Going Overseas with the Age Pension: What Happens to Your Payments
Going overseas as an Age Pension recipient — whether for a holiday, an extended visit to family, or a permanent move — doesn't automatically stop your pension. But the rules change as your time away increases, and the supplements you've been receiving in Australia often don't follow you. This guide walks you through what happens at 6 weeks, 26 weeks, and beyond, plus the one obligation most pensioners don't realise they have.
⚠️ The thing most people forget to do
If you're going overseas for more than 6 weeks, or moving overseas at all, it's your job to tell Centrelink before you leave Australia. The system does receive immigration data, but the formal obligation to notify still sits with you — and if your payments keep flowing when they shouldn't have, you'll usually end up having to pay the difference back. It's not a disaster if you forget — just a tidier outcome if you don't. The easiest way is through your myGov account linked to Centrelink, or by phoning Centrelink International Services.
The big picture: three timeline thresholds
The Centrelink rules for overseas absences are built around three time thresholds: 6 weeks, 26 weeks, and longer-term residence. Each threshold triggers a different set of changes. Here's what happens at each:
🛫 Short trips: pension continues normally
For absences of 6 weeks or less, your Age Pension continues at the full rate, supplements stay at full rate, and your Pensioner Concession Card remains active. Nothing changes. You don't formally need to notify Centrelink for trips this short, though letting them know is sensible if your bank details, contact details, or living arrangements will change.
🌏 Beyond 6 weeks: supplements drop, card pauses
Once you've been overseas for more than 6 weeks, three things change. (1) Your Pension Supplement reduces to the basic rate — you lose the difference between the full and basic supplement, which can mean several hundred dollars a year. (2) Your Energy Supplement stops entirely. (3) Your Pensioner Concession Card pauses while you're away — it reactivates when you return.
🌐 Long-term absence: AWLR proportional rate
After 26 weeks overseas, your base Age Pension rate may be proportionally reduced based on how long you lived in Australia between age 16 and Age Pension age — your "Australian Working Life Residence" (AWLR). If your AWLR is 35 years or more, the full base rate continues. Less than that, the rate is calculated proportionally (e.g. 20 years of AWLR = 20/35 of the full rate).
What changes at each threshold — the table
| What you receive | 0–6 weeks | 6–26 weeks | 26+ weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Age Pension | Full rate | Full rate | Proportional rate based on AWLR (full rate if 35+ years) |
| Pension Supplement | Full rate | Drops to basic rate | Basic rate continues |
| Energy Supplement | Continues | Stops | Stops |
| Pensioner Concession Card | Active | Paused | Paused (cancelled if permanent move) |
| Rent Assistance | Continues if eligible | Stops | Stops |
The reporting obligation in detail
This is the one thing most people don't realise they need to do. It's not complicated — just easy to overlook in the busyness of planning a trip.
What you need to tell Centrelink
- That you're going overseas (or have already left, if you didn't know to report it before)
- Your departure date
- Your expected return date
- The countries you'll be visiting
- Whether you're going for a holiday, extended visit, or permanent relocation
- Your contact details overseas, if relevant
- Your bank account details if you want to continue receiving payments overseas (most people leave their Australian account active)
How to do it
The most efficient ways:
- myGov: log in, navigate to Centrelink, and use the "Travelling outside Australia" function. Quickest option if you have your myGov set up.
- Centrelink International Services phone line: 132 300 from within Australia, or check the Services Australia website for the international number if you're already overseas.
- In person: visit a Services Australia office before you leave.
ℹ️ "But Centrelink already knows I left — immigration tells them"
It's true that immigration data flows from Home Affairs to Services Australia, so they will eventually pick up that you've gone. The data feed isn't instant or perfect, though, and the legal obligation to notify still sits with you. If your payments continue when they shouldn't have, Centrelink will usually want the overpayment back — it becomes a debt recoverable from future pension payments. Sorting it out at that point is more paperwork than just letting them know before you leave.
Understanding "Australian Working Life Residence" (AWLR)
The 26-week threshold introduces a concept that catches most people off-guard: your pension rate after 26 weeks may depend on how long you lived in Australia between certain ages. This is your Australian Working Life Residence, or AWLR.
What counts toward your AWLR
- The total time you've lived in Australia as an Australian resident...
- ...between the ages of 16 and Age Pension age.
- You don't need to have been working — the term is misleading. It's about residence, not employment or tax payments.
- Periods of overseas travel during this window don't count toward your AWLR.
How the proportional rate works
If you've been overseas for more than 26 weeks and your AWLR is:
- 35 years or more: Your base Age Pension rate continues at the full rate. (This is the threshold set on 1 July 2014; previously it was 25 years, and that older rule still applies to people who were already overseas at that date.)
- Less than 35 years: Your base rate is proportionally reduced. The formula divides your AWLR years by 35 to get the proportion of the full rate. For example, an AWLR of 20 years gives you about 57% of the full rate (20 / 35 = 0.571).
💡 Why this matters mostly for migrants
If you were born in Australia and lived here continuously between 16 and Age Pension age, your AWLR is usually well over 35 years and the proportional rule doesn't reduce your overseas rate. The AWLR rule mainly affects people who migrated to Australia later in life. Someone who arrived at age 45 and reached Age Pension age at 67, for example, has 22 years of AWLR — meaning their base rate after 26 weeks overseas would be about 63% of the full rate (22/35).
What stays the same regardless of how long you're away
Some things don't change with overseas duration:
- Your income test and assets test still apply — your pension is still calculated based on your global income and assets, not Australian-only.
- You still have to report changes to your financial circumstances within 14 days, even while overseas. Selling property, receiving an inheritance, changing your investments — all still need to be reported.
