small number of medicines and are added on top of the co-payment.
- Extra fees. After-hours fees and home delivery fees are separate from the PBS price.
None of these extras count towards the Safety Net, which is the next thing worth understanding.
How the PBS Safety Net works
The PBS Safety Net is a yearly threshold. Once you and your family have spent enough on PBS medicines in a calendar year, your scripts get cheaper for the rest of that year. The 2026 thresholds are:
| Patient type | 2026 threshold | What you pay after reaching it |
|---|---|---|
| General | $1,748.20 | Up to $7.70 per script |
| Concession | $277.20 | Nothing |
Premiums still apply after you reach the threshold. The count resets each year, usually on 1 January.
The PBS Safety Net is separate from the Medicare Safety Net, which covers out-of-hospital medical services. You do not register for the PBS one. Instead, your PBS spending is tracked for your family: you, your partner, children under 16, and dependent full-time students under 25.
Keeping track of your spending
How you track your total depends on where you fill your scripts:
- One pharmacy for everything. Ask your pharmacy to keep a record of your family’s PBS spending and to tell you when you are getting close. It is a request, not an automatic service, so say so at the counter.
- Several pharmacies. Use the Services Australia PBS Safety Net prescription record form (PB240) and hand it over each time, or ask each pharmacy for a printout of what you have spent.
When you reach the threshold, the pharmacist issues a Safety Net card. General patients get a Safety Net Concession Card, and concession patients get a Safety Net Entitlement Card. The card lasts until the end of the calendar year. If you went over the threshold before you got your card, you can claim a refund from Services Australia.
The amounts that count are the PBS co-payments you pay, or the actual price for medicines that cost less than the co-payment. Private scripts, premiums, delivery and after-hours fees do not count.
The early supply rule
Filling a regular medicine again too soon can cost you. Under the Safety Net early supply rule, a listed long-term medicine supplied again within 20 days (or within 50 days for a 60-day script) is treated differently:
- what you pay for that supply does not count towards the threshold;
- if you already have a Safety Net card, you pay the full co-payment for it ($7.70 or $25, depending on your card).
Your receipt will show “SNESR” when the rule has been applied. The simplest fix is to refill on schedule rather than early.
60-day scripts halve the number of co-payments
For many stable, long-term conditions, your doctor can write a 60-day prescription: two months of medicine for one co-payment. You do not need a concession card. The Department of Health estimates savings of up to $150 a year per medicine for general patients and $46.20 for concession patients. Ask your GP at your next review whether any of your regular medicines qualify.
Practical Example: A pensioner in Geelong with a concession card fills six PBS scripts every month at one local pharmacy, which keeps her family record. At $7.70 a script, she reaches the $277.20 threshold after 36 scripts, at the end of June. The pharmacist issues her Safety Net Entitlement Card, and her PBS scripts cost nothing from July to December, as long as she does not refill early.
Finding a pharmacy that fits
Sticking with one pharmacy makes the Safety Net easier to track. To find one near you, search for pharmacies by suburb, or start from your state page, such as pharmacies in Victoria or pharmacies in NSW. If getting to the counter is hard, look for pharmacies that offer home delivery, keeping in mind that delivery fees do not count towards the Safety Net. If you use eScripts, the Active Script List helps any pharmacy see your current prescriptions.
Official sources to check
- Department of Health: PBS co-payments
- Services Australia: PBS Safety Net thresholds
- Services Australia: keep track of your PBS medicines
- PBS: Safety Net early supply rule FAQ
- Department of Health: 60-day prescriptions
For a question about a specific charge, the PBS Information Line is 1800 020 613. Most surprises at the counter come down to a private script, a brand premium or an early refill. Ask the pharmacist which one applies before you pay.
