Australian Pension how do you make up the shortfall ?

[ozz1]

You are all correct you can get the aged pension but you have to have been in ozz for 2 years before  applying  im an aussie  on the aged pension  and im getting it every fortnight  you have to do your research  and apply  to centrelink in person  (i think it better)   there are a lot of forms i used my accountant  it reduces after 6 weeks (the energy  suppliment )  it is hard to live in Australia  on the pension  but in thailand  its ok beers cheaper  accommodation is a lot cheaper  and food is  cheaper the   problem is paying for the visa runs i just got back from penang  cheap and a good holiday all the best my aussie  expats

[giddyup]

1 minute ago, GreasyFingers said:

Laza

Your comment is interesting. I have been denied the age pension because I retired to Thailand when 64 but as far as I know am still covered by Medicare. I expect that to change but has it changed already?

I believe after a certain time outside Australia you no longer become eligible for Medicare, the Aussie government considers you a non resident, but if you turned up at a hospital with a current Medicare card I'm not sure how they would know.

[GreasyFingers]

Just now, giddyup said:

I believe after a certain time outside Australia you no longer become eligible for Medicare, the Aussie government considers you a non resident, but if you turned up at a hospital with a current Medicare card I'm not sure how they would know.

Yes, just had the Medicare card renewed last year and had no problem using it for an optometrist visit. Interesting times. They refused the pension because I was a non resident but I I still a resident for tax purposes.

[Evilbaz]

2 minutes ago, giddyup said:

I believe after a certain time outside Australia you no longer become eligible for Medicare, the Aussie government considers you a non resident, but if you turned up at a hospital with a current Medicare card I'm not sure how they would know.

Medicare is automatically suspended ever time you leave Australia due to computer linking to Immigration.

 

If you are out of Australia for 5 years continuously you have to prove permanent residency In Australia for coverage to resume.

[ripstanley]

4 hours ago, giddyup said:

 The Aussie Embassy will issue a statutory declaration based on whatever income you say you have, no proof needed. Whether you are honest or not is up to you. You show this to Thai immigration and bob's your uncle.

Not at all offices. At the new office at Phayao they said that the Australian embassy is not guaranteeing that this is your income as you are making a statement and require further proof that income is coming into Thailand. They still want the stat dec but proof from your bank that your income is arriving in Thailand. 

[giddyup]

29 minutes ago, Evilbaz said:

Medicare is automatically suspended ever time you leave Australia due to computer linking to Immigration.

 

If you are out of Australia for 5 years continuously you have to prove permanent residency In Australia for coverage to resume.

If you keep your Medicare card current, which you can still do from outside Australia, I don't know how a hospital would know you've been out of the country for 5 years.

[giddyup]

28 minutes ago, ripstanley said:

Not at all offices. At the new office at Phayao they said that the Australian embassy is not guaranteeing that this is your income as you are making a statement and require further proof that income is coming into Thailand. They still want the stat dec but proof from your bank that your income is arriving in Thailand. 

I only know from friends who do it at the Bkk Aussie embassy. They both have earnings well in excess of what's required, they just don't want to keep the 800,000 baht tied up in Thailand.

[bazza73]

4 hours ago, Evilbaz said:

Load of rubbish!

 

I've lived here for 9 years on the OZ OAP and Centrelink is fully aware I live here.

If I wish (I don't because of their lousy FX rate) I could have my pension payments deposited directly into my Kasikorn Bank account.

Agree. I transfer largish sums twice a year to a Thai bank account to finance my living costs here. The Centrelink pension is paid into an Australian bank account.

 

To try and make it clear: If you are overseas for more than six weeks, you lose the pension SUPPLEMENTS, about 8-10% of the total pension. The BASE pension is still paid if you have resided in Australia for more than 35 years.

 

DO NOT get married here unless you enjoy a world of angst from Centrelink.

 

As usual, Ubon Joe's advice is sound.

