The Workforce Australia points target on JobSeeker is usually 100 points per reporting period. Working out how to hit it is straightforward once you know what each activity is worth, but the math is rarely laid out in one place. This post is the calculator version. Reference values, common monthly combinations, and a method for building your own monthly plan in about ten minutes.
For the full background on how the points system works and why it exists, the anchor post on Workforce Australia points is the place to start. This one is the worked-numbers layer.
The reference table
The current point values for the main activities are:
| Activity | Points | Frequency | | --- | --- | --- | | Job application | 5 | Per application | | Attended job interview | 25 | Per interview | | Paid work, 5 to 14 hours in a week | 10 | Per week | | Paid work, 15+ hours in a week | 20 | Per week | | Voluntary work, 5+ hours in a week | 10 | Per week | | Starting accredited study or training | 25 | One-off, on commencement | | Each week of study while enrolled | 5 | Per week | | Career Profile completion | 20 | One-off | | Approved Workforce Australia activities | Variable | Per activity |
These are the standard values as of 2026. Your specific Job Plan may differ for some activities, so confirm in your Workforce Australia Online dashboard before relying on a number for the month.
The base math
The target is 100 points. The most useful reframe is to think in two buckets.
Bucket one is fixed. The activities you can lock in once and have credited automatically. The Career Profile (20 points) and starting an accredited course (25 points) are both one-off lumps. Get those done in week one and you have 45 points banked before anything recurring.
Bucket two is recurring. Weekly activities that earn points each week they happen. Paid work, voluntary work, and continuing weeks of enrolled study. Plan four weeks of these and the recurring total can easily cover the rest.
The third lever is applications. Five points each, available any time, but the slowest activity in terms of points per hour. Use applications to top up after the other two buckets are planned, not to carry the whole month.
The general approach is to start with the fixed bucket, then plan the recurring bucket, then fill any gap with applications. Done in that order, you almost never need more than five to ten applications a month to clear 100 points.
Common monthly combinations
Five worked examples for different situations. Numbers are illustrative.
Combination 1: You have time but no paid work
- Career Profile completion in week one. 20 points.
- Start an accredited short course in week one. 25 points.
- Four weeks of enrolment. 20 points.
- Two weeks of approved volunteering (5+ hours each). 20 points.
- Three tailored job applications. 15 points.
Total: 100 points. Three applications instead of twenty.
Combination 2: You have casual or part-time work
- Career Profile completion in week one. 20 points.
- Three weeks with 5+ hours of paid work. 30 points.
- Start a short course in week one. 25 points.
- Four weeks enrolment. 20 points.
- One application. 5 points.
Total: 100 points. One application.
Combination 3: You picked up steady part-time work
- Four weeks with 15+ hours of paid work. 80 points.
- Career Profile completion. 20 points.
Total: 100 points. No applications, no course, no volunteering.
If you pick up steady part-time work in your reporting period, the work alone (plus the one-off Career Profile bonus) clears the target. You still need to apply for the minimum number of jobs listed in your Job Plan, but you do not need to add anything else for points.
Combination 4: You are mid-month and behind
If you are looking at this with two weeks left and only 40 points logged, the catch-up sequence is:
- Career Profile completion (if not done). 20 points.
- Enrol in any free accredited short course this week. 25 points.
- One week of paid work or volunteering (5+ hours). 10 points.
- Five applications across the remaining two weeks. 25 points.
Total catch-up: 80 points, bringing you to 120 with room to spare.
Combination 5: You attended a job interview
- Attended job interview. 25 points.
- Career Profile completion. 20 points.
- Start a course. 25 points.
- Two weeks enrolment. 10 points.
- Four applications. 20 points.
Total: 100 points. Attending one interview removes the need for several applications.
This is a useful reminder that interviews are worth five applications each. If you are getting interviews, they earn the points. If you are not, the path to interviews is fewer better applications, not more cold ones.
How to build your own monthly plan
The ten minute method.
Step one. Log into Workforce Australia Online and confirm two things. Your monthly point target (top of the dashboard) and the minimum number of applications listed in your Job Plan. The minimum often runs at five but it varies by cohort.
Step two. Decide on the one-off bonuses. If your Career Profile is not complete, that is 20 points. If you can enrol in a course this month, that is 25 points. Maximum from this step is 45 points.
Step three. Estimate your recurring activities. How many weeks of paid work do you have planned. How many weeks of volunteering. How many weeks you will be enrolled in study. Add up the recurring points.
Step four. Subtract steps two and three from your target. The remainder is what you need to cover with applications. Divide by five to get the number of applications.
Step five. Cross-check the application number against the minimum in your Job Plan. If the points math gives you a lower number than the minimum, the minimum wins (you have to apply that many regardless). If the math gives you a higher number, the points target wins.
Most people, run through this process honestly, land on five to ten applications a month instead of twenty.
A worksheet you can copy
Pull this into a notebook or notes app at the start of each month.
Month:
Target: 100 points
Job Plan minimum applications:
ONE-OFF BONUSES
[ ] Career Profile (20 points)
[ ] Course enrolment (25 points)
Subtotal:
RECURRING (per week)
Paid work weeks (5-14 hours): ___ x 10 = ___ points
Paid work weeks (15+ hours): ___ x 20 = ___ points
Volunteer weeks (5+ hours): ___ x 10 = ___ points
Weeks of study enrolment: ___ x 5 = ___ points
Subtotal:
INTERVIEWS
Expected: ___ x 25 = ___ points
Subtotal:
GAP TO TARGET
100 - (all above) = ___ points
Applications needed: ___ ÷ 5 = ___
FINAL APPLICATION COUNT
= max(Applications needed, Job Plan minimum)
Run that worksheet at the start of each reporting period, log activities as you do them, and check progress each Sunday. Catching a shortfall mid-month is much easier than catching it the night before reset.
What changes the math
A few things change the standard numbers above.
Partial capacity assessments. If you have a partial capacity to work assessment, your target may be lower than 100 and your minimum application count may be reduced. The relative weights of activities stay the same.
Parenting responsibilities. Single parents on JobSeeker or Parenting Payment often have different targets, especially when caring for school-aged children. The same activities count, but the totals required are usually lower. We cover this in the Workforce Australia points for single parents post.
Over 55. Workers over 55 can substitute approved volunteering for active job search entirely. We cover this in the points for over 55 post.
Health exemptions. Temporary medical exemptions pause point requirements. These are time-limited and require documentation.
In all of these cases, the calculation method is the same. Only the target number and the minimum application count change.
A useful habit
The single best habit for the points system is logging every activity the day you do it. Workforce Australia is strict about retroactive entries, and points you forget to claim are points you lose.
Build this into the activity itself. Finish a shift, log the hours on your phone before leaving. Send an application, log it before closing the tab. Finish a course session, log it that evening. The system makes this easy because the app is decent and the entries are quick. It is the discipline that is the hard part.
For the activity values themselves, the anchor post on points covers each one in detail. For the question of what does and does not count, the plain English rules post covers the edge cases. For the fastest path to 100 each month, the optimisation post ranks the options by time invested.
If you want help with the applications themselves (the slowest part of the points math), Career Seed tailors a resume and cover letter for each role in under a minute, which is what turns the five-application option into something reasonable instead of something you put off.