Australian Aged Pension

[Old Croc]

For those who are still confused, the OAP is tax free wherever you reside.

The hard part is getting portability.

Those of us on other (superannuation) pensions like CSS or PSS are the ones at risk of being slugged the 32.5% tax. 

[Lizard2010]

21 minutes ago, giddyup said:

No, seriously. I just don't understand why you are talking about your landlord in Australia, teenagers doing donuts, and people getting stabbed etc. I'm sure if you have a serious question pertaining to Aussie pensions someone will be happy to respond.

Some people haven nothing else o do but complain about anything

Just like the last few days about

I can not believe the amount on posts about nothing to do with OAP

I have better things to do that to read the dribble

The Government with family law courts and then the Maintenance for children

What has this got to with OAP Nothing

Then people saying the Working Life Residence  from DOB

I dont know how many times this has had to be repeated it is from 16 years of age

Im thinking of stop watching the one I have my OAP granted within the rules

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

For those who are still confused, the OAP is tax free wherever you reside.

The hard part is getting portability.

Those of us on other (superannuation) pensions like CSS or PSS are the ones at risk of being slugged the 32.5% tax. 

Portability isn't hard to get, you just have to meet the criteria, ie live in Australia for 2 years prior to eligibility.

[Old Croc]

1 minute ago, giddyup said:

Portability isn't hard to get, you just have to meet the criteria, ie live in Australia for 2 years prior to eligibility.

That's beyond hard for many

[Kimber]

1 hour ago, tigermoth said:

To clear up some of the previous misconceptions about this pension subject. For a start the pension has nothing to do with your working life. Australian citizens, if born in Australia receive their full pension at 65 or 67 years of age, depending on when you were born. This is to go up to 70 again depending on your birth date. You receive the full pension while overseas unrelated to any agreements between countries. There are restrictions depending on the value of assets you have.

 

Non Australian citizens also receive the full pension living overseas but you have to have permanent resident status and have lived permanently in Australia for 35 years. If you have only lived for example 20 years you will only receive 20/35ths. If you have been outside Australia for a number of years, I think either 5 or maybe 7, you have to return, apply for the pension, and live permanently in Australia for the next two years, a very restrictive law potentially a very inhumane requirement likely to break up families and partnerships. This law also applys to citizens. There are a few exceptions to the 35 year rule with some countries which have agreements with Australia, i.e., New Zealanders who have permanent resident status need to have lived in Australia for 25 years. I believe Greece may have a similar agreement. You also have to provide evidence of your contribution to Australia in areas of economics, i.e., maybe paying tax, type of work and also culture if possible. Some may have extensive family connections in Australia,

 

A person with permanent resident status will be required to renew this status yearly although you can do this without returning. If you are outside of Australia for more than five years you will lose the permanent resident status and thus will be required to return every 26 weeks to retain your pension. I'm not sure what affect the recent change from 26 weeks to 13 weeks has on the pension payments for non permanent residences.

 

This is all an explanation for certain possible situations. Many cases may have different circumstances. I found Centrelink next to useless for information as the staff are not well enough trained in a subject that the Australian govt., has made over complicated. I was given false info, even told I should lie about my situation by one person. I was forced to study the social security act for hours and weeks until I became an expert on it. The problem of course the govt. keeps amending it and publishing these amendments in the govt gazette which if you are elderly and aware, need a magnifying glass to read the tiny script and even find the subject among scores of others.

 

If you seem to be getting nowhere with centrelink I suggest you contact an Australian lawyer who specialises tn this area.

There are a plethora of internet links regarding the Australian OAP conditions,  all of them good reliable points of reference as government assured legislated regulations. 

 

No need to call Centerlink or engage expensive legal advice, just make the effort to do a little internet homework.

 

https://www.finder.com.au/australian-age-pension-eligibility-requirements

 

Start here, read the whole page and follow what links re relevant to your individual situation. 

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink/age-pension

[Lizard2010]

35 minutes ago, giddyup said:

 

1 minute ago, Old Croc said:

That's beyond hard for many

These are the Rules

Get used to it

If you want to live overseas before your OAP Is available

Read the criteria

No good crying about it

Get on with life

IMHO

 

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

That's beyond hard for many

I understand that it will certainly be an inconvenience for some, but all the whinging in the world ain't gonna change a thing. Want the pension? Comply with the criteria. End of.

[4MyEgo]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

What does this mean? I have been out of Australia for 8 years, how do I renew my status without returning? I have to return every 26 weeks to retain a pension? I have never returned in 8 years yet still get paid my pension regularly. This is confusing.

I believe he is referring to those who permanent residents, i.e. not Australian Citizens, and the 26 weeks would be for the subsidy, i.e. electricity, etc etc, pensioners being cut off for the subsidy, after being away for 26 weeks.

 

I hope that sorts it.

