Workers over 55 on JobSeeker have an option in the Workforce Australia system that the general cohort does not. They can meet their full mutual obligation through approved voluntary work, without applying for any jobs and without earning activity points the standard way.
This arrangement is not new, but it is poorly publicised. Most people over 55 on JobSeeker arrive at the system thinking they have to grind out twenty applications a month like everyone else. They do not. The volunteering option is built into the rules, and for many older job seekers it is the difference between an obligation that fits their life and one that does not.
This post is the plain English walkthrough of the over-55 rules, the 30 hour fortnightly arrangement, what counts as approved voluntary work, and how to actually set up the substitution with your provider.
For the general points system, the anchor post on Workforce Australia points covers the standard structure. This one is the cohort-specific override.
The general rule for over 55
Once you turn 55, the mutual obligation requirements on JobSeeker change. You can choose to meet your obligation in one of three ways.
Option one. Continue with full mutual obligation under the standard points system (100 points per month, minimum job applications, all the usual activities). Some older job seekers prefer this because they are actively looking for paid work.
Option two. Substitute approved voluntary work for part of your obligation. You do some volunteer hours and reduce the required application count.
Option three. Substitute approved voluntary work for the entire obligation. With 30 hours of approved voluntary work per fortnight (15 hours per week on average), you meet your full mutual obligation. No applications required, no point chasing, no monthly catch-up.
Option three is the one most people do not know about. It exists specifically because the policy recognises that for some older workers, active job search is not the best use of their time, and that volunteering provides genuine community value and personal benefit.
The 30 hour fortnightly arrangement
The full substitution requires 30 hours of approved voluntary work per fortnight. The hours can be distributed across the fortnight in any pattern. Two days a week of regular volunteering at 7-8 hours per day works. So does one solid day a week plus several shorter shifts. So does one large concentrated commitment for part of the fortnight.
The thing the system cares about is the total hour count and that the work is with an approved organisation.
Hours are tracked per fortnight, not per week. A week with no hours followed by a week with 30 hours is technically compliant, although most volunteer roles do not work that way in practice.
If you cannot consistently hit 30 hours per fortnight, you can use a mixed approach. Some volunteering plus a reduced number of applications. Your provider will help work out the math, but the general principle is that volunteer hours can be substituted for application requirements at a defined exchange rate.
What counts as approved voluntary work
Approved voluntary work is a specific category in the Workforce Australia system. Not all volunteering qualifies. The work has to be:
- With a registered charity, not-for-profit, or recognised community organisation.
- Unpaid (no wages, no in-kind compensation beyond reasonable expense reimbursement).
- For the benefit of the community, not a private individual.
- Verifiable with documentation (rosters, supervisor sign-off, attendance records).
Common approved roles:
- Op shop volunteer (Salvos, Vinnies, Anglicare, smaller local op shops).
- Community kitchen, food bank, soup kitchen.
- Meals on Wheels driver or helper.
- Animal shelter volunteer.
- Library or community centre volunteer.
- Sporting club committee or coaching (where the club is incorporated).
- Mentoring or tutoring through a recognised program.
- Hospital or aged care volunteer (where the organisation has a structured volunteer program).
- Bushcare, parks, or environmental volunteer with a recognised group.
Not approved:
- Informal help to friends, family, or neighbours.
- Self-directed community work (cleaning the local park on your own).
- Work for an unregistered group or informal collective.
- Religious activities without a community service component.
- Political campaigning.
The general principle is that the organisation has to be on the level of "registered organisation that produces a tax receipt for donations." If they have that level of structure, they almost certainly qualify. If they do not, they almost certainly do not.
How to set up the substitution
The conversation with your provider is short but important.
Step one. Identify a volunteer role or roles that you want to commit to. Confirm with the organisation that they have a structured volunteer program and can provide attendance documentation.
Step two. Contact your provider and request that your Job Plan be adjusted to reflect approved voluntary work as your mutual obligation activity. Bring the details of the organisation and the hours you propose.
Step three. Your provider will update your Job Plan. The plan will specify approved voluntary work as your primary obligation, with the hours required per fortnight and the organisation name.
Step four. Once the plan is updated, your monthly point target may be removed or replaced with a volunteer hours target. You log your hours each fortnight through Workforce Australia Online or the app.
