Retired and Going Overseas

Veterans and surviving spouses of Veterans

If you’re a veteran or the spouse or partner of a deceased veteran you may be eligible for a War Disablement Pension or a Surviving Spouse Pension. For more information about these pensions please contact Veterans’ Affairs New Zealand (VANZ) on:

• 0800 4 VETERAN (0800 4 838 372)

Extra help

If you live overseas, we are unable to pay extra help such as the Disability Allowance, family tax credit or the Accommodation Supplement. But you may be able to get extra help from the country you move to. You need to ask the appropriate Social Security agency about this when you get there.

Privacy laws when living overseas

The same New Zealand privacy laws apply to you if you get a New Zealand benefit or pension overseas. This means that unless you’ve nominated an agent, you are the only person who can access your information from us.

Any application forms you complete for New Zealand benefits or pensions through a Social Security Agreement may be compared with information held by the agreement country in order to check your eligibility.

Some other New Zealand government agencies may also compare information about you, for example, Inland Revenue or the New Zealand Customs Service.

If you have a partner

They can only get New Zealand Superannuation or the Veteran’s Pension payments overseas if they qualify in their own right. This means they can’t be ‘included’ in your payments if they don’t meet all the qualifying criteria to receive payment in their own right. If you’re going to a country we have a Social Security Agreement with, your partner can apply for payment under that Social Security Agreement once they have reached the appropriate qualifying age.

If you receive an overseas pension

The amount of New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension you receive from us depends on the country you’re going to. If you qualify for an overseas social security based pension and you:

• are going to live in a country which New Zealand has a Social Security Agreement with, there are specific rules – please talk with us first
• are moving to a Pacific country, we’ll deduct your overseas pension from the full basic New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension rate you get first and then assess how much you’re entitled to 
• are going to any other country to live or you intend to travel through one or more countries, any overseas pension you receive will generally not be taken into account. This is because your payments are calculated according to the amount of time you’ve lived in New Zealand.

Income tax

If you live overseas you probably won’t have to pay New Zealand tax on the payments you receive from us. For more information on your tax liability in the country you’re going to, please contact their tax department.

If you are travelling overseas (for more than 26 weeks) and not living in an overseas country, you’ll have to pay New Zealand tax on the payments you receive from us. You’ll need to contact New Zealand Inland Revenue to arrange payment of this tax.

If you are residing or travelling (for more than 26 weeks) overseas, we will send you a tax certificate every April. This will show what you’ve been paid while you’ve been overseas during the previous financial year.

Community Services and SuperGold Cards

If you live overseas but are going to be temporarily in New Zealand you may be eligible to receive a temporary Community Services Card to help with any medical expenses while in New Zealand.

You may also be entitled to receive a temporary SuperGold Card which is a discounts and concessions card, if you’re temporarily in New Zealand.

Please call 0800 621 621 for more information on a Community Services Card or 0800 25 45 65 for more information on a SuperGold Card.

Tell us about changes

You need to tell us straight away about any changes that could affect your payments. These include:

• changes in your personal details or your partner’s details, such as name, address or bank account
• changes in your living situation – for instance if you start living alone or with others
• if you or your partner go to another country
• if you or your partner begin receiving a social security based pension from any country other than New Zealand.

It is also very important that you arrange for the person handling your estate to contact us straight away if you die.

Returning to New Zealand

If you return to New Zealand temporarily or on holiday, your payments from us usually stay the same as you get overseas.

If you intend to return to New Zealand to live, please contact the Senior Services team as soon as possible to find out how your payments will change.

If you’ve applied to be paid while you’re travelling or living overseas, and you return to New Zealand within 30 weeks, we are unable to increase the payments you received while you were away because of your early return.

What you can expect from us

We will

• listen and give you the right information
• be prompt, efficient and friendly
• explain what you’re entitled to
• ensure your privacy
• put things right
• put you in touch with other people who can help you
• offer you information in your own language where we can
• respond to your feedback, concerns and complaints
• be sensitive to your needs.

You have the right to

• nominate a person to work with us on your behalf 
• expect that your information is kept confidential
• make a complaint or ask for a review
• appeal to the Social Security Appeal Authority if you’re not happy with the outcome of a review
• see your file in most circumstances
• be treated with courtesy and respect.

In return we ask you to

• tell us if your situation changes
• let us know straight away if something goes wrong
• provide us with the information we need to help you
• treat our staff with courtesy and respect.

Sometimes we may have to check information

As part of our processes, we can check the information you give us. We can also compare records with other Government agencies.