- Your residency status for Australian tax is a separate question and isn't determined by your Centrelink portability. You may continue to be an Australian tax resident even while overseas, or you may become a tax non-resident — talk to a tax adviser if this matters to you.
- You retain the ability to return — if you come back to Australia and remain here for 26 weeks, your full pension entitlement (including supplements and Pensioner Concession Card) is restored.
Returning to Australia: the 2-year rule for former residents
There's a specific rule that catches former Australian residents who return and apply for the Age Pension here. If you're granted Age Pension after returning to Australia, there's a 2-year waiting period before that pension becomes portable overseas again.
The reasoning: this rule is designed to discourage people from briefly returning to Australia, getting on the pension, then immediately moving back overseas to collect it. If you've been a former resident, you need to remain in Australia for 2 years after your grant date before the pension can be paid to you overseas.
This doesn't affect Australian residents who have stayed in Australia continuously — their pension is portable from the day it's granted. It only affects former residents returning to claim.
International social security agreements
Australia has formal social security agreements with around 30 countries. These agreements can make a significant difference if you're moving to or visiting an agreement country, because they can:
- Allow you to combine periods of residence in Australia with periods in the agreement country to meet residence requirements (helpful if your AWLR alone wouldn't qualify you for the full rate)
- Provide for continued payment arrangements that differ from the standard rules
- Allow you to claim Australian pension from inside the agreement country without first returning to Australia (in some cases)
- Coordinate with the agreement country's pension system to avoid double-counting or gaps
Countries with current agreements include New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Ireland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and many others. The terms of each agreement differ — some are comprehensive, some are limited. If you're planning a long-term move to a specific country, contact Centrelink International Services for advice on the agreement (if any) that applies and what it means for you.
Practical scenarios
A 4-week holiday
Pension continues at full rate. Supplements unchanged. Pensioner Concession Card stays active. Nothing to notify (though letting Centrelink know is fine if you want to be tidy). The overseas trip simply doesn't show up in your pension at all.
A 10-week visit to family
Notify Centrelink before you leave. For the first 6 weeks, full pension; from week 7 onwards, Pension Supplement drops to basic rate and Energy Supplement stops. When you return, the supplements are reinstated at their full rates.
A 6-month trip with a partner
This is the trip that crosses the 26-week threshold (just over 6 months ≈ 26 weeks). Notify Centrelink before you leave. Plan for: reduced supplements from week 7, and the potential for proportional base-rate reduction from week 27 if either of you has less than 35 years AWLR. Pensioner Concession Card pauses from week 7.
Moving overseas permanently
Notify Centrelink as soon as your plans are firm. Your base pension continues (proportionally if AWLR is under 35 years); Energy Supplement stops; Pensioner Concession Card is cancelled on departure. Pension is paid into an Australian bank account (still possible while overseas), or into an overseas account through Centrelink International Services. Continue to report any changes in your financial position within 14 days as you would in Australia.
Before you leave: a checklist
- Notify Centrelink — through myGov, the International Services phone line, or in person. Do this before you depart for any trip longer than 6 weeks.
- Update your contact details — make sure Centrelink can reach you while overseas (mobile, email, or an Australian friend/family member's contact).
- Check your bank arrangements — payment continues to your Australian bank account by default. Alternatively, you can arrange for direct payment to an overseas account through Centrelink International Services.
- Link myGov — if your myGov account isn't already linked to Centrelink, do this before you leave. It's much harder to set up from overseas.
- Check your AWLR if you're a former migrant — if your AWLR might be under 35 years, work out what your proportional rate would be after 26 weeks so there are no surprises.
- Travel insurance — remember that Australian Medicare and your Pensioner Concession Card don't cover overseas medical costs. Travel insurance is especially important for older travellers.
- Keep records of any financial changes that happen while you're away — you still need to report these within 14 days.
Want to model your pension changes during an overseas trip?
The reductions in Pension Supplement and Energy Supplement after 6 weeks add up. Get a clear picture of your specific situation by working through the numbers with our How Much Age Pension calculator or in a coaching call.
What to do next
If you're going overseas as an Age Pensioner, three things matter most. First, let Centrelink know before you leave — for trips longer than 6 weeks, this is the formal obligation, and it saves having to repay overpayments later. Second, plan for the supplement reductions that kick in at 6 weeks — they're not catastrophic but they're real, and budgeting around them avoids surprises. Third, if you're considering an extended absence or permanent move and you might be affected by the 26-week AWLR rule, understand your specific numbers before you go — that's the kind of detail where a coaching call can prevent you finding out the hard way.
Planning an extended trip or permanent move?
The interactions between AWLR, supplements, social security agreements, and your specific timing can produce results that surprise people. A coaching call can model your specific situation before you commit to flights or visas.
Accuracy Note: Whilst every care has been taken to ensure this information is current and accurate, I am only one person and there's a very good chance I'll miss something. If you spot a factual error, or if a calculator breaks or gives an incorrect answer, I'd be really grateful if you could let me know via the Contact Us page so I can fix it as quickly as possible.
It would speed up the correction process enormously if you could cite the title of the page where you found the error and describe what the error is. Thank you for your support in keeping this resource accurate for everyone's benefit.
Disclaimer: The information on this page is general in nature only and does not take into account your individual circumstances. It is not financial advice, tax advice, or legal advice. Portability rules, social security agreements, and AWLR calculations involve case-by-case assessment by Services Australia; for extended absences or permanent moves, contact Centrelink International Services or consult a qualified financial planner before relying on this guidance.
Primary sources: Services Australia — Payments while outside Australia · Centrelink International Services · DSS Social Security Guide — Part 7 Portability & Comparable Foreign Payment (CFP)
Page last reviewed by Mary at RetirementCalculators.com.au