Are New Zealanders eligible for the age pension in Australia? Yes! But there is more to it. Here is all the information you need to know.

New Zealanders who are 67 years or older and live in Australia should be eligible for an Australian Age Pension. As long as they meet the resident, income, and asset eligibility criteria.

Please note that the eligibility criteria have recently been changed, so you will need to wait until you are now 67 to receive the Australian Age Pension if you were born on or after 1 January 1957. Read more below.

Under Australia’s international social security agreement with New Zealand, NZ citizens living in Australia can apply for the Australian Age Pension (over 67 years, see below), Disability Support Pension (DSP) (if they are severely disabled), and Carer Payment (if they are caring for a partner on DSP), irrespective of whether they are protected or non-protected SCV holders.

Editor Note: I have been advised by multiple New Zealanders who have moved to Australia that there is a backlog of pension applications, and it’s important to apply as soon as you arrive, if you pass the income and asset tests. You can lodge an Age Pension application up to 13 weeks before you reach eligibility age (between 66.5 and 67). See my delay in processing pension applications post.

A claim for the age pension is meant to have a “timeliness standard” of 49 days, but in December last year, the average processing time was 91 days, up from 61 in August and 35 days in the 2021-22 financial year.

Your application will be backdated to the date of your application. However, the NZ pension is way more generous and not income and asset tested. Therefore if you are not eligible for the full Australian Age Pension, you are best to wait until you have received your NZ pension for 26 weeks and then apply for the Australian Age Pension.

Australian age pensions are asset and income-tested, so any assets or income a New Zealander has will affect the amount payable.

Income Test – Your assessable income must be less than $63,351 if you’re a single person or $96,865 if you’re a couple.

Asset Test – If you’re a homeowner, singles can have up to $674,000 and couples $1,012,500. If you’re not a homeowner, singles can have up to $916,000 and couples $1,254,500.

Read more about income and asset tests for pensions below.

To qualify for a pension, a New Zealander must have been resident in either Australia or New Zealand for at least 10 years of their working life (between the ages of 20 and 67).

You can continue to get your New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super) or Veteran’s Pension payments for up to 26 weeks (inclusive) after you leave New Zealand.

There are different rates of Age Pension payments for single people and couples. Read about how your relationship status can affect your payment rate.

In this post you will find helpful information on:

• At what age can you get the Australian age pension?
• Australia Age Pension Payment Rates
• Australia Pension Income Test
• Australia Pension Asset Test
• Working after pension age
• Age Pension calculator
• Pensions and Carer Payment
• New Zealand Social Security Agreement with Australia
• Getting a benefit or pension in Australia
• Getting a New Zealand benefit or pension in Australia
• Do you already receive an NZ Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension?
• What do you need to do within 26 weeks?
• How do you apply for an Australian Pension or benefit?
• Transferring your Kiwisaver to Australia
• Keeping Centrelink up-to-date
• Help and advice
• Still got questions about the Australia Age Pension? 

At what age can you get the Australian age pension?

On 1 July 2021, the Age Pension age increased to 66 years and 6 months for people born from 1 July 1955 to 31 December 1956, inclusive.

This has now increased again to 67 years if you were born on or after 1 January 1957.

If your birthdate is on or after 1 January 1957, you’ll have to wait until you turn 67. This will be the Age Pension age from 1 July 2023.

Australian Age Pension age is:

• 65 years and 6 months if you were born between 1 July 1952 and 31 December 1953
• 66 years if you were born between 1 January 1954 and 30 June 1955
• 66 years and 6 months if you were born between 1 July 1955 and 31 December 1956
• 67 years if you were born on or after 1 January 1957.

If you’re legally blind and you’re not claiming Rent Assistance, you may be able to claim Age Pension without being assessed against the income and assets tests. You’ll need to provide an ophthalmologist report to support your claim.

Read more about Age Pension age requirements on the Department of Social Services website.

 

Australia Age Pension Payment Rates

The Australian Government Department of Human Services uses income and assets tests to work out how much Age Pension you get.

Working out how much you can get can be confusing. You can find a link to SuperGuide’s age pension calculator below.

Australia Age Pension rates:

Per fortnight	Single	Couple each	Couple combined	Couple apart due to ill health
Maximum basic rate	$1,020.60	$769.30	$1,538.60	$1,020.60
Maximum Pension Supplement	$81.60	$61.50	$123.00	$81.60
Energy Supplement	$14.10	$10.60	$21.20	$14.10
Total	$1,116.30	$841.40	$1,682.80	$1,116.30

* Rates as per 1 April 2024. Check here for updated rates. 

Australia Pension Income Test

Your income can reduce how much you will get paid. The age pension income test will assess your income from all sources. If you’re over the limit, you get a lower pension. However, the Australian Government does have a Work Bonus for pensioners who do work (see below).

