Pensioners live or travel outside Australia for more than 26 weeks?

Do you receive a pension and plan to live or travel outside Australia for more than 26 weeks?

From 1 July 2014 the rules on how much pension you can be paid while living or travelling outside Australia are changing.

If you leave Australia on or after 1 July 2014 and receive Age Pension, or in limited circumstances Disability Support Pension, Wife Pension or Widow B Pension, you may be affected.

The changes will apply if you are travelling outside Australia for more than 26 weeks or are paid under the terms of one of Australia’s social security agreements.

To continue receiving your full rate of Australian pension you will generally need to have spent 35 years of your working life between the age of 16 and age pension age in Australia. This is an increase from the current requirement to have 25 years of Australian working life residence. You do not need to have worked or paid tax during this period.

If you have less than 35 years Australian working life residence your rate of payment will be reduced. For example, if you have 27 years Australian working life residence, you will get 27/35ths (77 per cent) of the maximum means-tested rate of payment.

If you are already outside Australia on 1 July 2014 you can continue to receive

your payment under the rules which applied when you left, unless you return and stay in Australia for 26 weeks or more.

If you are planning to travel outside Australia, you should check how these changes may affect your payments before you go. For more information go to www.humanservices.gov.au/paymentsoverseas or call 132 300.