Any Aussies had their pension reduced because of a Thai marriage?

[giddyup]

Last year I cancelled my Thai marriage because of advice given on this forum. Advice that suggested it was a bad move getting married in Thailand because of the possibility of Centrelink reducing the OAP. Has anyone had this actually happen to them, and if so, how did Centrelink become aware?

[LannaGuy]

Last year I cancelled my Thai marriage

 

Ahhh romance is not yet dead but, seriously, marrying a Thai deserves some some of punishment right? 

[giddyup]

Just now, LannaGuy said:

Last year I cancelled my Thai marriage

 

Ahhh romance is not yet dead but, seriously, marrying a Thai deserves some some of punishment right? 

Don't you have anything better to do?

[1sickpuppy]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

Last year I cancelled my Thai marriage because of advice given on this forum. Advice that suggested it was a bad move getting married in Thailand because of the possibility of Centrelink reducing the OAP. Has anyone had this actually happen to them, and if so, how did Centrelink become aware?

A friend of mine lost about 1 third of his pension marrying a Thai over 10 years ago, the next year he got divorced to her so  got pull pension back, but still lived with her, i do not know how Aust govt found out, maybe a jealous friend, could be many things, cheers

[hellstens]

Marry in Thailand, but you don't have to register it in your home country. Problem solved. 

[oxo1947]

1 minute ago, hellstens said:

Marry in Thailand, but you don't have to register it in your home country. Problem solved. 

Don't you have to get a Stat Dec signed by the embassy--same as UK etc..??

[inThailand]

Even the Auzzie govt realizes marrying a Thai is an expensive mistake?

[giddyup]

Just now, inThailand said:

Even the Auzzie govt realizes marrying a Thai is an expensive mistake?

Is that supposed to be helpful?

[Old Croc]

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/enablers/pension-rates-payable-people-outside-australia

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, Old Croc said:

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/enablers/pension-rates-payable-people-outside-australia

Doesn't really answer my question.

[Laza 45]

Thanks for the heads up..  I've been thinking of marrying my gf of 10 years.. thinking that a marriage visa would would make life easier ... looks like I best stay with my non immi OA...  

[Laza 45]

5 minutes ago, giddyup said:

Doesn't really answer my question.

..well.. I believe you have to get a stat dec from the Aussie Embassy to say you aren't married in Australia... that would give them a head up.. the chart in the link shows what you would get if you are married here.. looks fairly straight forward to me..

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, Laza 45 said:

..well.. I believe you have to get a stat dec from the Aussie Embassy to say you aren't married in Australia... that would give them a head up.. the chart in the link shows what you would get if you are married here.. looks fairly straight forward to me..

I asked if anyone had their pension reduced because of their Thai marriage, ie actual experiences. I filled out that stat dec at the embassy, but didn't go through with the marriage, so doubt if it means anything.

Edited September 20, 2017 by giddyup

[Old Croc]

I gave you the policy they use to establish the rates they pay, to enable you, and other readers, to understand how the system works.

If you are going to rudely dismiss any answers that don't specifically fit into the parameters of your question I would suggest you don't ask for input on a social media platform. Perhaps you should try writing to a lawyer or the department with whom you have a difficulty and then stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

[giddyup]

5 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

I gave you the policy they use to establish the rates they pay, to enable you, and other readers, to understand how the system works.

If you are going to rudely dismiss any answers that don't specifically fit into the parameters of your question I would suggest you don't ask for input on a social media platform. Perhaps you should try writing to a lawyer or the department with whom you have a difficulty and then stick it where the sun doesn't shine.

That was not what I was asking for and you know it. My question has nothing to do with current pension rates, but what effect the Thai marriage had on the pension, if any. As yet not one person has addressed that question. If you took offence at my response to you ie "doesn't really answer my question", well cry me a river.

Edited September 20, 2017 by giddyup

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, hellstens said:

Marry in Thailand, but you don't have to register it in your home country. Problem solved. 

Perhaps the Aussie embassy advises Centrelink?

