Centrelink support

• The Age Pension

  The Age Pension exists to provide some level of support through retirement and can be paid even when you're receiving income from your superannuation. You can find the most recent Age Pension rates on the Department of Human Services website.

  Qualifying for the Age Pension

  You may qualify for the Age Pension if you:

  • pass both the Income (what you earn) and Assets tests (the value of what you own)
  • are an Australian resident or meet other residence requirements
  • are above the current qualifying age:

  Date of birth	Qualifying age
  1 January 1949 to 30 June 1952	65
  1 July 1952 to 31 December 1953	65.5
  1 January 1954 to 30 June 1955	66
  1 July 1955 to 31 December 1956	66.5
  1 January 1957 and later	67

  Source:  Department of Human Services Age Pension page, as at 21 April 2015

  Assets test

  The value of your assets can affect how much pension you may receive. Once you reach pension age, or earlier if you start a superannuation pension, the amount you have in super becomes part of your Centrelink pension assets test. The good news is your principal family home is excluded from the assets test, so if your home's increased considerably in value over the years, it doesn't count.

  Find out more about the asset test for pensions.

  Income test

  Your income also determines if, and how much, Age Pension you might get.

  Find out more about income test for pensions.

• Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

  The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card is available to self-funded retirees who are of Age Pension age but don't qualify for an Age Pension or any payment by the Department of Veterans' Affairs. It's also subject to an income test.

  A Commonwealth Seniors Health Card provides older Australians with discounted prescription medicines and other discounts and concessions.

  Find out more about the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.

• Pension Concession Card

  You can get the concession card if you receive the Age Pension or other payments from Centrelink.

  A Pensioner Concession Card entitles you to reduced cost medicines and other various concessions from the Australian Government.

  Find out more about the Pension Concession Card.

• Retirement Essentials

  Retirement Essentials, the Age Pension specialists, can provide assistance to help with your application process with Centrelink so you can start enjoying your retirement.

  Their licensed and professional team of experts are ready to help you:

  • gain a clear understanding of Centrelink’s requirements
  • remove the backwards and forwards with Centrelink, and
  • fill out all the forms correctly.

  Not sure if you are eligible for the pension? Then have a look at their handy tools to check your eligibility and the calculate how much age pension you may receive.

  You can also watch some videos on the Retirement Essentials page to find out more about the process.

  Retirement Essentials charge $396 for its service but this is payable only when your application is complete. To start the process, call on 1300 527 727 or email  [email protected] *.

  * Please note that if you elect to use the service offered by Retirement Essentials, the Trustee makes no representations or warranties in relation to the suitability, accuracy, currency or completeness of the information on third party websites, including that of Retirement Essentials. There is no relationship between Retirement Essentials and the Trustee other than this referral relationship.