Claiming Australia aged pension - advice?

[BaiLao]

A friend is exactly eighteen months away from being able to claim the Australian old age pension at 65.5 years.

He is working, full time, in Myanmar.

He hasn't lived in Australia since 2001. He no longer owns a home in Australia and apart from some savings in an Australian credit union/bank, has no income from Australia. He has declared himself ''non resident for tax purposes". He has relatives in Australia, including adult children. He maintains an Australian driving license. He calculates that he has approximately twenty-one ''working life years'' in Australia.

 

So as to maximise his chances of successfully claiming the aged pension in April 2018, should he:

 

1. Return to Australia immediately or

2. Continue working/saving and return to Australia on or near his retirement date?

 

This is a genuine enquiry and any helpful advice would be appreciated.

[AlexRRR]

Up to him but to get it he has to be in the country and re establish himself, might be a good idea to phone Centrelink and ask about his situation....contrary to the pelicans here Centrelink are not out to get you, they will tell him where he stands and what he needs to do to qualify for the pension, of course with only 21 years working in AU  pro rata would be something like 65% of pension but dont take me to task on that...

 

He will of course need to reside in AU for 2 years before his pension becomes portable and not a good idea to leave the country in that time either....

Edited October 14, 2016 by AlexRRR

[adwbkk]

Hi All

I am past pension age and still working but I would like to be in a position to get the pension at some time.   I am going to take your advice, AlexRRR, and give Centrelink a call and see what they have to say.   Last time I looked the waiting time was 1 year and the OAP was not continuously payable over seas but I have updated myself and it is now 2 years and payable as you say.   It seems that one is only allowed to be out of Oz for 6 weeks total during that time though.   Is that your understanding?

 

I must say that I am surprised at the very low interest in this topic.   Do other Australians know all this stuff already, or are we just under represented on TV?

[BaiLao]

"I must say that I am surprised at the very low interest in this topic."  Me too, but it's all we have for now!

If anyone does contact C'link and subsequently has any info to share - it would be appreciated.  The factor of being out of OZ for six weeks: the understanding is that it's possible to do several six week trips per year, as long as the person doesn't stay out for more than six weeks in any single 'block' of time.  At least, that's what we hope is correct....otherwise the person is effectively a voluntary prisoner for two years...

[adwbkk]

After looking around a bit I found this ...

11 pages long but if you removed the bickering and argumentative posts probably 2 or 3 pages of worthwhile information.   Take a look :)

[AlexRRR]

If residing in AU the 6 weeks refers to loosing your supplement payment , so after 6 weeks abroad you loose the supplement payment, it is reinstated on arrival back in AU.

 

There is something on the 26 weeks continuous overseas as it will not infringe with me i dont know much about it, possible to have your pension cut, again if leaving AU for any length of time Centrelink should be notified.

 

You can be out of the country for 25 weeks and 6 days before you will strike a problem with your payments....

 

You can take your pension and live overseas once your 2 years are up assuming you returned to qualify if you had of resided in AU 5 min after you were granted your pension you can move overseas...minus the supplement and have it deposited into an overseas bank account...very nice of them isnt it?

 

Lot of scare mongering on pension entitlements, some planing several years before can certainly make a difference, in the end get knowledgeable and make plans long before you retire then its all smooth sailing....

 

Ps I've been out of Australia twice in the last 18 months for a total of 2 months, lived in Thailand for a year back in 2012, it has not affected my entitlements that i shall soon be receiving, the 6 weeks refers to when your actually on the pension as does the 26 week.

Edited October 16, 2016 by AlexRRR

[heybuz]

if you have the 35 yrs working life in aus from age 16 there is virtually no change in your pension paid overseas, except to the supplements, if you don† have

 the 35 yrs then it could mean pro rata payment and i believe there is a cut off now on portability.but don't quote me on that as it may not have been ratified yet by parliament.

[pngmk]

Isn't it 10 years residency now before claiming the OAP as well as 35 years in country since 16? What about missionaries and charity workers who spent their working lives overseas on nothing?  Man I hate the country Australia has become (and it will become a lot worse in the years ahead I fear). 

[BaiLao]

@pngmk:

My understanding is that ten years is currently the absolute minimum residence period in order to begin any claims, regardless of their outcome...

[Flanno]

Post 8 " Man I hate the country Australia has become"  So what has Australia become??? Please expand on this so the rest of us can at least partly understand your little rant!

