For Australian visa purposes, the current Functional English PTE score is 24 overall if you are using PTE Academic to prove this level of English.
On This Page
- What PTE Score Is Required for Functional English?
- Is the Functional English Requirement PTE 24 Overall or 24 in Each Skill?
- Why Do Some Websites Still Say PTE 30 for Functional English?
- How Recent Must the PTE Result Be?
- Do You Actually Need to Take PTE for Functional English?
- Passport Evidence
- Degree, Diploma or Trade Qualification Taught in English
- School Education in English
- Study in Australia
- When Is Functional English Relevant to an Australian Visa?
- What Happens If a Dependent Applicant Does Not Have Functional English?
- Functional English Is Different From Competent English
- Can PTE Academic Be Used for Functional English?
- Can You Take an At-Home PTE Test for Functional English?
- If You Need PTE, What Score Should You Prepare For?
- Current Functional English PTE Requirement
- Frequently Asked Questions
You do not need 24 in each skill. Home Affairs specifies an overall PTE Academic score of at least 24, with the test result achieved within the 12 months before the visa application.
This requirement is different from Competent English and other Australian migration English levels, which may use individual Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking scores.
What PTE Score Is Required for Functional English?
For a PTE Academic test taken under the current rules, you need:
| Requirement | Current rule |
|---|---|
| English level | Functional English |
| PTE test | PTE Academic |
| Minimum score | 24 overall |
| Minimum score in each skill | Not specified |
| Test timing | Within 12 months before the visa application |
The Department of Home Affairs lists PTE Academic 24 overall in its current Functional English evidence requirements.
If you are researching PTE for migration more broadly, PTEClasses also explains how PTE is used for Australian visa applications. That broader guide covers different visa purposes, while this article deals specifically with Functional English.
Is the Functional English Requirement PTE 24 Overall or 24 in Each Skill?
It is 24 overall.
This is probably the most important distinction for someone checking a Functional English result.
Home Affairs does not currently prescribe separate minimum PTE scores for:
- Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
under the Functional English category. It specifies an overall PTE Academic score of at least 24.
So, for example, you should not interpret the requirement as needing 24 in Listening, 24 in Reading, 24 in Writing and 24 in Speaking.
That is not the current rule.
Pearson’s own summary of the updated Australian Department of Home Affairs requirements also lists Functional English as 24 overall, with no separate skill thresholds.
Why Do Some Websites Still Say PTE 30 for Functional English?
Because 30 overall was the old PTE requirement.
Before the Australian visa English-test changes were introduced on 7 August 2025, Functional English could be demonstrated with a PTE Academic overall score of at least 30.
The current requirement is:
PTE Academic 24 overall.
Pearson’s comparison of the old and current Australian visa requirements shows the change clearly:
| Functional English | Previous PTE score | Current PTE score |
|---|---|---|
| PTE Academic | 30 overall | 24 overall |
Pearson confirms that the Department of Home Affairs’ updated PTE requirements took effect on 7 August 2025.
There is another date that matters now.
Home Affairs states that test results from tests taken on or before 6 August 2025 could potentially be used under the transitional arrangements only until 6 August 2026 inclusive, depending on the visa.
Because that transitional period has now passed, someone preparing a Functional English application in October 2026 should work from the current PTE Academic score of 24 overall, rather than planning around the old PTE 30 requirement.
How Recent Must the PTE Result Be?
For Functional English evidence, Home Affairs requires the approved English-test score to have been achieved in the 12 months before the visa application.
That 12-month rule is easy to miss because people often hear that a PTE score report itself has a longer general validity period.
Pearson says PTE score reports are generally valid for two years. But that does not override a specific Australian visa evidence rule. Pearson itself advises applicants to check the relevant institution or government requirement where a different validity period applies.
For Functional English, therefore, the important question is not simply:
“Is my PTE score report still valid?”
It is:
“Was my qualifying test result achieved within the period Home Affairs accepts for Functional English?”
For this English level, that period is 12 months before the visa application.
Do You Actually Need to Take PTE for Functional English?
Not necessarily, a major part of the search intent around Functional English for Australian visa applications is missed when the topic is treated only as a PTE-score question.
Home Affairs allows several forms of Functional English evidence. PTE Academic is only one of them.
Before paying for another English test, check whether you already qualify through your passport or education.
Passport Evidence
You can demonstrate Functional English if you are a citizen of and hold a valid passport issued by:
- Canada
- New Zealand
- the Republic of Ireland
- the United Kingdom
- the United States of America
If this applies to you, you do not need a PTE score just to establish Functional English.
Degree, Diploma or Trade Qualification Taught in English
Home Affairs also accepts a completed:
- degree
- higher degree
- diploma
- trade certificate
from an institution in or outside Australia where the qualification involved at least two years of full-time study or training and all instruction was in English.
This can be particularly relevant to a dependent applicant who assumes an English exam is compulsory simply because the visa asks for Functional English.
School Education in English
There are also school-based pathways.
Home Affairs recognises:
- all years of primary education plus at least three years of secondary education where all instruction was in English; or
- at least five years of secondary education where all instruction was in English.
Study in Australia
You may also meet the requirement through at least one year of full-time study, or its part-time equivalent, towards an eligible award at an Australian institution where all instruction was in English.
So the sensible order is to check your existing evidence first. Sitting PTE when you already satisfy one of these alternatives adds cost and effort without improving the visa requirement.
When Is Functional English Relevant to an Australian Visa?