[LolaS]

best advice is that go in Australia, marry there and when she get PR and citizenship go back. This is experience of my friend, who married thai-australian, thai born australian by naturalisation. He is also european born, and their pension will not change at all!!! but she needs to aquire Australian ciitzenship

[tigermoth]

You don't have to be married. When I first applied for an Australian pension I informed Centrelink that I had a partner. For the following 3 years I received the full overseas pension. Suddenly it was reduced by a third. When I inquired why I was told by Centrelink that they considered my partner contributed to the partnership therefore they began paying me half the married pension rate. They considered that as we were living together it meant she could contribute to the partnership. Over the next year or more I appealed against it. You wouldn't believe some of the conversations I had with the morons at Centrelink, one person telling me I should have lied to them as they knew many did. Finally in desperation I submitted a separation form and immediately had my full pension reinstated.

To the people at Centrelink it is just a job and they are told what to do and say by their bosses. I actually studied the social security act and began telling them what the aws stated which in many cases the staff did not know. On another occasion I had to remind them that they were 'public servants' not the other way around. I was asked to leave the office.l

[ubonjoe]

A inflammatory post meant to derail the topic and a expected rely to it have been removed.

[giddyup]

26 minutes ago, LolaS said:

best advice is that go in Australia, marry there and when she get PR and citizenship go back. This is experience of my friend, who married thai-australian, thai born australian by naturalisation. He is also european born, and their pension will not change at all!!! but she needs to aquire Australian ciitzenship

How long do you think acquiring Aussie citizenship for a Thai is going to take? Sorry, just not a practical solution.

[datcook]

It doesn't matter if you were married in Australia, Thailand or Timbuktoo, or if it was a legal marriage or a defacto relationship where the parties were living together, If you are married and you are eligible for an OAP and your other half is not eligible for any Centrelink payments you would be reduced from "Single Pensioner to Married pensioner one partner eligible" and a reduction of about $200 per fortnight. If you do not tell centrelink of your situation whether it be legal or defacto and they pay Single Pensioner rates and they subsequently gain knowledge of your relationship they will recoup any overpayment which could be consderable.

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, datcook said:

It doesn't matter if you were married in Australia, Thailand or Timbuktoo, or if it was a legal marriage or a defacto relationship where the parties were living together, If you are married and you are eligible for an OAP and your other half is not eligible for any Centrelink payments you would be reduced from "Single Pensioner to Married pensioner one partner eligible" and a reduction of about $200 per fortnight. If you do not tell centrelink of your situation whether it be legal or defacto and they pay Single Pensioner rates and they subsequently gain knowledge of your relationship they will recoup any overpayment which could be consderable.

I don't have a defacto, I have a "carer".

[datcook]

Take my word for it if you and your "carer"  are in a cohabitable sexual (LOL) relationship and Centrelink are able to show/prove that this situation exists they will reduce your OAP and if you claim that your "partner" is a "carer" they will insist that you apply for a "carers pension".  Having been in this situation and taking my claim to the top I have found that "You can't fight City Hall" and now I must be satisfied with the reduced pension 

[inThailand]

A more fundamental question...why get married? It's common here not to get legally married?  

[tryasimight]

3 hours ago, 1sickpuppy said:

A friend of mine lost about 1 third of his pension marrying a Thai over 10 years ago, the next year he got divorced to her so  got pull pension back, but still lived with her, i do not know how Aust govt found out, maybe a jealous friend, could be many things, cheers

Really?....very understanding of the Government to take such good care of newly single males.

I expect after a strained wrist it will be straight on to the NDIS.

[tryasimight]

23 minutes ago, giddyup said:

How long do you think acquiring Aussie citizenship for a Thai is going to take? Sorry, just not a practical solution.

We started with a fiancee visa in 2014....I reckon on another 5 years for citizenship....maybe 8 years all up! 

Just in time for my pension at 661/2 years old , which I won't get due to super.

Certainly not a practical solution to this particular issue.

Edited September 20, 2017 by tryasimight

[datcook]

3 minutes ago, inThailand said:

A more fundamental question...why get married? It's common here not to get legally married?  