Standard Income Rules

These are the income rules for most pensioners.

Single person

Income per fortnight	Amount your pension will be reduced by
Up to $204	$0
Over $204	50 cents for each dollar over $204

Couple living together or apart due to ill health

Combined income per fortnight	Amount your combined pension will be reduced by
Up to $360	$0
Over $360	50 cents for each dollar over $360

* Rates as of 1 April 2024. Check here for updated rates.

Read more here: https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/income-test-for-pensions?context=22526.

Types of income

Income from outside Australia that may count in the income test includes money from all of the following:

• Investments
• pensions
• employment
• self-employment
• business and real estate

Read more here:

• Australia Income – https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/income?context=22526
• Overseas Income – https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/income-from-outside-australia?context=22526. 

Australia Pension Asset Test

For the maximum rate of pension to be payable, you may have assets up to the assets value limit (the asset limit before pension reduces), provided your income does not exceed the income-free area (the income limit before pension reduces).

The assets value limits for service pension, age pension and veteran payment are:

Relationship and residential status	Homeowners	Non-homeowners
Singles	$301,750	$543,750
Couples* – combined	$451,500	$693,500

* Includes illness-separated and respite care couples. Rates as of 1 April 2024. Check here for updated rates.

This means you can have assets up to and including these amounts and still get the maximum rate of pension, provided your income does not exceed the income-free area.

When the market value of your assets exceeds the assets value limit, your pension is reduced by 75 cents per fortnight for every whole amount of $250 worth of assets above the limit. The pension continues to reduce at the rate of 75 cents for every $250 worth of assets over the limit until the value of your assets reaches or exceeds the assets cut-off limits. No pension is payable if you have assets above the cut-off limits.

For a couple, the value of the assets is split between each member of the couple, and the rate of reduction is the same for each member of the couple.

Assets include any:

• financial investments
• home contents, personal effects and vehicles (a caravan)
• real estate, annuities, income streams and superannuation pensions
• sole traders, partnerships, private trusts and private companies.

Your home is not counted as an asset when calculating pension or payment, but it does affect how your pension or payment is assessed under the assets test.

For more information on how the assets test works and some good examples of calculations, refer to Assets Test: https://www.dva.gov.au/financial-support/income-support/what-changes-your-payments/your-income-and-assets/assets-test. 

Working after the pension age

The Australian Government is assisting older Australians to work, if they are able and wish to do so, by offering the Work Bonus.

Seniors may have substantial income from work and still receive an Australian Age Pension. Age Pension rules provide incentives for work, including part-time or casual work, through the combined application of the pension income test (above) and the Work Bonus (below).

Work Bonus

The Work Bonus provides an incentive for pensioners over Age Pension age to work, should they choose to do so, by allowing them to keep more of their pension when they have income from working. Under the Work Bonus, the first $300 of fortnightly income from work is not assessed as income under the pension income test. Any unused amount of the fortnightly $300 Work Bonus will accumulate in a Work Bonus income bank, up to a maximum amount of $7,800.

The amount accumulated in the income bank can be used to offset future income from work that would otherwise be assessable under the pension income test. The income bank amount is not time-limited; if unused, it carries forward, even across years.

For more information, visit Work Bonus on the Australia Government Department of Social Services website.

 

Age Pension calculator

The Age Pension calculator on the SuperGuide website is easy to use.

Enter your details in the calculator (in the yellow blocks), and you will be given an estimate of the age pension for which you may be eligible. Reminder: do not include the value of your home in your assets.

Age Pension calculator. 

Pensions and Carer Payment

Under Australia’s international social security agreement with New Zealand, New Zealand citizens living in Australia can apply for the Australian Age Pension (if over the age of 67), Disability Support Pension (DSP) (if they are severely disabled) and Carer Payment (if they are caring for a partner on DSP), irrespective of whether they are protected or non-protected SCV holders.

The residency requirements for the Age Pension require a total period of time living in Australia and/or periods of Working Age Residence (Working Age Residency refers to residency between the ages of 20 and 65/67) in New Zealand of more than ten years. For DSP, the person must have had at least ten years of residence in Australia or New Zealand, become severely disabled while living in Australia or New Zealand, and reside in Australia for at least one year. For Carer Payment, an individual must have lived in Australia and/or New Zealand for more than two years.

Reciprocal arrangements apply in relation to certain New Zealand payments (discussed below).

Source: New Zealanders in Australia: a quick guide on the Parliament of Australia website. 