Functional English is not a universal minimum score that every Australian visa applicant must meet. Whether it matters depends on the visa subclass and whether you are the main applicant or a family member included in the application.
It commonly appears in situations involving adult secondary or dependent applicants.
For example, under the Employer Nomination Scheme Subclass 186, Home Affairs requires a dependent applicant who was at least 18 at the time of application to provide evidence of Functional English. If that evidence cannot be provided, a second instalment of the visa application charge may apply.
That distinction matters because the Functional English dependent applicant may have a much lower English threshold than the primary applicant.
In the Subclass 186 example, the primary applicant generally deals with the separate Competent English requirement, while an adult dependant may need Functional English evidence.
If you are comparing the two standards, PTEClasses has a dedicated explanation of the Competent English PTE score. That is a separate English category and should not be confused with the 24-overall Functional English requirement.
Functional English also appears in other visa contexts. For example, the current National Innovation Visa (Subclass 858) rules state that applicants aged 18 or over must provide evidence of at least Functional English or pay the applicable second instalment.
The practical lesson is simple: check the actual visa subclass before deciding that you need Functional English or booking PTE.
What Happens If a Dependent Applicant Does Not Have Functional English?
For some visas, failing to provide Functional English evidence does not automatically mean the visa must be refused.
Instead, the applicant may be required to pay a second installment of the visa application charge, depending on the subclass and circumstances.
For example, Home Affairs states for the Subclass 491 subsequent entrant pathway that applicants aged 18 or over who have less than Functional English may have to pay a second instalment. The current amount shown on that visa page is AUD 4,890, but visa charges can change and should always be checked against the relevant visa page before relying on a figure.
This is why Functional English should not be described as though every affected dependent must automatically pass PTE.
Depending on the visa, there may instead be a choice between providing qualifying evidence and paying the relevant second instalment when Home Affairs asks for it.
The exact rule is visa-specific.
Functional English Is Different From Competent English
Functional English and Competent English are separate Australian immigration English categories.
For PTE Academic under the current requirements:
| English level | Current PTE requirement |
|---|---|
| Functional English | 24 overall |
| Competent English | Listening 47, Reading 48, Writing 51, Speaking 54 |
Functional English uses one overall PTE score. Competent English requires the applicant to meet a minimum score in each of the four skills. Home Affairs lists these as separate English proficiency standards, and Pearson’s updated Australian visa score table shows the same distinction.
This is especially relevant where one visa application involves different requirements for the primary applicant and their partner. A partner who only needs Functional English should not assume they need the primary applicant’s Competent English scores. Likewise, someone who needs Competent English cannot use a PTE 24 overall Functional English result to satisfy the higher requirement.
Can PTE Academic Be Used for Functional English?
Yes, PTE Academic is one of the approved English tests listed by Home Affairs for Functional English. Pearson also confirms that PTE Academic is accepted by the Australian Government for visa and migration applications where English evidence is required.
The test assesses Speaking, Writing, Reading and Listening, even though the Functional English immigration threshold itself is expressed as an overall score.
For the actual Australian visa requirement, use the score specified by Home Affairs rather than a general PTE-to-IELTS conversion chart.
Can You Take an At-Home PTE Test for Functional English?
No, Home Affairs does not accept English-language tests delivered completely online or through remote proctoring for Australian visa purposes. Its Functional English guidance specifically excludes at-home formats.
PTE Academic itself is a computer-based test, but Pearson states that candidates attend a secure Pearson Test Center to complete it. The distinction is between a computer-based test taken at an approved test centre and an English test completed remotely from home.
If You Need PTE, What Score Should You Prepare For?
If you have checked your visa requirements and confirmed that you need PTE specifically to establish Functional English, the legal threshold is straightforward:
24 overall.
You do not need to prepare for Competent, Proficient or Superior English simply to satisfy a Functional English requirement.
At the same time, repeatedly scoring exactly 24 in practice gives you very little margin for a weaker test-day performance.
The practical aim should be to become comfortable with the exam and consistently perform above your required threshold rather than trying to engineer the lowest possible result.
Applicants who actually need to sit the exam can use PTEClasses’ PTE Practice Questions to become familiar with the different task types. There is little value, however, in building a lengthy high-score preparation plan if your only immigration requirement is Functional English.
Current Functional English PTE Requirement
For a PTE Academic test being used to demonstrate Functional English for an Australian visa now, the current requirement is 24 overall, with the qualifying test score achieved within the 12 months before the visa application. Home Affairs does not prescribe a separate minimum PTE score for each skill at this English level.
Before booking PTE, check whether you can already provide proof of Functional English through an eligible passport or qualifying English-medium education.
You should also confirm that your particular visa actually requires Functional English and whether the requirement applies to you or to an adult family member. The Department of Home Affairs Functional English should be the final authority for the English evidence itself, while the relevant visa page determines how that requirement applies to your application.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find clear answers to common questions about this topic.
Can I use PTE Core as Functional English evidence in Australia?
Home Affairs currently lists PTE Academic, not PTE Core, in its approved Functional English test table. Applicants should therefore use the exact test specified by Home Affairs rather than assuming different Pearson tests are interchangeable.
Does Functional English give skilled migration points?
No, Functional English is not the English level used to claim additional English-language points in the standard skilled migration points test. It is a separate immigration English category used for specific visa requirements. If your objective is migration points, you need to check the English proficiency level required for that purpose rather than using the Functional English threshold.
