What do Thai Wives (& their husbands) think of losing their Australian Husbands for 2 years because of a new Centrelink law requirement being for him to live 2 years in Australia to collect his aged pension entitlement from the Australain government

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, Andycoops said:

This is outrageous. 

I feel for anyone who is already here and has sold up and has no place to return to down under.

And I thought the UK situation was bad enough.

The requirements for qualifying for an Aussie pension aren't a secret. If you have to return for 2 years to qualify, that's what you have to do.

[Lacessit]

8 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If I could go back to before I was married, I'd just have a village wedding to keep my wife sweet, but as not a legal marriage does not affect pension. 

However, in some countries, cohabitation over a minimum number of years is regarded as same as marriage.

 

Cohabitation in Australia is treated the same  way as a marriage by Centrelink, I think after 1 year. Defacto relationships in Thailand are not recognised by the Thai legal system.

Owning a condo that you live in is another Centrelink trap. They would cut my pension by $400 a fortnight if I live in it. If I buy a condo as an investment, and then rent it out to offset the rent I pay, then it is just part of the assets test. Which just shows how riddled with inconsistencies Centrelink is.

My policy is to stay within the law while telling Centrelink the minimum possible. So I'm not getting married, and I will continue to rent.

If you think the Age Pension system is bad, try the welfare systems for younger people. Centrelink acts like Nazis with them. Believe it or not, we actually get off lightly. Of course, that has nothing to do with age pensioners being a powerful voting bloc.

[simple1]

19 minutes ago, Andycoops said:

This is outrageous. 

I feel for anyone who is already here and has sold up and has no place to return to down under.

And I thought the UK situation was bad enough.

Been Australian Social Security Law for a long time. Obvious OP never previously checked criteria / requirements for Age Pension.

 

My Thai wife prefers to live in Australia (better quality of life) and visit friends and family in Thailand once a year

[Nemises]

You still need to research things further, i.e. if you meet the assets test because if you have too much money your pension will get reduced even further, maybe right down to zero.
 

Correct!


Anyone know what the maximum amount of ca$h you’re allowed to have in the bank and still get the FULL pension?

[scorecard]

7 hours ago, Gregster said:

Why not take your wife back with you for all or some of the time?

 

IMHO opinion it should not be so hard to get the Aust. OAP and live abroad, just my opinion, but is this a new and recent change in the laws / regulations on this subject?

 

I suspect this has been the case for many years and all previously discussed to death on this thread.

 

 

[tifino]

29 minutes ago, masuk said:

My Aussie ex-brother in law faced the same problem about two years back.  He's now married to a Filipina,  living in the Philippines and had planned on collecting an age pension after working in Oz for so many years.

However, he was also hit with the 2-year rule of having to be in Australia for 2 years before claiming a pension.

It seems grossly unfair to me, as there is also another requirement that you must have worked in Oz for 35 years to collect the full pension.  Retirement age is, I believe, now 67.5rs.   Best to keep up to date by reading the 'News for Older Australians' on Centrelink pages.

 

The reverse side of the coin is that the Oz govt are doing ok while we expats are living in Thailand.   Along with all other expats, I am paying my own medical and pathology bills, surgery, dental, medicines, immunisations, and we are NOT claiming rental subsidies or power and phone supplements.    These are all available to anyone on a pension, not forgetting free public transport in most states plus Senior's discount cards.   QLD rail has just reminded me that I have not used my four free train trips to anywhere in the state.

 

I'm just addressing this part: ...It seems grossly unfair to me, as there is also another requirement that you must have worked in Oz for 35 years to collect the full pension...

 

someone has already bought up that basically even someone on the Dole for the entire working life is equally eligible for the OAP

 

I was only in employment for 25 years total, and I am not barred either

 

 

[giddyup]

6 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

IMHO opinion it should not be so hard to get the Aust. OAP and live abroad, just my opinion, but is this a new and recent change in the laws / regulations on this subject?

 

I suspect this has been the case for many years and all previously discussed to death on this thread.

 

 

It isn't hard. Live in Australia for 2 years before being eligible and work in Australia for at least 25 years (35 years for full pension). How hard is that?

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, tifino said:

 

I'm just addressing this part: ...It seems grossly unfair to me, as there is also another requirement that you must have worked in Oz for 35 years to collect the full pension...

 

someone has already bought up that basically even someone on the Dole for the entire working life is equally eligible for the OAP

 

I was only in employment for 25 years total, and I am not barred either

 

 

It's not actually how long you have worked, but how long you have lived in Oz. If you never worked a day in your life you would still be entitled to a full pension, as long as you have lived there for 35 years.

[logres212]

Not new, this rule came in September 2000.

[nickcar]

2 hours ago, 2BOB said:

I know several KIWIS living in CM for over 10 years but do non have to go back!!!!

