Qualifying for an Age Pension is a process most Australians will experience at some stage in their retirement. Timing your application and knowing how back pay works is super handy to avoid missing out on much-needed income. Today Steven Sadler steps us through the rules.
The main rule is that the Age Pension is backdated to either the day you lodged your application or the day you became eligible, whichever is the more recent of the two. Here’s how it works.
Sooner or later you will probably have to deal with Centrelink. This statement shouldn’t strike fear into anyone’s heart, but it often does. Why? You will be dealing with public servants whose wages you, as a taxpayer, fund. Yet many individuals will run a mile rather than confront the need to deal with an Australian Government agency. Ongoing reports of processing delays, phone wait times and incorrect rulings no doubt add to the preconceptions that dealing with Centrelink is frustrating. But does it necessarily have to be this way? Today Head of the Customer Service team, Steven Sadler, is sharing his expertise on ways of keeping your interactions with Centrelink as simple and speedy as possible. Steven has been supporting Retirement Essentials members to get the best possible Age Pension and Commonwealth Seniors Health Card outcomes for many years now. He leads a team of Centrelink experts who do this same thing, day in and day out. So over to Guru Steven to share ways of managing your Centrelink interactions.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But in the world of retirement income, an example is often worth even more. That is no doubt why our many members enjoy our comments and Q&A articles – by reading about other people’s situations, they can apply the answers to their own.
We recently reported on the income and assets tests – how they are applied and the new limits from 1 July this year. These articles encouraged a flood of questions. Some, due to the level of detail and privacy required, need to be handled offline. But many were able to be answered swiftly. When it comes to quick answers on any entitlements, Steven Sadler (Head of Customer Services) is our man. So read on to learn more about the income rules and how they might affect you.