The Protected Earnings Amount (PEA) is the amount of wage or salary that is exempt from child support deductions.

This is the minimum amount a worker must receive as net pay, that is, after the tax and child support has been deducted. It is calculated on the basis of 75% of the basic Newstart Allowance.

The PEA is adjusted on 1st January each year.

The new weekly rate for 2017 is $358.05