Step five. Continue logging hours each fortnight. The organisation provides documentation if asked. You no longer have a job application minimum unless you choose to apply for roles.
The whole setup typically takes one or two appointments. The day-to-day after that is just the volunteer work and the fortnightly logging.
Why the substitution is often a better fit
For older workers, the active job search path can be frustrating. Age discrimination in hiring is real, even when it is illegal. Many older job seekers report sending sixty or seventy applications without a callback, which is demoralising and produces no useful information about what to try next.
The volunteer substitution avoids that loop entirely. Instead of grinding cold applications into a market that may not be ready to hire, you spend the equivalent time doing work that:
- Has immediate community value.
- Builds current references and recent work history.
- Often leads to paid opportunities through people you meet.
- Provides social contact and structure to the week.
- Avoids the demoralising silence of cold applications.
People often think volunteering means giving up on paid work. The opposite is closer to the truth. Volunteering is one of the most reliable ways for older workers to move into paid work, because it puts them in front of people who know about local opportunities and who can vouch for them when something comes up.
What the obligation looks like in practice
A common pattern for an over-55 jobseeker on the volunteer substitution.
Tuesdays and Thursdays. Op shop volunteer, 9am to 4pm with a lunch break. 12 hours per week.
One Saturday morning a month. Community organisation event support. 4 hours per month, contributing to the fortnightly total.
Periodic shifts. Cover other shifts when asked. Builds goodwill and additional hours.
Total per fortnight: 24 hours from Tuesday and Thursday alone. Adding the Saturday shifts and any cover work usually clears the 30 hour fortnightly threshold comfortably.
The pattern feels like part-time work because it essentially is. The difference is that no payment is involved and the structure satisfies mutual obligation requirements rather than earning wages.
Combining the substitution with paid work
The volunteer substitution does not exclude you from paid work. You can still apply for and accept paid roles, and the points earned from paid work still count toward any residual obligation.
A common pattern is to substitute volunteer work for most of the obligation while keeping an active eye on suitable paid opportunities. If a paid role comes up that fits, you take it, and the points or hours from that work cover your obligation in those weeks.
The flexibility is the strength of the arrangement. You are not locked into one path. You can shift between active applications, volunteering, and paid work depending on what is available at the time.
When the standard path makes more sense
For some over-55 jobseekers, the standard points and application path is the better fit. Specifically:
If you are actively pursuing a specific career change and need to be putting time into applications for the role types you want.
If you have a specific paid role in mind that requires demonstrated active application history.
If you prefer the structure of weekly application targets over volunteer hours.
If suitable volunteer roles are not available in your area (this is more common in some regional locations than in metropolitan areas).
In these cases, the standard 100 point target with the usual mix of applications, training, and any other activities is the right choice. Your provider can also do a mixed approach where you maintain some application requirements while including volunteer hours.
The Restart wage subsidy and other employer incentives
Worth knowing for your applications. The Restart wage subsidy provides employers with up to $10,000 over 12 months for hiring a mature-age worker (50 or over) who has been unemployed for six months or more. The subsidy is paid to the employer, not to you, but you can mention it in cover letters where appropriate.
It is sometimes a useful tiebreaker for an employer considering you alongside younger applicants. Worth a single sentence in the cover letter when applying for roles where age might otherwise be a disadvantage.
Other mature-age employment programs include the Mature Age Workers' programs run through various providers and the Career Transition Assistance program for jobseekers 45 and over. Worth asking your provider what is available locally.
A useful frame
The over-55 rules in Workforce Australia exist because the policy recognises that mature workers face a different set of challenges than younger cohorts. Active job search is one valid response to those challenges. Approved voluntary work is another, and for many people it produces better outcomes than the standard application path.
If you are over 55 and currently doing twenty cold applications a month with no callbacks, the volunteer substitution is worth a conversation with your provider. The arrangement is built into the rules. It is not a special accommodation, it is the system functioning as intended for your cohort.
For the general points system structure, the anchor post on Workforce Australia points covers the categories. For the demerit side, the demerit points post covers what happens if you miss obligations.
If you are still applying for roles and want help with the writing, Career Seed tailors a resume and cover letter for each role. The age discrimination problem is real, but a sharp tailored resume that mirrors the job ad is the best counter to it.