How do you qualify for an Australian pension?

[neil.h...@theaudiosuite.com]

Hi -

If a British pensioner is also an Australian citizen living in Australia, how do they qualify for an Australian pension instead of their British pension. Is that even possible?

Max. AU pension currently $1,149.00 / 2 weeks 
(Approx £550 / 2 weeks)

Max UK pension currently £460.50 / 2 weeks 

That's approximately £2,327 more a year for an Australian pension compared to a British pension (and presumably, index linked in some way).

Kindest regards,

Neil.

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[Michael Skully]

The details are explained on the government website referenced below.  You need to meet a residency requirement and then not exceed both an income and asset test. 

Services Australia

https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au › who-can-get-age-pension

Who can get Age Pension - Age Pension - Services Australia

To be eligible for Age Pension you must meet the residence rules. Find out if you or your partner getting a Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) payment could affect your eligibility for a …

• Assets Test

  If you get Rent Assistance with your pension, your cut off point is higher. …

• Age Pension

  To get this you must be all of the following: Age Pension age; under the income and

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[Ellen]

Hi Neil

If you're eligible you get it as well as the UK pension, or part of it. The Australian pension is means tested. You should end up with more than the Australian pension in total as you only lose 50c of the Australian pension for every dollar you get from the UK. (Plus there's about 5k you can receive without losing anything. 

Regards

Ellen

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[John Wilson]

Hi,

 

I was already getting a UK (works) pension and the UK (frozen DWP) one before I actually retired over here in OZ so didn’t think I would qualify for the Australian (Centrelink) pension at all.

 

A couple of Aussie (retired) friends ‘encouraged’ me to apply for the Australian (Centrelink) pension any way.

 

I was pleasantly surprised to find out I actually qualified for a partial Australian (Centrelink) pension despite already getting two other (UK) pensions.

 

It (the Ausssie pension) was backdated, as a lump sum payment, taking into account when I applied (to Centrelink) and retired from work over here in Australia!

 

I now get it (the Aussie pension) paid into my bank every two weeks.

 

Hopefully this information will be ‘beneficial’ to any UK expats/pensioners resident/living in Australia.

 

Bye for now,

 

John (w.).

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[Marianne]

Hi John, can I ask how long you have been in Australia, how long you have been an Aussie citizen please.

Marianne 


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[Michael Skully]

You need to be a resident of Australia for 10 years.  As far as I can see, Australian citizenship is not requirement

Assets and means tests need careful attention. Partial pensions are possible - see the site below

To be eligible for the Australian Age Pension, you must be at least 67 years old, meet residency requirements, and pass income and assets tests.

Key Eligibility Criteria

1. Age Requirement: You must be at least 67 years old to qualify for the Age Pension. This age requirement was increased to 67 from 1 July 2023. 

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2. Residency: You must be an Australian resident for at least 10 years, with at least 5 of those years being consecutive. There are exceptions for certain groups, such as refugees and New Zealand citizens who meet specific criteria. 

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3. Income Test: Your income will be assessed to determine how much Age Pension you may receive. If your income exceeds certain limits, your pension payment may be reduced or you may not be eligible at all. 

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4. Assets Test: The assets test evaluates the value of your assets, including property and possessions. There are specific limits on how much you can own to qualify for the Age Pension. If your assets exceed these limits, your pension may be reduced or canceled. 

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5. Other Considerations: If you are legally blind, you may be able to claim the Age Pension without being assessed against the income and assets tests, provided you submit the necessary documentation. 

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6. 

   

   4 Sources

Additional Benefits

If you qualify for the Age Pension, you may also be eligible for other benefits, such as the Pensioner Concession Card, which provides access to various discounts and services. 

Services Australia

For more detailed information and to check your specific eligibility, you can visit the official Services Australia website. 

Services Australia

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[Jonathan Green]

Hi all,

Applying for the pension here in Australia is an uphill struggle, but worth it in the end. The photo is of my initial application! The 'further information required' was about a third as much again!

However, I paid contributions in the UK for well over 50 years and here in Australia for only 10+ years, yet my Australian pension is over double my UK one! As an added insult the UK still taxes me at source on my fire service pension!

Good luck!

Jonathan

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From: 'Michael Skully' via BAPA <bapa...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: 26 May 2025 09:08
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[John Ferris]

Neil.
You can qualify for both. The UK pension will be paid depending on the number of qualifying years you have paid into the scheme. It is not means tested and can be paid directly into your Aus bank account. Or UK account if you wish. You just need to apply.
Your Aus pension is means tested and your UK income (IE pension) is included as an income. Details of your UK pension are sent directly to Aus Centrelink so they will have those details.
You can apply for the Aus pension if you feel you will qualify. If above the means test limit then you can still obtain a Commonwealth Health card if you're over pension age. This gets you cheap prescriptions etc.

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[neil.h...@theaudiosuite.com]

This is all incredibly helpful. I'm so grateful for this group! It seems to be a minefield for an ex-pat to navigate...