 

I am a Kiwi living  in thailand more than 20years age 73. I have never applied for NZ pension because i think i read somewhere that you have to have worked in NZ at least one year after age 50.  I also know that years ago you could only stay out of New Zealand for 13 weeks before you lost the pension. But I believe I have read nowadays once you’re entitled to the pension you can live where you like. 

Any New Zealanders no more than this? 

[johnarth]

2 hours ago, 2BOB said:

What ever you do DO NOT give centerlink any excuse to check in to your background. i have been living in Chiang Mai for over 12 years ,went back to aus at age 60 , found it hard at first (not the Australia i remember) did 60 as i thought it would be easyer to get work, this was the best dicision i made.

What ever you do do not let CL know you are married Will cut $200 per forghtnight from your pension. They have no way of checking if you are married inThailand, keep them in the dark. i was sending 20 g back every month when they inquired about this i told them it was for rent of my house and up keep.

You have  2  ways of doing you sentance

1 go back before, you can then travel back and forwards to Thailand as much as you whant.

2 Go back @ 66.5 you will get the pension BUT you cant leave for more than 6 weeks a year , they will STOP your pension and you will have to reapply .  

Sorry but they what  you to spend your money in Aus, not live a comfortable life any where else.

So true and with the Thai Baht gobbling up the Aust dollar might have to move to Cambodia before long

[Cadbury]

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

Are they new? I certainly knew about this 2 year rule several years ago from an Aussie friend.

The new laws have been around for a few years now. The numbers of Australians resident in Asian are not so much the problem to the government but they cast a wide net to capture the huge number of immigrant "Australians" who got the pension and then returned home to live with their original families in Europe. Unfortunately the net captured those natural original born and bred Australians who retired early from work and started living in Asia. 

I know of a few people who had lived in Asia only a year or two and then went back and claimed they only been on a long holiday and were still living in Australia. They applied for and received the pension and then scarpered back to Asia.

They were the lucky ones. Anyone gone for 2 years+ won't be so lucky.

 

[Cadbury]

Just now, johnarth said:

So true and with the Thai Baht gobbling up the Aust dollar might have to move to Cambodia before long

Vietnam is a far better option.

[4MyEgo]

52 minutes ago, simple1 said:

How will your partner be able to relocate to Oz without your sponsorship? BTW, remember Oz government  has sophisticated data matching / data mining capability e.g. ATO matches up car sales over a certain value to the purchaser to identify those under declaring income for tax evasion purposes

Too easy mate

 

She is an Australian Citizen 

 

If Centrelink ever asked at the application stage, e.g. where is your x now, my reply would be last I saw of her was in Thailand, and if they reply with, so you don't know that she is here, my reply would be, oh really, must still be in love with the money trail and looking for me.

 

She has also kept her maiden name on everything, no point in carrying the husbands surname, that's old fashion, but the kids do have it, so they might pick them up on the radar, suffice to say, doesn't bother me either way, the piece of paper that says I am divorced would be deemed legal.

 

Saw on a current affair the other day that a middle eastern woman went to a eye doctor 21 years ago and told him she was blind, he checked her and said your fine, so she went to one of her own middle eastern doctor that a friend referred her too, he said yep your blind, so she had received a disability pension to the total sum of $209,000 plus a housing commission house for the 21 years, and to top it off, she applied for a drivers licence at the same time and kept renewing it ever since. This is the type of scum that they need to concentrate on, not the tax payers.

 

What I am trying to say is, at least I worked and paid taxes for 40 years and if they want to come a raw prawn with me, then we will just have to serve it to them oy !  

[4MyEgo]

48 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Believe it or not, we actually get off lightly. Of course, that has nothing to do with age pensioners being a powerful voting bloc.

That is if you have retained your residency status because from my understanding, once you become a foreign resident, there goes your voting rights.

[totally thaied up]

2 hours ago, 2BOB said:

What ever you do DO NOT give centerlink any excuse to check in to your background. i have been living in Chiang Mai for over 12 years ,went back to aus at age 60 , found it hard at first (not the Australia i remember) did 60 as i thought it would be easyer to get work, this was the best dicision i made.

What ever you do do not let CL know you are married Will cut $200 per forghtnight from your pension. They have no way of checking if you are married inThailand, keep them in the dark. i was sending 20 g back every month when they inquired about this i told them it was for rent of my house and up keep.

You have  2  ways of doing you sentance

1 go back before, you can then travel back and forwards to Thailand as much as you whant.

2 Go back @ 66.5 you will get the pension BUT you cant leave for more than 6 weeks a year , they will STOP your pension and you will have to reapply .  

Sorry but they what  you to spend your money in Aus, not live a comfortable life any where else.