 

But I am confused by him saying that permanent residence get the pension as I thought you had to be an Australian Citizen, my wife became a permanent resident a couple years after she arrived, i.e. she arrived in Australia in 2007, then a citizen in 2014 and I believe she has to have 10 years before she can get a part pension, but has to be an Australian Citizen for those 10 years, 5 of those years being in Australia without a long period of absence, going off what Tigermoth has stated, throws a spanner in the works.

[Kimber]

11 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

For those who are still confused, the OAP is tax free wherever you reside.

The hard part is getting portability.

Those of us on other (superannuation) pensions like CSS or PSS are the ones at risk of being slugged the 32.5% tax. 

 

The best approach is to enlist in the Army in your 20's and get shot at for at least 3 decades, then pull a TPI pension AND OAP tax free, with Medical and Dental included for the rest of your life ! 

[giddyup]

33 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

 

To be fair, I think the 2 year rule has been in place for a number of years, so plenty of time to organise a return trip to Oz if that's what you need to do to qualify for the pension.

[giddyup]

4 minutes ago, Old Croc said:

Accepting draconian changes to laws designed to rip off citizens with a suck it up or piss off attitude doesn't really flatter yourself.

Do you live in Russia.

As I just pointed out, the 2 year rule has been in place for some time, it hasn't just been sprung on people. BTW, born and bred in Australia, and complied to get my pension, been living in Thailand full-time for 8 years and getting paid regularly by Centrelink.

[Peterw42]

1 hour ago, tigermoth said:

A person with permanent resident status will be required to renew this status yearly although you can do this without returning

How is this done

 

 

1 hour ago, tigermoth said:

A person with permanent resident status will be required to renew this status yearly although you can do this without returning. If you are outside of Australia for more than five years you will lose the permanent resident status and thus will be required to return every 26 weeks to retain your pension

A contradictory statement, can you clarify ? PR can be renewed outside Australia or you need to return every 26 weeks

[giddyup]

13 minutes ago, Kimber said:

 

The best approach is to enlist in the Army in your 20's and get shot at for at least 3 decades, then pull a TPI pension AND OAP tax free, with Medical and Dental included for the rest of your life ! 

You only have to serve in a combat zone, return to Oz, see a trick cyclist, submit a PTSD claim and let the good times roll.

[Will27]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

What does this mean? I have been out of Australia for 8 years, how do I renew my status without returning? I have to return every 26 weeks to retain a pension? I have never returned in 8 years yet still get paid my pension regularly. This is confusing.

I think he's referring to residents of Australia who are on the pension, not citizens.

 

You're an Aussie citizen so do not have to worry about residency (for immigration purposes).

[Will27]

36 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

I believe he is referring to those who permanent residents, i.e. not Australian Citizens, and the 26 weeks would be for the subsidy, i.e. electricity, etc etc, pensioners being cut off for the subsidy, after being away for 26 weeks.

 

I hope that sorts it.

 

But I am confused by him saying that permanent residence get the pension as I thought you had to be an Australian Citizen, my wife became a permanent resident a couple years after she arrived, i.e. she arrived in Australia in 2007, then a citizen in 2014 and I believe she has to have 10 years before she can get a part pension, but has to be an Australian Citizen for those 10 years, 5 of those years being in Australia without a long period of absence, going off what Tigermoth has stated, throws a spanner in the works.

You don't have to be an Aussie citizen to qualify for the OAP.

 

Residents can apply also.

[sceadugenga]

Abusive posts removed, keep the discourse civil please.

Informative as well seems to be too much to hope for.

[simple1]

1 hour ago, tigermoth said:

For a start the pension has nothing to do with your working life. Australian citizens,

You are making the assumption an Australian Citizen has lived most of their lives in Australia from the age of 16 until retirement. Some on this forum would have lived overseas for a number of years and would not have accumulated 35 years Working life Residency to comply to the criteria for a full Age Pension for portability

 

Please be more careful when posting or provide a current link to support your claims, as you have also made other misleading claims in your post e.g. overlooked the Five year Resident Return Visa.

[scorecard]

4 hours ago, simple1 said:

Working Life Residence for the purpose of Age Pension starts from 16 years of age. To obtain full Age Pension currently you must have lived in Oz for 35 years and reside in Oz at the time of lodging your claim. If you have been living in Thailand for a number of years prior to returning to Oz for the purpose of lodging a claim for Age Pension it would be worth your time to contact Centrelink International to ascertain what challenges, if any, there would be for claiming Oz residency for the purpose of Age Pension. There is an Australian government  site that provides samples of previous ruling for this matter (can't remember where) for the meantime go to the URL below for more detail.

 

http://guides.dss.gov.au/guide-social-security-law/7/1/4

 

Thank you.

[simple1]

10 minutes ago, scorecard said:

 

Thank you.

Just came across following from the link I provided...

 

If people overseas ask about getting a pension on return to Australia, great care should be taken to give them complete and accurate information about the residence provisions and their subsequent portability entitlements. A claim for pension can be lodged by a former resident ONLY IF, on the evidence available, there is a clear intention to remain permanently in Australia. A person who intends to return to Australia for a 24 month period only would not be an 'Australian resident' as per SSAct subsection 7(2).