[bazza73]

2 hours ago, dave3478 said:

Unfortunately the Australian Pension is well under the poverty line in Australia. But I would think you can manage quite well in Thailand if you have at least some savings in the bank to make up the short fall. Say 300,000 baht to be safe with exchange rates. The next task is to get the Australian pension up to living standards in Australia.

Good luck with that.

[Freed1948]

4 hours ago, giddyup said:

Wrong! What's a limited time? Because I've been here collecting the pension for nearly 8 years, am I about to run out of time?

No you are definitely not.

Your OAP can continued to be paid indefinitely.

The only stipulation is that they be able to contact you.

This can be done via a MYGOV.COM.AU account or by mail which you are obligated to provide an address in Thailand.

As an aside be prepared to get a whopping increase of about $3 a fortnight on the 20th of March.

Miserable barstards.

[Brer Fox]

5 minutes ago, Freed1948 said:

No you are definitely not.

Your OAP can continued to be paid indefinitely.

The only stipulation is that they be able to contact you.

This can be done via a MYGOV.COM.AU account or by mail which you are obligated to provide an address in Thailand.

As an aside be prepared to get a whopping increase of about $3 a fortnight on the 20th of March.

Miserable barstards.

Miserable bastards exactly - $6/month. Uninvited bigamist muslin immigrants with their multiple wives and multitudes of children and family related carers are earning a motza courtesy of welfare. Suck it up this is the new non-discriminatory enlightened age. Doesn't apply to Australians who have worked and lived all their life in Australia and paid their taxes. Makes one proud to be Australian. Still why should we expect sympathy; we are a dying race and our vote will count for nothing in due course.

[giddyup]

24 minutes ago, Freed1948 said:

No you are definitely not.

Your OAP can continued to be paid indefinitely.

The only stipulation is that they be able to contact you.

This can be done via a MYGOV.COM.AU account or by mail which you are obligated to provide an address in Thailand.

As an aside be prepared to get a whopping increase of about $3 a fortnight on the 20th of March.

Miserable barstards.

My question re running out of time was an attempt at sarcasm because the OP I was responding to was suggesting that there was a limit to how long an expat could stay away without having his pension stopped. I already knew that I could remain indefinitely in Thailand without any problem from Centrelink. In fact I've never heard word one from them (other than pension news letters) since I moved to Thailand 8 years ago.

[Evilbaz]

1 hour ago, giddyup said:

If you keep your Medicare card current, which you can still do from outside Australia, I don't know how a hospital would know you've been out of the country for 5 years.

 

By the automatic link between Immigration and Medicare.

The card might show a current date but you wont have coverage as soon as they try to bill Medicare.

[giddyup]

5 minutes ago, Evilbaz said:

 

By the automatic link between Immigration and Medicare.

The card might show a current date but you wont have coverage as soon as they try to bill Medicare.

Makes sense, but would they turn you away if you were an emergency case, you are still an Australian citizen after all? Hopefully I'll never have to put it to the test.

[Notowork]

1 hour ago, bazza73 said:

Agree. I transfer largish sums twice a year to a Thai bank account to finance my living costs here. The Centrelink pension is paid into an Australian bank account.

 

To try and make it clear: If you are overseas for more than six weeks, you lose the pension SUPPLEMENTS, about 8-10% of the total pension. The BASE pension is still paid if you have resided in Australia for more than 35 years.

 

DO NOT get married here unless you enjoy a world of angst from Centrelink.

 

As usual, Ubon Joe's advice is sound.

You actually need to have WORKED in Australia for 35 years!

[Evilbaz]

No - but if you're an emergency case you wouldn't be able to fly from here to OZ.

2 minutes ago, Notowork said:

You actually need to have WORKED in Australia for 35 years!

No - you need to have lived in Australia during the working years (18-65).

[giddyup]

1 hour ago, Notowork said:

You actually need to have WORKED in Australia for 35 years!

Are you sure about that? I have an idea that even if you'd been on the dole for 35 years you would still be entitled to a full pension.

[Panda13]

You actually need to have WORKED in Australia for 35 years!