Marriage does not matter if you are in a relationship and your partner is not eligible for a pension of any sort you would only be allowed a "Single pensioner one partner eligible" rate. presently about $610 per fortnight against a full pension (in Australia) of approximately $870  per fortnight. BTW pension increases start today a whole $7 per fortnight don't spend it all at once

[giddyup]

9 minutes ago, datcook said:

Take my word for it if you and your "carer"  are in a cohabitable sexual (LOL) relationship and Centrelink are able to show/prove that this situation exists they will reduce your OAP and if you claim that your "partner" is a "carer" they will insist that you apply for a "carers pension".  Having been in this situation and taking my claim to the top I have found that "You can't fight City Hall" and now I must be satisfied with the reduced pension 

Not sure they would bother to send someone from Australia to Thailand to check up on my living arrangements.

[4MyEgo]

9 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I don't have a defacto, I have a "carer".

I don't know if this assists, but I have heard by many Ozzie Xpats here and there at waterholes that I have frequented over the years in Thailand, that if you are married to a Thai, your pension basically gets halved, suffice to say, I am happily married to a Thai since 2007, we are married in Australia and she has her citizenship, here in Thailand it was just a low key village ceremony and registered at the local Amphur, so I am told.

 

My plan before the OAP age is to offload some assets, so that I meet the asset test threshold, and divorce my lovely wife, say a couple of years beforehand, return and live in Australia for the 2 years prior to the OAP age and provide them with what they want, i.e. evidence of rent payments, lease, utility bills etc etc, my Mrs will fly in the same time as me, except a day later and will stay with me the whole time, she won't be on anything, won't be using her bank account, etc etc, and I won't know of her whereabouts as far as CentrLink are concerned, last I saw her was in Thailand, we divorced 2 years ago Mr/Ms CentreLink, go after someone else who hasn't contributed and is sponging off the system that my taxes of 39 years paid into.

 

This is providing the big fella up top says, yep, don't need you here yet, because if I am still breathing and able to fly to Oz by the age of 67.5 years or 70, I want a slice of the pie that I contributed too for 39 years, let's just leave at that, and I really do hope the others leave me some pie, but no skin off my nose if they drop the pension by then, or lift the age to 70, the once referred to term "the lucky country" has changed for the worse, anyways, I am living the dream here, slice of pie or not, plenty of Thai petite's to fill up my appetite when I crave it 555

[datcook]

1 minute ago, 4MyEgo said:

I don't know if this assists, but I have heard by many Ozzie Xpats here and there at waterholes that I have frequented over the years in Thailand, that if you are married to a Thai, your pension basically gets halved, suffice to say, I am happily married to a Thai since 2007, we are married in Australia and she has her citizenship, here in Thailand it was just a low key village ceremony and registered at the local Amphur, so I am told.

 

My plan before the OAP age is to offload some assets, so that I meet the asset test threshold, and divorce my lovely wife, say a couple of years beforehand, return and live in Australia for the 2 years prior to the OAP age and provide them with what they want, i.e. evidence of rent payments, lease, utility bills etc etc, my Mrs will fly in the same time as me, except a day later and will stay with me the whole time, she won't be on anything, won't be using her bank account, etc etc, and I won't know of her whereabouts as far as CentrLink are concerned, last I saw her was in Thailand, we divorced 2 years ago Mr/Ms CentreLink, go after someone else who hasn't contributed and is sponging off the system that my taxes of 39 years paid into.

 

This is providing the big fella up top says, yep, don't need you here yet, because if I am still breathing and able to fly to Oz by the age of 67.5 years or 70, I want a slice of the pie that I contributed too for 39 years, let's just leave at that, and I really do hope the others leave me some pie, but no skin off my nose if they drop the pension by then, or lift the age to 70, the once referred to term "the lucky country" has changed for the worse, anyways, I am living the dream here, slice of pie or not, plenty of Thai petite's to fill up my appetite when I crave it 555

Before you start offloading assets look very closely at just what your assets are and the assets threshold is, you may be surprised. it is now over $1000000 dollars and if you have this amount you probably would not need the pension