[louse1953]

On 10/15/2016 at 4:22 PM, adwbkk said:

Hi All

I am past pension age and still working but I would like to be in a position to get the pension at some time.   I am going to take your advice, AlexRRR, and give Centrelink a call and see what they have to say.   Last time I looked the waiting time was 1 year and the OAP was not continuously payable over seas but I have updated myself and it is now 2 years and payable as you say.   It seems that one is only allowed to be out of Oz for 6 weeks total during that time though.   Is that your understanding?

 

I must say that I am surprised at the very low interest in this topic.   Do other Australians know all this stuff already, or are we just under represented on TV?

As you are probably aware,don't get between an Ozzy and OAP.We have had this ongoing info search for a long time now and most of us are on track.There were 78 pages of this topic going back to 2008 but got lost in the so called update.Alex is onto it,the only info lacking is time spent out the country during the 2 year re qualifying period.

Remember you are single,unless you have told them different already.

Edited November 5, 2016 by louse1953

[louse1953]

On 10/15/2016 at 6:58 PM, adwbkk said:

After looking around a bit I found this ...

11 pages long but if you removed the bickering and argumentative posts probably 2 or 3 pages of worthwhile information.   Take a look :)

The last 4 pages is where the info is.

[pngmk]

How does the government define or check residency? Do they check with immigration or the ATO or do they ask you to estimate?  I've just tried to remember every time I've been in and out and it's not easy tracking down 40 years of travelling as a missonary kid and then an offshore oil worker.

[optad]

^^^You can now check all your past arrivals and departure information online at the border.gov.au website. All this information is shared govt department wise, so they know exactly your movements. If you are unsure or cannot remember you can get it from them. No stamps anymore, n'est ce pas?

[Old Croc]

On ‎11‎/‎7‎/‎2016 at 8:04 PM, pngmk said:

How does the government define or check residency? Do they check with immigration or the ATO or do they ask you to estimate?  I've just tried to remember every time I've been in and out and it's not easy tracking down 40 years of travelling as a missonary kid and then an offshore oil worker.

Ask CL to calculate it for you. They have full access to Movements Data and would also have a program which would interrogate your movements and quickly calculate time in and out of Australia.

You may also be able to get clarification on whether oil rig work would be considered as residency or not if your home base was in Oz.  I'm not sure on that one.

[Old Croc]

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/age-pension-while-travelling-outside-australia

[heybuz]

they know every time you leave and return, even before computerization they knew how long i spent outside of the country going back over 50 years ago,when i lived in the UK,it was itemized when i applied for the pension five years ago.

[louse1953]

On 17/11/2016 at 0:57 PM, optad said:

^^^You can now check all your past arrivals and departure information online at the border.gov.au website. All this information is shared govt department wise, so they know exactly your movements. If you are unsure or cannot remember you can get it from them. No stamps anymore, n'est ce pas?

Also Dept of Foreign Affairs.

[louse1953]

On 25/10/2016 at 3:57 AM, heybuz said:

if you have the 35 yrs working life in aus from age 16 there is virtually no change in your pension paid overseas, except to the supplements, if you don† have

 the 35 yrs then it could mean pro rata payment and i believe there is a cut off now on portability.but don't quote me on that as it may not have been ratified yet by parliament.

You don't have to have a working life,just have to be in Oz and available to work.

[SaintLouisBlues]

On 11/17/2016 at 4:57 PM, optad said:

^^^You can now check all your past arrivals and departure information online at the border.gov.au website. All this information is shared govt department wise, so they know exactly your movements. If you are unsure or cannot remember you can get it from them. No stamps anymore, n'est ce pas?

Can you provide the exact link? There's nothing obvious on their web site

[optad]

On 12/3/2016 at 5:38 PM, SaintLouisBlues said:

Can you provide the exact link? There's nothing obvious on their web site

Request for international movement records

see:-

https://www.border.gov.au/Forms/Documents/1359.pdf

 

THat's the form you need to fill in and email it to:  

 

[email protected]

 

I am sure there was an online version but maybe this is the redacted version. [i used in for professional registration some five years ago. Anyhow, this is still ostensibly online but certified proof of id is always the pain. 

 

Good luck

 

 

[SaintLouisBlues]

1 hour ago, optad said:

I am sure there was an online version but maybe this is the redacted version.

Thanks but I'm only interested in online

[optad]

Just now, SaintLouisBlues said:

Thanks but I'm only interested in online

They are not going to surrender data without verifying who you are.