The actual wording is " being AVAILABLE to have worked for the entire or part thereof said 35 years to receive the full or prorata pension, this also includes being on unemployment benefits for any length of time in those 35 years of residency."

[ba ba]

13 hours ago, NorK said:

Ubonjoe is correct. I am an Australian living in Thailand on the Australian Age pension and it is exactly as he describes.  Outside Australia, assuming you are entitled to the full pension,  you will currently get $820.60 per fortnight ($21,336 p.a.) or 544,000 baht  p.a. Therefore you need to have 256,000 sitting in a Thai bank for three months. If you return to Australia for a visit, your pension will increase to $877.10 per fortnight.  This will continue to be paid to you on your return to Thailand for a further 42 days. Remember, there are 26 fortnights in a year not 24.

 

 

six weeks after you leave aus you lose the 56.50 dollars then after 26 weeks you lose about another 40.00 ,make sure you dont tell c-link to early before you leave as a friend of mine told DVA and they deduced his pay before he left. Thailand is not cheap anymore.

[georgemandm]

10 hours ago, malt25 said:

George mate, do some research. It's well documented that the Oz aged pension is well below the poverty line. Yes, we all should have put more aside for our golden years. Some did & some didn't.

Just sayin.

I did my research ok the people I know who are on a pension are very happy and some times the s??? you read is bs .

if you are just saying good but , but say it how it is the truth , that lots would drink like a fish  Gamble all there working life and smoking not stop till old age then complain,  not all but some .

gives me the s??? About people who complain about old age  pension , you should be lucky you get what you get now .

[simple1]

9 hours ago, bazza73 said:

Agree. I transfer largish sums twice a year to a Thai bank account to finance my living costs here. The Centrelink pension is paid into an Australian bank account.

<snip>

I am curious how anyone can get a better exchange rate for paying into a Thai account rather than using direct payment from Centrelink, as Centrelink uses the RBA rate of exchange.

[Si Thea01]

15 hours ago, malt25 said:

This must have been introduced within the last 24 hours. I would like to see some official notification re this comment.

He knows not what he is speaking about.  Given the way the post is written I'd say he's not even from Oz, therefore his two bob's worth is just that, not worth anything.

[catman20]

doctor it i know many people do

[giddyup]

2 minutes ago, catman20 said:

doctor it i know many people do

What does that even mean?

[catman20]

Just now, giddyup said:

What does that even mean?

change the figures 

[giddyup]

3 minutes ago, catman20 said:

change the figures 

What figures? You mean change the amount in your bankbook so it shows 800,000 baht? You're clear as mud.

[Laza 45]

11 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

Laza

Your comment is interesting. I have been denied the age pension because I retired to Thailand when 64 but as far as I know am still covered by Medicare. I expect that to change but has it changed already?

I think you would have to spend 2 years in Australia to qualify.. a friend of mine had to do that after retiring early and living here.. he did eventually get his pension.  Several points about Medicare...    If you have a card that is current you will probably be ok until it expires and you need to get a new one...  Centerlink has a direct link with immigration.. they know exactly when you come and go...  Medicare doesn't.. so as long as your card is current and you have an address in OZ you will probably be ok until it expires..  it is very difficult to get back if you loose it.. and if you did get it back you can't leave the country... :-(

 

[catman20]

7 minutes ago, giddyup said:

What figures? You mean change the amount in your bankbook so it shows 800,000 baht? You're clear as mud.

i sent you PM

[Laza 45]

8 hours ago, giddyup said:

Are you sure about that? I have an idea that even if you'd been on the dole for 35 years you would still be entitled to a full pension.

.....they actually calculate you pension on how many weeks you have been in Australia.. I arrived in 1972 so had enough weeks for a full pension.. 

[giddyup]

6 minutes ago, Laza 45 said:

.....they actually calculate you pension on how many weeks you have been in Australia.. I arrived in 1972 so had enough weeks for a full pension.. 

Exactly, nothing to do whether you worked during that time or not.