Privacy Statement

1. Who we are

benefit.io is a free benefits eligibility screening tool operated by benefit.io. The Australian version (au.thebenefit.io) helps Australian residents understand which Centrelink and government payments they may be entitled to, based on 2025-26 Services Australia rates.

2. What information we collect

Personal information: none. We do not ask for your name, email address, date of birth, tax file number, Centrelink reference number, or any other identifying information.

The answers you provide in the benefit checker (e.g. your age bracket, employment status, housing situation) are:

• Processed entirely within your browser (client-side JavaScript)
• Never transmitted to our servers
• Not stored in any database we control
• Discarded when you close or refresh the page

3. Anonymised aggregate analytics

We collect anonymised, aggregate usage statistics to improve the service. This data is stored in your browser's localStorage and used only to generate aggregate counts — for example, how many times a particular benefit was matched or how many users completed all 6 steps.

This data:

• Contains no personal identifiers
• Cannot be linked back to any individual
• Is only ever combined with data from other anonymous sessions to produce aggregate summaries
• Can be cleared by clearing your browser's localStorage at any time

4. Third-party analytics — Plausible

We use Plausible Analytics, a privacy-first analytics platform based in the EU. Plausible does not use cookies, does not track you across websites, and does not collect personal data. It records only aggregate page-level statistics (e.g. total visitors, pages viewed). You can read Plausible's privacy policy at plausible.io/privacy.

5. Cookies

We do not set cookies. Plausible Analytics does not use cookies. The anonymised aggregate analytics described in section 3 uses localStorage, which is different from cookies and is only accessible to this website, not third parties.

6. External links

The results page includes links to Services Australia (servicesaustralia.gov.au) and myGov (my.gov.au) to allow you to apply for payments. When you click these links, you leave benefit.io and the privacy policy of the destination website applies. We do not transmit any information to those sites when you click the links.

7. Children

This service is intended for adults 16 years of age and older (reflecting the minimum age for Youth Allowance). We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.

8. Accuracy of information

benefit.io is a free eligibility screening tool only. Results are based on published Services Australia rates for 2025-26 and the answers you provide. They are estimates only. We make no representation that results are accurate, complete, or up to date. Always verify your entitlements directly with Services Australia or a qualified financial counsellor.

9. Australian Privacy Act

Because we do not collect personal information as defined by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles do not apply to most of our operations. However, we are committed to the spirit of privacy by design — collecting the minimum data possible, storing nothing personally identifiable, and being transparent about what we do.

10. Changes to this statement

We may update this privacy statement from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will be revised accordingly. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

11. Contact

If you have questions about this privacy statement, please contact us at hello@thebenefit.io.