Social Security Agreement with Australia - living in New Zealand

If you've lived in Australia and now live in New Zealand, you may be able to get some payments. This is because New Zealand (NZ) has an agreement with Australia to share responsibility for social security coverage.

This agreement can help you if you either:

  • are an Australian citizen,
  • have an Australian residence class visa, or
  • are an New Zealand citizen. 

How this Social Security Agreement helps you

This agreement generally allows you to apply for certain NZ payments (paid by us) or Australian payments (paid by Centrelink).

NZ payments covered by this agreement are:

  • New Zealand Superannuation (NZ Super)
  • Veteran's Pension
  • Supported Living Payment, where you have a health condition, injury or disability.

Australian payments covered by this agreement are:

  • Australian Age Pension 
  • Disability Support Pension 
  • Carer Payment.

It also allows you to add together your periods of residence in either country so you can meet certain criteria for these payments.

Periods of residence

You need to have lived in New Zealand for a certain amount of time to get NZ Super, Veteran's Pension and Supported Living Payment.

If you haven't, you may be able to use your Australian residence to meet this criteria. 

Contact our International Services team if you want to talk about your situation.

Periods of residence for NZ Super and Veteran's Pension

Find out if you can use your Australian residence for NZ Super and Veteran's Pension:

Using SSA countries to meet residence criteria for NZ Super

Periods of residence for Supported Living Payment

To use your Australian residence for Supported Living Payment, you must have:

  • been living in Australia during that time, and
  • been an Australian resident for 12 months, of which at least 6 months were continuous.

NZ and Australian payments

If you already get an Australian payment and move to NZ, contact Centrelink. They'll change the payment if needed.

If you're not already getting a NZ or Australian payment, read the information below.

Who can get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension

You may be able to get NZ Super or Veteran's Pension while you're living in New Zealand. To get this you must meet the eligibility criteria for NZ Super or Veteran's Pension

If you don't meet the eligibility criteria, you may still qualify if you meet the following criteria:

  • you are 67 or older (the age criteria for Australian Age Pension)
  • you have lived in Australia (as defined by Centrelink) for at least 12 months between age 20 and age 67 (the age you qualify for Australian Age Pension), of which 6 months were continuous
  • you either:
    • are ordinarily resident in NZ when you apply, or
    • intend to remain in New Zealand for at least 1 year or have lived in NZ for at least 6 months before you apply, and are in New Zealand when you apply
  • you either:
    • have lived in NZ for a certain number of years since you turned 20, with 5 years since the age of 50. How many years you need is based on your date of birth (you can work this out on our 'Who can get NZ Super' page). You can use time spent as an Australian resident between age 20 and age 67 (the age you qualify for Australian Age Pension) to count towards this, or
    • are in New Zealand when you apply.

For Veteran's Pension you also need to have the necessary service and disability qualifications.

Who can get Australian Age Pension - Centrelink
Definition of Australian resident and living in Australia - Centrelink

Who can get Supported Living Payment

You may be able to get Supported Living Payment while you're living in New Zealand. To get this you must meet the eligibility criteria for Supported Living Payment.

If you don't meet the eligibility criteria, you may still qualify if you meet the following criteria:

  • you either:
    • are ordinarily resident in NZ when you apply, or
    • intend to remain in New Zealand for at least 1 year or have lived in NZ for at least 6 months before you apply, and are in New Zealand when you apply
  • you have a total of 2 years residence in New Zealand and/or Australia
  • you have lived in Australia (as defined by Centrelink) for at least 12 months, of which 6 months were continuous, and
  • you are medically assessed as 'severely disabled' - this means:
    • you must either:
      • be permanently blind, or
      • have a physical, psychiatric or intellectual impairment that means you cannot work or benefit from any assistance or rehabilitation programme for the next 2 years, and
    • the severe disablement happened while you were living in New Zealand or Australia.
Definition of Australian resident and living in Australia - Centrelink

Who can get Australian payments

You may be able to get Australian payments while you're living in NZ.

