Retiring in Australia: a checklist for the Age Pension, super and seniors cards
To retire in Australia, first check whether you have reached Age Pension age and lived here long enough, and how much you could get. Once you reach your preservation age you can access your super. If you do not get the pension, you may still qualify for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, and each state has its own Seniors Card. Visiting parents usually have no Medicare and need insurance. Each step links to a verified guide and the official source.
Who can get the Age Pension, and how much is it?
Age Pension
You must reach Age Pension age and have been an Australian resident for long enough; the amount depends on income and assets tests. Years worked in China do not count.
- Age: 67 or over. The website says there are currently no plans to increase it further↗
- Residence rules: On the day you claim, you must live in Australia, be in Australia, and be an Australian resident (a citizen, a permanent visa holder, or a protected New Zealand SCV holder). You normally need to have been an Australian resident for at least 10 years in total, including at least 5 years in a row↗
- Maximum rate, single, per fortnight (from 20 September 2026): Base pension A$1,135.40 + Pension Supplement A$88.20 + Energy Supplement A$14.10 = A$1,237.70 in total (before tax)↗
- Maximum rate, couple, per fortnight (from 20 September 2026): Each person A$855.90 + A$66.50 + A$10.60 = A$933.00 each, or A$1,866 for the couple. A couple separated due to illness get the single rate of A$1,237.70 each↗
- Social security agreements with Asian countries: The Services Australia page for Asian countries lists only India, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Many countries, China for example, have no agreement with Australia↗
When can I access my super?
Superannuation (super): employer contributions, choosing a fund and DASP
Once you reach your preservation age and retire you can access your super; temporary residents who leave Australia can claim it as a DASP.
- Preservation age: 60 for people born on or after 1 July 1964. Once you turn 65, you can access your super even if you are still working.↗
- DASP eligibility: Super earned while working on a temporary visa; your visa has ended (expired or cancelled); you have left Australia and hold no other valid Australian visa; and you are not an Australian or New Zealand citizen or an Australian permanent resident.↗
What concession cards are there for seniors?
Commonwealth Seniors Health Card and state Seniors Cards
Older people who do not get the pension can apply for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card for cheaper medicines; each state also issues its own Seniors Card with different discounts.
- CSHC age: Age Pension age or over↗
- CSHC other conditions: You are not getting an income support payment from Centrelink or the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA); you provide your and your partner's TFN (or have an exemption); you meet the identity requirements; and you pass the income test↗
- CSHC income limits (from 20 September 2026): Your yearly income must be under: A$105,048.00 for a single person; A$168,076.00 combined for a couple; A$210,096.00 combined for a couple separated due to illness, respite care or prison. Add A$639.60 for each child in your care↗
- CSHC benefits: Medicines at the concession price under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS); doctors may bulk bill you (the doctor decides); higher benefits through the Medicare Safety Net once your out-of-pocket and out-of-hospital medical costs pass the threshold; and some extra concessions from state and local governments and businesses↗
- NSW: Seniors Card / Senior Savers Card — Aged 60 or over (or turning 60 within 3 weeks), living in NSW, and an Australian citizen or permanent resident. If you do not work, or do paid work for an average of 20 hours a week or less over 12 months, you get the Seniors Card (includes the Gold Opal Card and public transport concessions across Australia). If you average more than 20 hours a week, you get the Senior Savers Card (no transport concessions). Both are free, and the card arrives in about 21 days↗
- VIC: Seniors Card / Seniors Business Discount Card — Aged 60 or over (50 or over for First Nations people), an Australian permanent resident and living in Victoria. If you do paid work for less than 35 hours a week or are fully retired, you get the Seniors Card (concession public transport fares, free travel in two adjacent zones on weekends, a free seniors myki, no fishing licence needed, and more). If you work more than 35 hours a week, you get the Seniors Business Discount Card (business discounts only). Free; you can apply from about 3 weeks before your 60th birthday, and processing takes about 4 weeks↗
My parents are visiting. What about health care?
Enrolling in Medicare: who is eligible and how to apply
China is not a reciprocal health care agreement country, so parents on a visitor visa usually have no Medicare and need insurance.
- Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) countries: There are 11: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Check whether your country is on this list; China, for example, is not↗
- Insurance for temporary visas: Student visas require you to hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). Work visas such as the 482 and 485 require you to hold Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) that meets the visa conditions↗
Common questions
At what age can I get the Age Pension, and how long must I have lived in Australia?
You must reach Age Pension age and have been an Australian resident for a minimum number of years. Age: 67 or over. The website says there are currently no plans to increase it further. Residence rules: On the day you claim, you must live in Australia, be in Australia, and be an Australian resident (a citizen, a permanent visa holder, or a protected New Zealand SCV holder). You normally need to have been an Australian resident for at least 10 years in total, including at least 5 years in a row.
How much Age Pension does a single person get per fortnight?
There is a maximum rate, reduced by the income and assets tests. Maximum rate, single, per fortnight (from 20 September 2026): Base pension A$1,135.40 + Pension Supplement A$88.20 + Energy Supplement A$14.10 = A$1,237.70 in total (before tax). Maximum rate, couple, per fortnight (from 20 September 2026): Each person A$855.90 + A$66.50 + A$10.60 = A$933.00 each, or A$1,866 for the couple. A couple separated due to illness get the single rate of A$1,237.70 each.
Do my working years in China count towards the Australian pension?
No. Australia has no social security agreement with China. Social security agreements with Asian countries: The Services Australia page for Asian countries lists only India, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Many countries, China for example, have no agreement with Australia.
At what age can I withdraw my super?
Once you reach your preservation age and retire. Preservation age: 60 for people born on or after 1 July 1964. Once you turn 65, you can access your super even if you are still working.
What card can older people get if they do not receive the pension?
You can apply for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, and each state has a Seniors Card. CSHC age: Age Pension age or over. CSHC income limits (from 20 September 2026): Your yearly income must be under: A$105,048.00 for a single person; A$168,076.00 combined for a couple; A$210,096.00 combined for a couple separated due to illness, respite care or prison. Add A$639.60 for each child in your care. CSHC benefits: Medicines at the concession price under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS); doctors may bulk bill you (the doctor decides); higher benefits through the Medicare Safety Net once your out-of-pocket and out-of-hospital medical costs pass the threshold; and some extra concessions from state and local governments and businesses.
Can my visiting parents use Medicare?
Usually not. China is not a reciprocal health care agreement country, so they need insurance. Reciprocal Health Care Agreement (RHCA) countries: There are 11: Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Ireland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Check whether your country is on this list; China, for example, is not. Insurance for temporary visas: Student visas require you to hold Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC). Work visas such as the 482 and 485 require you to hold Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) that meets the visa conditions.
Answers are based on the verified content of this page — the official source always prevails.
Which guides and official sources is this based on?
The Age Pension is the Australian Government's main income support payment for people aged 67 and over. It is paid by Services Australia through Centrelink. It is not automatic: you must pass an income test and an assets test, and you normally need to have been an Australian resident for 10 years, including at least 5 years in a row. The rates change on 20 March and 20 September each year. If you get the Age Pension, you automatically get a Pensioner Concession Card.
Super (superannuation) is Australia's compulsory retirement saving. If you are an eligible employee, your employer must pay 12% of your wages into your super fund, and this applies to temporary visa holders too. You generally cannot take the money out until you retire at 60 or reach 65. If you are a temporary resident, you can apply for a departing Australia superannuation payment (DASP) after you leave Australia and your visa ends, but tax is deducted. This page does not recommend any fund.
If you have reached Age Pension age but do not get the Age Pension, you can apply to Services Australia for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card (CSHC). With the card you pay the concession price for PBS medicines, doctors may bulk bill you, and you may get higher Medicare Safety Net benefits. It has an income test only, with no assets test. Separately, each state government has its own Seniors Card (from age 60 in NSW and VIC). State cards are based on your age and your weekly work hours, and the benefits (public transport, business discounts) differ from state to state.
Medicare is Australia's public health insurance. As a public patient in a public hospital you are treated free, GP and specialist visits and tests are subsidised, and PBS prescription medicines are cheaper. Australian citizens, permanent residents, and people who have applied for a permanent visa and meet the conditions can enrol. Most temporary visa holders (students, work visas) are not eligible and rely on OSHC or OVHC insurance instead. You can enrol in myGov, or fill in form MS004 and post or email it.
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The AI answers using this guide and official Australian government websites.