New Zealand Social Security Agreement with Australia

New Zealand and Australia have a social security agreement. The Agreement covers the following benefits and pensions:

New Zealand benefits and pensions:

• Supported Living Payment (health condition, injury, disability or totally blind)
• New Zealand Superannuation
• Veteran’s Pension

Australia benefits and pensions:

• Disability Support Pension (for the severely disabled)
• Carer Payment for the partner of a person who receives Disability Support Pension
• Australian Age Pension

The agreement means that New Zealand residents who have lived, lived or are going to live in Australia may qualify for a benefit or pension from both Australia and New Zealand.

If you are paid or apply for a benefit or pension in NZ, then you must apply for the equivalent in Australia.

New Zealand Supported Living Payment (health condition, injury, disability or totally blind) and Australian Disability Support Pension (for the severely disabled)

To qualify for the Australian Disability Support Pension under the Agreement, you must meet the below criteria for either the New Zealand Supported Living Payment (health condition, injury, disability or totally blind) or Australian Disability Support Pension, and you must also be assessed as “severely disabled”.

“Severely disabled” means:

• you must have a physical, psychiatric or intellectual impairment that makes you totally unable to work or benefit from any assistance or rehabilitation programme for the next two years or
• you must be permanently blind and
• the severe disablement must have occurred while you were a resident in either Australia or New Zealand. 

Getting a benefit or pension in Australia

If you intend to or do live in Australia, you may qualify for a benefit or pension from both Australia and New Zealand.

As stated above, you must apply for a benefit or pension in both countries.

Once your applications are processed, you may be paid payments from both New Zealand and Australia, e.g. your payment is made up of a NZ Superannuation payment and an Australian Age Pension payment. When this happens, the total amount you will receive will be similar to the amount you would have received if you had spent all your life in Australia. 

Getting a New Zealand benefit or pension in Australia

Senior Services International uses certain criteria to decide who can receive an NZ pension or benefit in Australia and how much you will be paid.

You can read more about this here: Social Security Agreement with Australia – Work and Income.

Have you already received an NZ Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension?

If you already receive either the NZ superannuation or Veteran’s pension, are over 65 before you leave NZ and meet the age criteria for the Australian Age Pension, you can continue to receive your NZ payments for up to 26 weeks after leaving NZ. If you don’t meet the Australian Age Pension criteria, your payments will stop the day after you leave NZ.

You should check what you will be paid in Australia before you leave NZ as it may be less than what you are currently paid, especially if:

• you receive any supplementary benefits and allowances (such as the Accommodation Supplement or Disability Allowance) in New Zealand as these can’t be paid after you leave New Zealand or
• you have a partner under 65 who is already included in your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension payments or
• you have income and/or assets that may affect your entitlement to an Australian Age Pension or
• you have lived in a country other than New Zealand or Australia.

Whether you are paid in Australia will depend on the outcome of your application for the Australian Age Pension, which includes an income and asset test. 

What do you need to do within 26 weeks?

To see if your NZ payments will continue for more than 26 weeks after you leave NZ, you must apply for the NZ Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension to be paid to you in Australia.

You need to apply for an Australian Age Pension through your local Centrelink office as soon as possible and within 26 weeks of leaving NZ.

If Centrelink grants you an Australian Age Pension, they will send you an NZ application form to complete so Senior Services International can determine whether you will continue to be paid and how much you will receive.

If Centrelink can’t grant you an Australian Age Pension because you don’t meet the residency requirements, please contact Work and Income in NZ. 

How do you apply for an Australian Pension or benefit?

Once you’ve checked if you’re eligible for Age Pension, you’ll need to prepare some information before starting your claim. If you’re unsure whether you’re eligible, read more about who can get it.

Supporting document

You must provide Services Australia with the following details before or when you submit your claim. You will need documents that show:

• your age
• your bank account details
• your tax file number (TFN)
• your Australian residence status, unless you’re an Australian citizen who was born in Australia
• if you’re a member of a couple
• your income and assets.

You can read more about the documents needed on the Services Australia, supporting documents page, where they give you examples of each.

Before you submit your claim, you may need to give them your identity documents so they can prove your identity.

Things to do before leaving New Zealand for Australia

• Advise Work and Income about your plans.
• Make sure you have all documents ready: proof of your identity (e.g. passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate or driver’s licence), your bank account details, and any doctors’ or specialists’ reports if you receive New Zealand Supported Living Payment (health condition, injury, disability or totally blind).
• If you receive an overseas pension that is paid using the Special Banking Option in New Zealand, you need to contact that overseas agency and request that they pay directly to your personal bank account. For help with this, please contact Senior Services International.

Things to do after arriving in Australia

• If you are paid the Supported Living Payment (health condition, injury, disability or totally blind) or a Veteran’s Pension and are under 65, you must apply for the Disability Support Pension within four weeks of leaving New Zealand. Your partner may be able to apply for an Australian Carer Payment. To make an application, talk to your local Centrelink office or call Centrelink International Services.
• If you are paid New Zealand Superannuation or a Veteran’s Pension and you are over 65, you must apply for an Australian Age Pension within 26 weeks of leaving New Zealand. To make an application, talk to your local Centrelink office or call Centrelink International Services.  