CentreLink in Australia decides who can get the Australian payments.

How to contact Centrelink

How to apply for Australian payments

Contact International Services to find out what Australian payments you can get.

They will send you an application form to complete. You need to fill it out and send it back to them.

They will then forward your application to Centrelink in Australia who will process it.

Once a decision has been made, International Services will be in touch with you to let you know the outcome.

How to apply for New Zealand payments

Use our Check What You Might Get tool to find out what NZ payments you can get and how to apply.

Your total payment will be made up of:

  • a NZ payment, and
  • an Australian payment - Centrelink calculates and pays the Australian payment.

NZ payment rates

For NZ payments, you'll get the NZ rates for the payment you qualify for.

If you or your partner qualify for an overseas pension, this could affect your NZ rate. The Australian payment from Centrelink is classed as an overseas pension.

Overseas pensions

Australian payment rates

Talk to Centrelink for information about how they calculate the Australian rate.

If you're living in NZ, you can choose to have your Australian payment paid by either the:

  • Direct Payment Method, or
  • Special Banking option.
Payment options for overseas pensions

Taxes

You may have to pay tax on your Australian payment in New Zealand if you:

  • are paid your Australian pension by the Direct Payment Method. This is regardless of whether it's paid to a bank account in Australia or NZ, and
  • get NZ Super or Veteran’s Pension.

Make sure you keep copies of all your banking records. These may show your gross Australian pension payments required for tax purposes.

If you get Supported Living Payment

If you're paid your Australian pension by Direct Payment Method, you do not have to pay tax. This is because your gross Australian payment is deducted directly from your net New Zealand entitlement.

However if your Australian payments are more than the maximum Supported Living Payment, you will need to pay tax.

Special Banking option

If you have chosen the Special Banking Option, the tax is already paid before you get your payment. However, you may need to pay tax on any Australian payment you got prior to choosing the Special Banking Option.

You can talk to Inland Revenue New Zealand about your tax liability.

Visit Inland Revenue website

NZ payments will start from the date of your application or the entitlement date - whichever is later.

Centrelink decides when you get paid any Australian payments.

Before you leave NZ you need to contact:

Below are details of what will happen to your NZ payments. Our International Services team will talk you through this when you call and tell you what you need to do.

Talk to Centrelink for information about what will happen to your Australian payment.

NZ Super or Veteran's Pension

If you're going to another country for:

  • 26 weeks or less, your payment may continue while you're away. There are certain criteria you'll need to meet.
  • more than 26 weeks, you may be able to apply to keep your payments going.

Going for more than 26 weeks

You may have had to use your Australian residence to help you meet the residence criteria for your NZ payment.

If you used your Australian residence and:

  • still need to do this to meet the residence criteria, your payments will stop from the day after you leave New Zealand. When you come back to NZ, you'll have to re-apply to get this payment again.
  • no longer need to do this to meet the residence criteria, you may be able to apply to get some or all of your NZ payment. What you're paid depends on what country you go to.

You need to apply before you leave NZ.

If you qualify to be paid in that country, payment will be made from the first payment date after you leave NZ.

Countries NZ has a SSA or special arrangement with

Supported Living Payment

If you're going to another country, your Supported Living Payment may continue. It depends if the country you're going to has a SSA with NZ and what that agreement states.

Going to a country that has a SSA with NZ

You may be able to apply to keep your payments going. It depends what the agreement states and if it covers you to be paid Supported Living Payment.

You need to apply before you leave NZ, otherwise your payments will stop after you leave NZ.

Going to a country that doesn't have a SSA with NZ

If you move to that country, your payments will stop after you leave NZ.

If you're going to that country temporarily, you may be able to keep getting your Supported Living Payment. It depends on why you're going there. 

Going overseas temporarily while on a benefit