[SaintLouisBlues]

7 minutes ago, optad said:

They are not going to surrender data without verifying who you are.

I'm not sure that alters my position

[4MyEgo]

On 15/10/2016 at 8:22 PM, adwbkk said:

Hi All

I am past pension age and still working but I would like to be in a position to get the pension at some time.   I am going to take your advice, AlexRRR, and give Centrelink a call and see what they have to say.   Last time I looked the waiting time was 1 year and the OAP was not continuously payable over seas but I have updated myself and it is now 2 years and payable as you say.   It seems that one is only allowed to be out of Oz for 6 weeks total during that time though.   Is that your understanding?

 

I must say that I am surprised at the very low interest in this topic.   Do other Australians know all this stuff already, or are we just under represented on TV?

 

I have been making this noise for about a year now, with a bit of Briticism from those that don't want to face the music, there is also change happening on 1 January 2017 which you might be up to speed with ? 

[4MyEgo]

On 16/10/2016 at 9:01 PM, AlexRRR said:

If residing in AU the 6 weeks refers to loosing your supplement payment , so after 6 weeks abroad you loose the supplement payment, it is reinstated on arrival back in AU.

 

There is something on the 26 weeks continuous overseas as it will not infringe with me i dont know much about it, possible to have your pension cut, again if leaving AU for any length of time Centrelink should be notified.

 

You can be out of the country for 25 weeks and 6 days before you will strike a problem with your payments....

 

You can take your pension and live overseas once your 2 years are up assuming you returned to qualify if you had of resided in AU 5 min after you were granted your pension you can move overseas...minus the supplement and have it deposited into an overseas bank account...very nice of them isnt it?

 

Lot of scare mongering on pension entitlements, some planing several years before can certainly make a difference, in the end get knowledgeable and make plans long before you retire then its all smooth sailing....

 

Ps I've been out of Australia twice in the last 18 months for a total of 2 months, lived in Thailand for a year back in 2012, it has not affected my entitlements that i shall soon be receiving, the 6 weeks refers to when your actually on the pension as does the 26 week.

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016B00091/Explanatory Memorandum/Text

[4MyEgo]

On 25/10/2016 at 7:57 AM, heybuz said:

if you have the 35 yrs working life in aus from age 16 there is virtually no change in your pension paid overseas, except to the supplements, if you don† have

 the 35 yrs then it could mean pro rata payment and i believe there is a cut off now on portability.but don't quote me on that as it may not have been ratified yet by parliament.

 

Doesn't affect us with 35 years or more: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2016B00091/Explanatory Memorandum/Text

[4MyEgo]

On 26/10/2016 at 8:27 PM, pngmk said:

Isn't it 10 years residency now before claiming the OAP as well as 35 years in country since 16? What about missionaries and charity workers who spent their working lives overseas on nothing?  Man I hate the country Australia has become (and it will become a lot worse in the years ahead I fear). 

 

I agree with you, but its 2 years residency before you apply for the pension, irregardless of how may years you have worked, although you must have a minimum 10 years working life in AUS to get the pension on a pro-rata basis, if you have 35 years, your on the home run, providing you take the pension at OAP age, or if overseas like me, return 2 years prior to the OAP age and apply, proving you are living there, and have been reinstated as a resident after 6 months, getting your Medicare card back, showing of lease, utitlity bills etc etc for the past 2 years, and once you have it, take off again, that is if they don't change that as well, loop holes are there to be closed, its only a matter of time.

[BaiLao]

14 minutes ago, 4MyEgo said:

 

I have been making this noise for about a year now, with a bit of Briticism from those that don't want to face the music, there is also change happening on 1 January 2017 which you might be up to speed with ? 

"... change happening on 1 January 2017 which you might be up to speed with ? "

 

Care to elaborate?

[4MyEgo]

4 minutes ago, BaiLao said:

"... change happening on 1 January 2017 which you might be up to speed with ? "

 

Care to elaborate?

In short and from my own interpretation, if you have worked for less than 35 years in Australia and exit the country, your pension will be cut after 6 weeks out of the country instead of the current 26 weeks, your pension will then be on a pro-rata basis. 

 

However this does not apply if you have worked for more than 35 years, it gets cut down after 26 week away.

 

Again, this is only from my own interpretation, but feel free to have a go yourself.

 

http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/bill_em/sslarb2016482/memo_0.html