Retired and Going Overseas

For more than 26 weeks

You may be able to receive New Zealand Superannuation or the Veteran’s Pension while you’re living overseas but you need to talk to our Senior Services team about this before you go.

Voluntary and unpaid humanitarian work

If you go overseas temporarily to do full-time voluntary and unpaid humanitarian work, you may be able to get your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension payments for up to 3 years. You need to check with us before you go.

Living in a country we have a Social Security Agreement with

New Zealand has Social Security Agreements with a number of countries. Each agreement enables New Zealanders to get certain benefits or pensions when moving to these countries and allows for similar payments to people who move to New Zealand from these countries:

• Australia
• Canada
• Denmark
• Greece
• Republic of Ireland
• Jersey and Guernsey
• the Netherlands
• United Kingdom (UK).

You can usually apply for payment in New Zealand or from the overseas country, but you must intend to be away from New Zealand for more than 26 weeks.

If you apply from overseas we can usually only pay you from the date you make your application.

If you receive payments while living in a Social Security Agreement country and want to travel out of that country, whether you continue to get paid will depend on the individual Social Security Agreement we have with the country you live in.

Going to live in Australia

You can continue to get your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension payments for up to 26 weeks (inclusive) after you leave New Zealand.

If you plan to live in Australia for more than 26 weeks and want your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension payments to continue, you must first apply at Centrelink, Australia for an Australian Age Pension. You need to do this within 26 weeks (inclusive) of arriving in Australia (if you’re 65 or over). Centrelink will provide you with a New Zealand application form. 

The date you applied for Australian Age Pension will be used as the date of application for New Zealand Superannuation (paid in Australia). Please note that your spouse/partner will be excluded from your payments from the same date. If you don’t apply within 26 weeks (inclusive), you may not qualify for payment of New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension from the date you leave New Zealand.

Note: If your intention is to travel around Australia for more than 26 weeks and then return to New Zealand or travel to another country, please see:

Getting payments in Australia

To get an Australian Age Pension, you must be an Australian resident. In general, this means that you must have been in Australia for more than 26 weeks or intend to stay there for more than 12 months. How much you get will also depend on your income and assets.

If Centrelink grant you an Australian Age Pension, they will send you a New Zealand Superannuation application form to complete so our Senior Services team can work out how much you’ll be paid while you’re living in Australia.

How much you will be paid

The amount you’ll be paid is based on your living arrangements and the amount of time you spent in New Zealand between the ages of 20 and 65. Depending on your Australian residency status, the time you’ve spent in other countries may also count. If we have to change your New Zealand Superannuation or the Veteran’s Pension payment rate, this will happen from the date you apply for the Australian Age Pension. To continue getting the Veteran’s Pension you must be aged 65 years or over when you apply from Australia.

Because the amount we pay you in Australia may be less than what you were getting in New Zealand, you may have an overpayment from the date we change your rate.

The total amount you get from both countries is the same as if you had lived in Australia all your working life. Australian Age Pensions are income and asset tested. This means that if the rate of Australian Age Pension is nil because of your income and assets, then you’re unable to get New Zealand Superannuation or the Veteran’s Pension in Australia. If the amount of New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension you’re entitled to is less than the amount of Australian Age Pension you’re entitled to, you’ll be paid the difference by Australia.

If you’re going to live in Australia for between 27 weeks and 52 weeks, you may not qualify for New Zealand payments under the Agreement.

Please contact our Senior Services team about this before you go.

If you are thinking of leaving Australia

Remember, you can only apply for New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension from outside of New Zealand if you’re living in one of the countries New Zealand has a Social Security Agreement with. You may not be able to get any more payments if you leave Australia for another country, so talk to us first.

Going to live in the United Kingdom

You can’t get New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension payments if you live in the United Kingdom, but you may be able to get a United Kingdom State Pension. You’ll need to apply for this in the United Kingdom.

When you live in the United Kingdom, you’re paid by The Pension Service, so if you have any queries about payments, please contact them.

Note: If your intention is to travel around the United Kingdom for more than 26 weeks and then return to New Zealand or travel to a third country, please see:

If you’re living in the United Kingdom and getting a United Kingdom pension or partial pension under the Social Security Agreement, you can’t continue to receive your payments when you leave. Nor can you apply for New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension (if you’re already living in the United Kingdom) if you’re travelling around the United Kingdom or going to live in another country. Exception: if you move from the United Kingdom to live in another country which New Zealand has a Social Security Agreement with, you can apply for your payments to be paid under the Social Security Agreement with that country.