The reason now that Centrelink is so harsh is because people are rorting the system and they are putting a stop to it all. If you are married and rorting the system, you are going to get caught. Data matching will get you as well as the fact now, Centrelink can find out if you are currently married very easy in Thailand.

 

When I married, I lost $167 a fortnight two years ago. It was worth it to me for many reasons; when my wife applies for a Visa, it is a breeze now. The agent we used in Chiang Mai told us that the Governments were now able to find out if we were married. I notified the Government that day we got married, but then six months later, my parents got a phone call from Overseas Services telling my Mother that they had received notification of marriage via an agency and did they know about this. I was then called a few hours later as well, and once again, they checked my file and said I was data matched and owed no money to Centrelink.

 

So they do check, and I got told there is NO LIMITATION on stature for recovering funds or taking legal action upon you. Also, you can get the full rate as a single but be married to your partner is under SERIOUS finical hardship (less than 5K in assets and cash).

 

The two-year limit as well has been well known for a very, very long time. Centrelink had a significant shake-up 2-3 years ago that changed the demographics for going overseas. Under the Constitution, certain things are hard to change, and I cannot see things changing too much more. 

 

Pensions are not given to Thai wives after your death. They need to be an Australian Citizen, lived in Country for a period of 10 years and much more added on to this. So you are looking at 12-14 years in Country as a minimum. The good days in Austalia got ruined by the Italians and Lebanese in the 70's. A 'crook back,' getting pensioned off with it and heading back to the home country to live, was a well-known ruse. The fact that after death, Australia was never notified and payments still went on to the families till they got investigated, later sent a massive change to the system.

 

Things are much harsher now. Just follow the rules, and it is pretty easy.

[wijipa]

After Having  just spent the best part of 5 hours with MSD, the NZ govt pension people, I can tell you now, if they are getting a pension in Thailand, then it is without the Govt knowledge. End of story.

[4MyEgo]

28 minutes ago, nickcar said:

I am a Kiwi living  in thailand more than 20years age 73. I have never applied for NZ pension because i think i read somewhere that you have to have worked in NZ at least one year after age 50.  I also know that years ago you could only stay out of New Zealand for 13 weeks before you lost the pension. But I believe I have read nowadays once you’re entitled to the pension you can live where you like. 

Any New Zealanders no more than this? 

The below is a copy and paste extract from the link below, which should answer your questions, once you click on the link with your mouse and then read away:

 

I will point out, its an article, not legislation (law), so you may need to Google further research.

 

 you need to have lived in New Zealand for a minimum of 10 years (five of which after age 50) in order to receive a pension.

 

http://www.nzpensionprotest.com/Home/the-law/portability

 

[4MyEgo]

17 minutes ago, totally thaied up said:

The good days in Austalia got ruined by the Italians and Lebanese in the 70's. A 'crook back,' getting pensioned off with it and heading back to the home country to live, was a well-known ruse. The fact that after death, Australia was never notified and payments still went on to the families till they got investigated, later sent a massive change to the system.

Mate I always thought Italians were hard working family type guys, never heard of the Italian back, the Lebanese back, sheet yeh.

 

Ask yourself this, if you croaked it tomorrow and knew your Mrs would get cut off the pension, would you want her to ring Centrelink and say, Sawadee Kar, my husband, he die from too much boom boom ?

 

I think I know the answer to that one, not saying what the Europeans did back then was right by not telling Centrelink their husbands passed away, but everybody's got to eat right, just look how much meat the politicians take off the bone before they leave us the left overs.

[simple1]

59 minutes ago, Gregster said:

Correct! Anyone know what the maximum amount of ca$h you’re allowed to have in the bank and still get the FULL pension?

 

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/enablers/assets

 

[giddyup]

5 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Mate I always thought Italians were hard working family type guys, never heard of the Italian back, the Lebanese back, sheet yeh.

 

Ask yourself this, if you croaked it tomorrow and knew your Mrs would get cut off the pension, would you want her to ring Centrelink and say, Sawadee Kar, my husband, he die from too much boom boom ?

 

I think I know the answer to that one, not saying what the Europeans did back then was right by not telling Centrelink their husbands passed away, but everybody's got to eat right, just look how much meat the politicians take off the bone before they leave us the left overs.

I think it was more the "Mediterranean back" that got people worked up. There was definitely a lot of rorting going on in the 60's and 70's, it still goes on now, just different ethnic groups.

[owenm]

It's not actually how long you have worked, but how long you have lived in Oz. If you never worked a day in your life you would still be entitled to a full pension, as long as you have lived there for 35 years.

Lived in Australia for 35 years from the age of 16 years. So if you didn't start living OS until after 51, you would still qualify for the full OAP..

Sent from my SM-N915G using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, Gregster said:

 

Correct!