Transferring your Kiwisaver to Australia

If you move permanently to Australia, you can transfer your KiwiSaver funds to an Australian superannuation scheme. However, you do not have to transfer your KiwiSaver account to Australia.

Contact your KiwiSaver provider if you decide to transfer your KiwiSaver funds to an Australia super.

Process of transferring your KiwiSaver to Australia

To transfer your KiwiSaver, you will need to:

• Talk to your current KiwiSaver provider
• Decide what super fund you want to transfer your KiwiSaver to
• Become a member of that fund
• Provide your Australian home address
• Complete the KiwiSaver transfer form
• Transfer your KiwiSaver balance
• Complete documentation of your chosen super fund.

Choosing a super fund

How to compare and choose super funds. When you’re comparing super funds, weigh up fund performance and the fees you’ll pay against other factors such as risk, investment returns, services and insurance, e.g. performance, low fees, insurance, investment options and services.

You can find out about and compare super funds by using the ATO’s YourSuper comparison tool, an online list comparing MySuper products.

Here is a good post on choosing a super fund, which goes into more detail. 

Keeping Centrelink up-to-date

Retirement Essentials is a website worth checking out and possibly signing up to their newsletter, which I have done so I can keep on top of everything pension for my wonderful visitors. It is not an Australian Government website and, therefore, offers a different perspective.

I found this website when doing some research for a visitor. Their post about keeping Centrelink up-to-date, what you do, and don’t, need to tell Centrelink caught my eye because I hadn’t read anything like it. Their post covers:

• All the rules you need to know
• Bank accounts
• Superannuation
• Shares
• Investment property
• Managed Funds
• International travel
• Extended domestic travel
• Inheritances, and
• Depreciating Assets.

Help and advice

I’ve recently found this Australian government website My Aged Care. If you need some help around the house or think it’s time to look into aged care homes, My Aged Care is here to help.

The website has a lot of helpful information:

• Types of care – where to start, learn about types of care, whether I am eligible, help at home, short-term care, and aged care homes.
• Assessment – the assessment process, how to apply for assessment, prepare for your assessment, after your assessment, when to get re-assessed and apply for assessment online.
• Find a provider – search for a provider, compare providers, what to consider, understanding costs and setting up services.
• Manage my services – how to make changes, aged care representatives and access your Online Account.
• Contact us – how to contact us, accessible services, My Aged Care, and the complaints process.

Financial Support and Advice

I found My Aged Care website when I was looking for advice for the below comment:

My parents are kiwis and have a house in NZ and Australia but they want to live in Australia full time now they are 80 years old!
They need advice on how to organise their finances in NZ to make sensible choices re private and government pensions, investments, house sale etc.
Is their a person or a company you can suggest that they can use yo give them this advice please?

My Aged Care has great online help for financial support and advice, including:

Organisations that can help

Several organisations offer free services that can inform you about building savings, preparing for retirement, and your pension options:

• Financial information service
• MoneySmart
• Life Checks
• National Debt Helpline

Professional services that can help

The MoneySmart website has some valuable resources to help you manage your money, and it can also direct you to professional services like financial advisers, counsellors, and legal advice:

• Financial advisers
• Financial counsellors
• Free legal advice

Tools and information

There are many tools available to help you with different aspects of your finances, such as:

• Budgeting and saving
• Superannuation and retirement planning
• Unclaimed money
• Borrowing and credit
• Payment and service eligibility
• Bill payment and debt management

So, if you need financial advice, first check out their website and then contact them. They will be able to point you in the right direction.

Here is a video that explains their service simply:

 

More questions about the Australia Age Pension?

Read the below page in full if any of the below apply to you:

• What happens if I don’t apply within 26 weeks?
• What if I am over 65, but my partner is under 65?
• What happens if I don’t qualify for an Australian Age Pension?
• Can I receive the Supported Living Payment (health condition, injury, disability or totally blind)?
• What happens if I have a partner?
• What if I already receive the Supported Living Payment (health condition, injury, disability or totally blind)?
• What do I have to do to continue to receive the Supported Living Payment (health condition, injury, disability or totally blind)?
• What happens when I apply for a Disability Support Pension?
• What happens if I don’t qualify for a Disability Support Pension?
• What if I spent time in a country other than New Zealand and Australia?

More information – Work and Income page Social Security agreement with Australia.

You might be interested in…

The below posts might interest you:

• Become an Australian PR then a citizen
• Buying a house in Australia
• Medicare Australia

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