Accessing Social Security benefits can improve the quality of people lives.
Our clients in retirement are typically self-funded retirees who may not need the age pension. However, our experience shows that people value accessing ancillary age pension benefits e.g. Commonwealth Seniors Health Card. Their health and maintaining their health is major influence in how they spend their retirement.
The Age Pension provides for the elderly in retirement if they are unable to fully provide for themselves. The qualifying age is 65 years or over for males. The eligibility of females varies according to their birth date and ranges between 60 years if born before 1 July 1935 and 65 years if born after 1 January 1949.
Centrelink applies two tests to determine eligibility for the age pension – the assets and income tests. The test that results in the lowest rate is the one that applies. For details see http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/centrelink/age-pension/eligibility-for-age-pension.
You must also be an Australian resident to qualify for the age pension.
You do not have to receive the age pension to access certain benefits e.g. To be eligible for Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) you do not need to be eligible for the age pension, but it is means tested:
You may be eligible if you have an annual adjusted taxable income* of less than:
- $50 000 (singles)
- $80 000 (couples, combined), or
- $100 000 (couples, combined, for couples separated by illness or respite care or of whom one partner is in prison).
For more details on CSHC see http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/enablers/centrelink/commonwealth-seniors-health-card/commonwealth-seniors-health-card-eligibility.
If you would like more information, please Contact Us.