 

On a personal note I returned to Oz after living in Thailand for a while prior to Age Pension age and claimed unemployment benefit for a few months, it was easy to then roll over to Age Pension. Establishing residency for Centrelink to claim Newstart is straight forward e.g....

 

Oz Rental Agreement

Oz Driving License

Oz Bank Account

Family in Oz

 

 

[Artisi]

2 hours ago, simple1 said:

You are making the assumption an Australian Citizen has lived most of their lives in Australia from the age of 16 until retirement. Some on this forum would have lived overseas for a number of years and would not have accumulated 35 years Working life Residency to comply to the criteria for a full Age Pension for portability

 

Please be more careful when posting or provide a current link to support your claims, as you have also made other misleading claims in your post e.g. overlooked the Five year Resident Return Visa.

Correct, a few incorrect misleading assumptions. If in any doubt, call centrelink Tasmania who control and monitor overseas paid pensions. Your everyday Centrelink office can only go by the and quote the rule book.

[sceadugenga]

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/contact-us/international-phone-numbers

[Artisi]

In 2008 I posted , post #51, my story and dealings with Centrelink regarding my application of pension / being out of the country / portability which was resolved in my favour - as it turned out I remained in Aust. for a further 3 years but was free to travel at anytime back to Thailand which I did to retain visa extensions etc.

Could be of interest to someone in a similar position.

[harrry]

I remember that Artisi and glad things worked for you;  Sadly there have been many changes since and not sure that that would apply now.

It is though always worth appealing anything. It rarely can leave you worse off.

[4MyEgo]

20 hours ago, Will27 said:

You don't have to be an Aussie citizen to qualify for the OAP.

 

Residents can apply also.

Thanks for clarifying that, will have to let the Mrs know that she needs another year in Oz to get a part pension, i.e. when I am good and crisp, and when she hits 70, (now 36) she can apply for a part pension, i.e. 10/35 years, but not before she returns for 2 years....lol

[halloween]

On 3/9/2018 at 9:42 PM, scorecard said:

 

Thanks, in other words any calculation of years in OZ would start from DOB.

 

Thanks again appreciated.

 

 

No, it's working life, which they assume begins at age 16 whether you were working, in education, on the dole, whatever.

[halloween]

On 3/9/2018 at 10:07 PM, GTgrizzly said:

I rang and spoke to the ATO regarding this and he direct me to the correct site

This is an extract from it below

So now if you live outside Australia you will pay 32.5 cents in the dollar of your pension

Also if you own a house in Auss and rent it out as of 09-05-2018 all income from your rental will be classed as capitol gains tax on your house

 

Foreign resident tax rates 2017–18

Foreign resident tax rates 2017–18

Taxable income	Tax on this income
0 – $87,000	32.5c for each $1
$87,001 – $180,000	$28,275 plus 37c for each $1 over $87,000
$180,001 and over	$62,685 plus 45c for each $1 over $180,000

Foreign residents are not required to pay the Medicare levy.

The temporary budget repair levy ceased applying from 1 July 2017.

BUT the OAP is NOT taxable income whether you are resident in Oz or not. The scale applies to INCOME EARNED by tax non-residents.

[halloween]

Currently waiting result of OAP application with an answer due on 4th April. So far so good, except every 5 days I get an SMS stating "your application has progressed, please view your MYGov a/c" (even on Sundays). MyGov adds nothing extra, so why bother?

With 4 years meeting minimum residence requirement (ie 183+ days) don't expect any problems.

[roskruge]

Currently getting the full Aus pension (for overseas Aus pensioners) every 28 days. I have the chance to acquire a townhouse in Thailand valued at about 1.800,000 Thai Baht Aus$74,052.80 for purposes of self living. not for renting. How would this affect my pension. I own no property in Australia for rental or living. I know all about Thai laws re foreigner and land ownership. Only now concerned with possible reduction of pension.

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, roskruge said:

Currently getting the full Aus pension (for overseas Aus pensioners) every 28 days. I have the chance to acquire a townhouse in Thailand valued at about 1.800,000 Thai Baht Aus$74,052.80 for purposes of self living. not for renting. How would this affect my pension. I own no property in Australia for rental or living. I know all about Thai laws re foreigner and land ownership. Only now concerned with possible reduction of pension.

The house won't be in your name will it? I have a house here, it's in my Thai partners name, so Centrelink would be none the wiser.

[nev]

10 minutes ago, roskruge said:

Currently getting the full Aus pension (for overseas Aus pensioners) every 28 days. I have the chance to acquire a townhouse in Thailand valued at about 1.800,000 Thai Baht Aus$74,052.80 for purposes of self living. not for renting. How would this affect my pension. I own no property in Australia for rental or living. I know all about Thai laws re foreigner and land ownership. Only now concerned with possible reduction of pension.

Why bother buying keep your money in the bank and rent it makes more sense!!!.