Anyone know what the maximum amount of ca$h you’re allowed to have in the bank and still get the FULL pension?

 

Full pension

From 20 September 2017, pensions will reduce when your assets are more than the amounts below.

If you're:	Homeowners	Non-homeowners
single	$253,750	$456,750
in a couple, combined	$380,500	$583,500
illness separated couple, combined	$380,500	$583,500
one partner eligible, combined	$380,500	$583,500

[totally thaied up]

13 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Mate I always thought Italians were hard working family type guys, never heard of the Italian back, the Lebanese back, sheet yeh.

Ask my old Italian neighbor. He used to move around by himself a very, very large motorboat and his back was 'terrible'. He went back home in the 80's, taking the whole family, died in the 90's and you can guess what happened. 

 

13 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

Ask yourself this, if you croaked it tomorrow and knew your Mrs would get cut off the pension, would you want her to ring Centrelink and say, Sawadee Kar, my husband, he die from too much boom boom ?

My wife will be okay. She is a quiet girl and I come from a good family. She will be well provided for under Trust. I am too young to die from too much boom boom. It may be the other way round. 

 

[Happyman58]

Ok guys i have been reading what u all have written It is a bit confusing but ok this is what i understand. If you have lived and worked in Australia for 35 years between the ages 16-65 and paid tax then you will have no problems with anything. The 2 year ruling on living there is not required. If you have lived and worked in Australia  for less than 35 years then the rules start applying. I understand you also have to pass an income test so if you want your full pension sell everything and spend your money  The money they take off you if you live in Thailand and get the pension is the rent assistance and energy supplement Now i am sure this is what lady told me at centrelink when i was in Australia last time But then she said ask me in 6 years time because  by then the rules would of changed again, i am 60 Of coarse this rule does not apply to our hard working politicions who can get there pension at 60 and not do the assest test.not that any would need the pension because they have a huge superannuation which is paid by the taxpayer Get elected on 3 elections and you are set for life  Grubs they are

[Nemises]

Full pension

From 20 September 2017, pensions will reduce when your assets are more than the amounts below.

If you're:	Homeowners	Non-homeowners
single	$253,750	$456,750
in a couple, combined	$380,500	$583,500
illness separated couple, combined	$380,500	$583,500
one partner eligible, combined	$380,500	$583,500

Thanks mate. I understand about the assets but was asking about cash in bank. E.G. a non home-owner has no assets apart from cash in his bank. How much cash is allowed to be in his bank to still qualify for full pension?

[giddyup]

18 minutes ago, Happyman58 said:

Ok guys i have been reading what u all have written It is a bit confusing but ok this is what i understand. If you have lived and worked in Australia for 35 years between the ages 16-65 and paid tax then you will have no problems with anything. The 2 year ruling on living there is not required. If you have lived and worked in Australia  for less than 35 years then the rules start applying.

You still need to live in Australia for 2 years prior to applying for the OAP.

[4MyEgo]

6 minutes ago, Gregster said:

 

Thanks mate. I understand about the assets but was asking about cash in bank. E.G. a non home-owner has no assets apart from cash in his bank. How much cash is allowed to be in his bank to still qualify for full pension?

 

Your welcome. I would have thought the figures that I posted below would have been the cash amounts for those owning a home and those not owning a home.

 

I will stand corrected if anyone else can shed some light on this, i.e. if your a single homeowner you can have up to $253,750, in assets/cash/shares before your pension starts getting cut back, if your a single non homeowner, you can have up to $456,750 in assets/cash/shares before your pension starts getting cut back ?

 

Full pension

From 20 September 2017, pensions will reduce when your assets are more than the amounts below.

If you're:	Homeowners	Non-homeowners
single	$253,750	$456,750
in a couple, combined	$380,500	$583,500
illness separated couple, combined	$380,500	$583,500
one partner eligible, combined	$380,500	$583,500

 

I also read somewhere else that if you start reducing your asset amount less than 5 years beforehand by gifting money to relatives etc etc there are limits, like no more than $30k in total within those 5 years, so if you are in the boat of having more, and have a decade or so before you get the pension, start giving it away, and if you want my bank account details, PM me, I will give you a person I O U note autographed and dated  

[Lacessit]

12 minutes ago, giddyup said:

You still need to live in Australia for 2 years prior to applying for the OAP.

I'm not sure this is correct. As long as you have residency in Australia, the only requirement is you have to be IN Australia when you become eligible for the OAP. If you miss that date by being overseas, then you have to do the two years penal servitude.

Personally, I think the 2 - year rule is horseshit dreamed up by some four-eyed pen-pusher in Canberra. It's evident why Canberra's power lines are underground.  It removes the possibility of public servants being strung up on lamp posts by an outraged population.

[realenglish1]

That is what you get with a socialist government