67. The age was progressively raised from 65 over recent years and finalised at 67 from 1 July 2023. There's no longer a different rate by gender or by birth year. You also need 10 years of Australian residency before you can claim.

Your countable assets are tallied (super balance after pension age, bank deposits, shares, second properties, vehicles, contents at second-hand value, etc.). Your home isn't counted. Above the threshold ($333,000 single homeowner / $600,000 single non-homeowner / $499,000 couple homeowner combined as at 1 July 2026), pension reduces by $3 per fortnight per $1,000 over.

Your fortnightly income is calculated from employment, business, rental, foreign pensions, plus deemed earnings on your financial assets. Above $226/fortnight single or $396 couple combined, pension reduces by 50 cents per dollar of income. Whichever test (income or assets) results in the lower pension applies.

Centrelink assumes your financial assets earn a deemed rate regardless of actual returns. The freeze has now ended: deemed rates are 1.25% on the first $66,800 (single) or $110,600 (couple combined), 3.25% above, as at 1 July 2026.

No, your principal home isn't counted under the assets test (no value cap). However, the area of land it sits on matters: if your block is over 2 hectares, the excess is generally counted unless it qualifies for the extended land-use exemption.

Yes. The Work Bonus exempts the first $300/fortnight of employment income from the income test. Unused amounts accrue up to a $11,800 buffer that you can use for occasional bigger pay periods. This is genuinely useful and most pensioners under-utilise it.

Each fortnight, the first $300 of employment income (wages, self-employment) is ignored for the income test. If you don't earn $300 in a fortnight, the unused amount is banked into a Work Bonus balance up to $11,800. So if you do casual work seasonally, the buffer covers bigger pay periods later.

Yes. The Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC) is income-tested but assets-test-free. Income thresholds are $101,105 single / $161,768 couple combined (indexed 20 September 2025). Adjusted taxable income includes deemed earnings on account-based pensions. Worth applying even if you're well above the pension threshold, the PBS prescription savings alone often justify it.

Before pension age, super in accumulation isn't counted. After pension age, your super counts in both the assets test (balance) and the income test (deemed earnings). Once you start a super pension stream, it counts the same way. We model timing strategies around your pension age to optimise both.

Processing times vary with complexity and time of year, and Services Australia gives you an estimated completion date when you lodge. Lodging early (you can claim 13 weeks before pension age) avoids gaps. Backdating is limited so don't wait.

The first meeting is free and a review is quoted in dollars before any work starts. Sometimes structuring genuinely changes what you are entitled to; when it will not, we say so at the first meeting and you have lost nothing.

Yes. A refusal sometimes comes down to how assets were declared or which test was applied. We review the assessment, correct over-declared valuations, restructure what can legitimately be restructured and help you reapply or ask for a reassessment.

A pension review and plan is $1,500 to $2,500 depending on complexity, with annual reviews from $750. The first meeting is free. Full details are on our fees page.