I have been a "Permanent Resident" since December 2015, but due to business and completing a part-time Ph.D. in 2019, we didn't settle here permanently until June 2021. COVID annoyingly delayed the move, of course. (My wife is British, but an Australian citizen. I have just applied for Australian citizenship having completed the qualifying time.)

I am now 65, with 46 years of contributions to the UK state pension, and a tiny private pension (as we took money out to pay off our UK mortgage). We're now looking to sell our UK house and buy a property here in QLD; but watching the rising property prices here, and the prospect of my income dwindling, has really caused me some concern!

So thank you again everyone for your input. It's very gratefully received!

Kindest regards,

Neil.

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[JO ODDIE]

There is a wealth of information here, but something below may add a little. 

If you click on the Services Australia image link below you will get all the info you need. 

1 Press on the image below & a MyGov web page will appear

2 Click on the MyGov web page, scroll down, & you will be taken to all the info you require, including how much in assets, existing pensions etc. 

If you exceed the pensions &/or the assets allowances, don’t worry, you may still be allowed an Australian pension, but at a reduced amount. 

Press this image

If you don’t have a computer I think computers are available for public use in many libraries. You could ask the librarian for assistance to navigate to the website you need. 

Alternatively, make an appointment to see someone in Centrelink. I’m not sure what documentation you would need but my guess is at least

Tax return & Tax File No

Last quarter bank statements

Copies of savings statements

Proof of any pensions payments you receive

Proof of any other income you receive 

Proof of rental costs if you are not a homeowner 

Documentation showing alol assets you may have. 

Maybe birth certificate, marriage certificate 

Others may have a more comprehensive list.

 For anyone who is unsure or not confident using a computer, an appointment with Centrelink maybe the best route. I have a friend who elected to go this route & she is a very proficient computer user, & Australian to boot. 

Best of luck

Jo

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On 26 May 2025, at 10:50, John Ferris <jfe...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[JO ODDIE]

Well done for staying the course Jonathan. 

Incredible we get so little from our UK pensions. 

Yours

Jo

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On 26 May 2025, at 10:50, John Ferris <jfe...@gmail.com> wrote:



Neil.

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[Jonathan Green]

Hi,

Thanks for the support Jo! It was an uphill struggle, they wanted to know (as my Dad used to say) the ins and outs of a duck's b*m!

Well worth it in the end though.

For your information, obviously I don't know how you are situated but once the Oz pension was granted I was also put in touch with the South Australian concessions department. I now get reduced car rego, driving licences, etc and also small contributions to water and electric bills, etc. Only had to fill in one form for that... saves quite a bit too.

Cheers

Jonathan

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Sent: 31 May 2025 22:12
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[JO ODDIE]

Hi Jonathan 

We can apply for an Australian pension from July. I am not looking forward to the process! But it would be very useful to get anything extra, however small, plus the benefits you mentioned. 

What vexes me is that UK says our State pensions are benefits. We thought we were paying for our pensions in NI contributions as well as the NHS.  We have been here 6 years but would already be considerably better off if our SP was unfrozen.  Sigh. 

Yours

Jo

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On 1 Jun 2025, at 11:16, Jonathan Green <greenf...@live.com.au> wrote:



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[Steve Symmons]

You have to have been an Australian resident for a minimum of ten (10) years - of which at least five (5) must have been consecutive - to qualify for an Australian State Pension. But it is worth having for the ancillary benefits (discounted car registration, utilities, transport etc) as the cash. One dollar of Australian pension entitles the recipient to all the concessions.as much as a full Australian pension does.

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[Jonathan Green]

Hi again,

We came in 2009 so was able to apply in 2019 (you needed to have lived here for 10 years, has that changed now?).

It's my understanding that all states have concessions of some sort for pensioners and they are backdated (from memory) to when you first became eligible up to 5 years. As I hadn't heard until a kind man at Origin Energy mentioned it when I was fishing for a reduction in my electricity charges, I had 2-3 years of backdated benefits credited to my electricity, water, etc accounts, so once again well worth applying!

When started the UK pensions contributions were intended to be paid into a fund untouched by the government purely to pay pensions. Not sure who and when but it's now considered as a source of income for the government to access as and when!

Makes my blood boil!

Best of luck in July!

Jonathan

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Sent: 01 June 2025 13:47

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[JO ODDIE]

Hallo

No change. Applicant must have lived here for 10 years & I think 5 of those years must be consecutive. 

We came in 2019 this time, but we already had 4 working years here in the 80s & took citizenship then. 

Re UKSP, the politicians just can’t help themselves. They see some money in a pot & will always find a way to get their fingers on it; & as they make the rules & can change them at will, the general public don’t stand a chance. Sadly many of them think it’s OK to deprive citizens living abroad of their full pensions. They have no scruples, morals, sense of justice. 

Yours

Jo

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On 1 Jun 2025, at 15:33, Jonathan Green <greenf...@live.com.au> wrote:



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