Residing overseas
You can reside almost anywhere in the world and still get part or all of your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension payments. What you’ll get depends on where you go to and how long you’ve resided in New Zealand.
Who can get it
You may be able to receive New Zealand Superannuation or the Veteran’s Pension while you’re residing overseas but you need to talk to our International Services team about this before you go. You must intend to be away from New Zealand for more than 26 weeks.
Going overseas to do humanitarian work
If you go overseas temporarily to do full-time voluntary and unpaid humanitarian work for a recognised aid agency, you may be able to get your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension for up to 156 weeks. You should contact our International Services team before you go. Please read the fact sheet below about how voluntary or humanitarian work affects your pension entitlements.
Where are you going to reside?
New Zealand has Social Security Agreements with a number of countries. Each agreement enables New Zealanders to get certain benefits or pensions when residing in these countries and allows for similar payments to people who move to New Zealand from these countries. Who's eligible and who can apply depend on where you're going to reside.
If you apply from overseas we can usually only pay you from the date you make your application. If you receive payments while residing in a Social Security Agreement country and you 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 reside in.
New Zealand also has a special portability arrangement with 22 Pacific countries. You can reside in any one of these countries and get some or all of your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s pension. You must apply before you leave New Zealand.
These countries are American Samoa, Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, French Polynesia, Guam, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Pitcairn Island, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.
If you are going to reside in any other country which is not covered by a Social Security Agreement or the special portability arrangement New Zealand has with Pacific countries, you can get up to 100 per cent of your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension.
You must apply before you leave NZ. For more information click on the link below
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 reside in a country which New Zealand has a Social Security Agreement with, there are specific rules – please talk with our International Services team first
- are going to reside in a Pacific country covered under the special portability arrangement, 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 reside in any other country, 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 resided in New Zealand.
Extra help
If you reside 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.
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.
Income tax
If you reside 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.
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.
For more information
Our International Services team specialise in paying New Zealand benefits and pensions overseas. They are the best people to contact for questions about getting your New Zealand Superannuation or Veteran's Pension while travelling or residing overseas. They can explain the rules so you’ll know what to expect.
