Age Pension
A regular payment and concessions for some older Australians.
Eligibility basics
- you are at least 65 years old
- your income and assets are below the limits
Eligibility & payment rates
Age rules
To be eligible for Age Pension you must be 65 or older.
From July 2017
Depending on your birthdate, from 1 July 2017 Age Pension age will be 65 years and 6 months.
After that, Age Pension age will go up 6 months every 2 years until 1 July 2023.
| If your birthdate is | you’ll be old enough at |
|---|---|
| 1 July 1952 to 31 December 1953 | 65 years and 6 months |
| 1 January 1954 to 30 June 1955 | 66 years |
| 1 July 1955 to 31 December 1956 | 66 years and 6 months |
| From 1 January 1957 | 67 years |
Residence rules
On the day you claim Age Pension you must:
- be an Australian resident, and
- be in Australia
How long you need to have been a resident
To get Age Pension you need to have been an Australian resident for at least 10 years in total. For at least 5 of these years, there must be no break in your residence.
What may be different
Some people can get Age Pension if they have been an Australian resident for less than 10 years.
If you are a refugee or former refugee you are exempt from the 10 year rule.
If you are getting Partner Allowance, Widow Allowance or Widow B Pension when you reach age pension age, you can apply to transfer to Age Pension without meeting the residence rules.
If you are a woman whose partner died while you were both Australian residents, you need to be an Australian resident for 2 years right before you claim.
If you don’t meet these rules but you’ve lived or worked in a country that has a social security agreement with Australia, the agreement may help you to claim.
Income test for pensions
Your income can reduce your pension.
Assets test
The value of assets you own affects:
- if you can get Age Pension
- how much Age Pension you can get
How much your assets can be worth
There are limits to how much your assets can be worth before it affects your pension amount.
See the current assets test limits for how much your assets can be worth before they reduce how much Age Pension you get.
Asset Hardship provisions
You can apply for Asset Hardship provisions if you’re in severe financial hardship and you get little or no Age Pension.
Payment rates
We use income and assets tests to work out how much Age Pension you get.
There are different rates of Age Pension payments for single people and couples. Read about how your relationship status can affect your payment rate.
There are also different rates for some people who were getting a pension in 2009.
The amounts on this page are the maximum rates.
Normal rates
| Per fortnight | Single | Couple each | Couple combined | Couple apart due to ill health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum basic rate | $808.30 | $609.30 | $1,218.60 | $808.30 |
| Maximum Pension Supplement | $65.90 | $49.70 | $99.40 | $65.90 |
| Energy Supplement | $14.10 | $10.60 | $21.20 | $14.10 |
| TOTAL | $888.30 | $669.60 | $1,339.20 | $888.30 |
Transitional rates
Some people who were getting part pensions on 19 September 2009 are on transitional rates until they catch up with the current normal rates.
| Per fortnight | Single | Couple each | Couple combined | Couple apart due to ill health |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum rate | $733.90 | $592.80 | $1,185.60 | $733.90 |
| Energy Supplement | $14.10 | $10.60 | $21.20 | $14.10 |
| TOTAL | $748.00 | $603.40 | $1,206.80 | $748.00 |
Claiming
Check if you’re eligible before you start your claim.
Then:
- find out what you need to start your claim
- complete the claim online or visit a Service Centre, if you can’t do this you will need to complete a claim form and an income and assets form
- submit the forms and other documents we ask for
- wait for us to assess your claim and tell you the result
Managing your payment
Try self service
Do your Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support business using self service options, including our Express Plus mobile apps, online accounts and phone self service.
Read more about using self service.
Change of circumstances
We need to know about changes that could reduce your payment.
You must tell us if:
- your address changes
- your income changes
- your assets change
- your partner’s income or assets change
- you stop living with your partner
- your partner dies
- you marry or start living with your partner
You have 14 days to tell us about the changes. If you don’t do this, we may pay you too much and you’ll probably have to pay the money back.
If you deliberately don’t tell us about changes, we could charge you with fraud.
Advance payment options
You may be eligible to receive part of your income support payment in advance, depending on how long you have been getting it and the amount that you get.
While travelling outside Australia
There are rules about when your Age Pension can be paid when you travel outside Australia and at what rate.
Read more about Age Pension while travelling outside Australia
Income and assets from outside Australia
If you or your partner get income from, or have assets outside Australia, we may have to reduce the amount of Age Pension you get.
How is it calculated
We include any income or assets you or your partner have in another country when we assess your eligibility for Age Pension.
If you have too much, it can reduce the amount of Age Pension you get.
We use exchange rates to work out what your overseas income or assets are worth in Australia.
To ask about these rates, call the foreign exchange line if you’re in Australia or our international phone numbers if you’re outside Australia.
Someone to deal with us on your behalf
If you want someone else to deal with us, you can authorise them to enquire, act or get payments for you.
Weekly payment option
In certain circumstances you may be eligible to get your income support payment weekly, instead of fortnightly.
Income reporting
How much you or your partner earn affects your payment. We need to know what you and your partner earn each fortnight so you're paid the right amount.
My bank account is overdrawn
You can get help to manage your money if your bank account is overdrawn.
Resources
Social security agreements with other countries
If you lived in another country and are able to get a pension from them, you need to tell us. It may affect the amount of Age Pension you can get.
Read more about:
- International social security agreements
- New Zealand citizens claiming in Australia
- Australian residence
Australian citizenship
Read about how to get Australian Citizenship on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website.
Payment Finder
Select the options that describe your circumstances, then explore a list of possible Centrelink and Medicare payments and services online.
Manage your money
We’ve got advice and tools to help you with budgeting, borrowing and credit, and managing debt.
Read about how to manage your money.
Related services
- Bereavement Payment
- Carer Allowance
- Centrepay
- Clean Energy Advance
- Energy Supplement
- Financial Information Service
- International Services
- International Social Security Agreements
- Pension Bonus Scheme
- Pension Bonus Top Up
- Pension Loans Scheme
- Pension Supplement
- Pensioner Concession Card
- Rent Assistance
- Rent Deduction Scheme
- Work Bonus
Page last updated: 12 April 2017