Note: From 2010, the UK State Pension age for women will increase gradually from 60 to 65 years over a period of 10 years. Men can get the UK State Pension from 65 years of age.

Going to live in Canada, Ireland or Denmark

You may be able to get up to 100% of the full New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension. The amount you’ll get is based on the number of months you’ve lived in New Zealand since the age of 20 up to a maximum of 45 years. You must have lived in New Zealand for at least one continuous year since the age of 20 in order to get any payment.

Going to live in Greece, Jersey or Guernsey

You may be able to get up to 100% of the full New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension. The amount you’ll get is based
on the number of years you’ve lived in New Zealand since the age of 20 up to a maximum of 40 years.

You must have lived in New Zealand for at least one year since the age of 20 in order to get any payment. If you’re going to live
in Greece the year of residence must be continuous.

Going to live in the Netherlands

You may be able to get up to 100% of the full New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension. The amount you’ll get is based on the number of years you’ve lived in New Zealand since the age of 20 up to a maximum of 45 years. You must have lived in New Zealand for at least one year since the age of 20 in order to get any payment. If you were 65 years of age or older on 1 November 2003 the way your payment is calculated differs.

For more information:

Pacific countries

If you’re already getting New Zealand Superannuation or the Veteran’s Pension you can get payments if you move to one of 22 countries which include:

• Cook Islands
• Fiji
• Niue
• Samoa
• Tokelau
• Tonga.

If you’re thinking about living in a Pacific country, you may still be able to take up to 100% of your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension with you.

Before you leave New Zealand it is important that you discuss your plans to travel or live in the Pacific with our Senior Services team so that we pay you the right amount.

To take your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension to the Pacific countries covered by the arrangement you must:

• qualify for New Zealand Superannuation or the Veteran’s Pension in your own right
• be resident and present in New Zealand when you apply
• be going to live in the specific country for more than 52 weeks
• apply for any overseas pension you may be entitled to.

The following guide shows what you could get from New Zealand while living in any of the 22 Pacific countries covered by the Arrangement...

How much you’ll be paid

If you’ve previously lived in the country you choose to live in again, you may be able to get a pension from that country. You’ll need to check this out when you arrive.

Any social security pension paid from a country other than New Zealand will be deducted from your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension.

Note: If you don’t have a spouse/partner, you can’t get the Living Alone rate of New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension if you go overseas for longer than 30 weeks. Instead you’ll be paid the ‘single sharing rate’.

Going to live anywhere else in the world...

You can apply to take up to 100% of the basic rate of New Zealand Superannuation or the Veteran’s Pension anywhere in the world if you’re going to live for more than 26 weeks in a country New Zealand does not have a Social Security Agreement with and which is not one of the 22 Pacific countries covered by the arrangement described.

To do this you’ll need to:

• qualify for the New Zealand Superannuation or the Veteran’s Pension in your own right
• be a New Zealand resident and living here when you apply 
• be planning to live in another country or countries for more than 26 weeks
• complete an application for payment which states the country or countries in which you intend to live.

Your payment will be based on the number of months you’ve lived in New Zealand between the ages of 20 and 65. If you’ve lived in New Zealand continuously between the ages of 20 and 65 you’ll receive 100% of your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension entitlement. If you’ve lived in New Zealand for less than 45 years between the ages of 20 and 65 you’ll be paid a proportionate amount.

In certain circumstances periods you have been outside of New Zealand may be counted as periods you have lived in New Zealand. Absences overseas for the following reasons may be treated as periods you have lived in New Zealand:

• if you (or your spouse/partner) were doing missionary work on behalf of a religious body
• for special medical or surgical treatment
• vocational training
• mariner working on New Zealand registered or owned ships
• member of a New Zealand or Commonwealth defence force serving overseas
• if you (or your spouse/partner) were working overseas and paying New Zealand income tax on earnings
• as a volunteer appointed by Volunteer Services Abroad Incorporated.

Note: If you don’t have a spouse/partner, you can’t get the Living Alone rate of New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension overseas. Instead you’ll be paid the single sharing rate.