Just Turned 67? Here's Exactly How to Claim Your Age Pension

If you've just turned 67, you've reached the qualifying age for the Age Pension — but age alone isn't enough. You also need to meet residency and means test requirements before payments can start.

To qualify, you must be an Australian resident and have lived in Australia for at least 10 years in total, with at least five of those years in a single continuous period. If you've lived or worked in a country that has a social security agreement with Australia (such as the UK, New Zealand, or the US), those periods may count towards your residency requirement.

You must also satisfy both the income test and the assets test — your payment is calculated under both, and you receive whichever amount is lower. If you exceed the upper threshold on either test, you won't qualify at all. Don't let that put you off applying — many people assume they won't qualify and miss out on thousands of dollars. Even a part pension is worth claiming.

As of March 2026, the maximum Age Pension rate is $1,116.30 per fortnight for a single person ($558.15 per week). For couples, the combined maximum is $1,682.80 per fortnight ($841.40 each).

On top of the base rate, you'll receive the Energy Supplement — $14.10 per fortnight for singles, $10.60 each for couples. If you're renting privately, Rent Assistance can add up to $188.20 per fortnight for singles or $177.20 combined for couples.

That means a single renter on the full Age Pension could receive over $1,318 per fortnight — roughly $34,268 per year. For couples who rent, the combined total can exceed $1,870 per fortnight ($48,620 per year). These amounts are tax-free if the Age Pension is your only income, because the Senior Australians and Pensioners Tax Offset (SAPTO) combined with the low-income tax offset generally eliminates any tax liability.

You can submit your Age Pension claim up to 13 weeks before you turn 67, and you should — delays in claiming mean delays in payment. Here's the process step by step.

First, create or log into your myGov account and make sure your Centrelink account is linked. If you've never dealt with Centrelink before, you'll need to create a Centrelink Reference Number (CRN) first — you can do this online or at a Services Australia office with your ID.

Navigate to Payments and Claims, then Make a Claim, and select the Older Australians category. Select Age Pension and work through the online form. You'll need your Tax File Number, details of all your income sources, bank account balances, superannuation balances, property valuations, and share portfolios.

Upload supporting documents including recent bank statements, super fund statements, and your most recent tax return or notice of assessment. If you own investment properties, you'll need recent council rate notices and rental income statements.

Processing typically takes 5 to 8 weeks for a straightforward claim. If Centrelink needs additional information, it can take longer. Your payment will be backdated to either your 67th birthday or your claim date, whichever is later — so claiming early is essential.

This is where many people get confused. Once you turn 67, your superannuation is treated differently for Age Pension purposes than it was before.

If your super is in an accumulation phase account (i.e., you haven't started drawing a pension from it), the full balance is counted as a financial asset under the assets test, and deemed income is calculated under the income test using the deeming rates — currently 0.25% on the first $60,400 (single) and 2.25% on the balance above that.

If your super is in an account-based pension (retirement phase), the balance is counted as an asset but the actual income you draw from it is NOT counted under the income test — instead, the deeming rates are applied to the balance. This is a significant advantage, because the deemed income is usually lower than the actual drawdown.

The key decision: should you take a lump sum from super before applying, or leave it invested? If withdrawing a lump sum would reduce your assessable assets below a threshold that qualifies you for a higher pension, it might be worth doing — but spending down assets just to get the pension is rarely good strategy. Use our Age Pension Calculator to model different scenarios with your actual numbers.

The income test allows singles to earn up to $204 per fortnight from all sources before their pension starts reducing. For couples, the combined income free area is $360 per fortnight. Above those thresholds, your pension reduces by 50 cents for every dollar of income (25 cents each for couples).

The pension cuts out entirely when income exceeds $2,436.60 per fortnight for singles or $3,725.60 combined for couples. Remember, deeming rates apply to your financial assets (bank accounts, shares, super, managed funds) — it doesn't matter what interest you actually earn, Centrelink deems you to earn at set rates.

For the assets test, homeowners can have assets up to $301,750 (single) or $451,500 (couple) and still receive the full pension. Non-homeowners get higher thresholds: $543,750 (single) or $693,500 (couple). Above these amounts, your pension reduces by $3 per fortnight for every $1,000 of assets above the threshold.

The pension cuts out at $674,000 in assets for single homeowners, $916,000 for single non-homeowners, $1,012,500 for couple homeowners, and $1,154,500 for couple non-homeowners. Your principal home is not counted as an asset, regardless of its value.

Even if you only qualify for a small part pension — say $50 per fortnight — the Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) that comes with it can be worth thousands of dollars a year in savings. This is why claiming even a partial pension is almost always worthwhile.

The PCC gives you access to cheaper prescription medicines under the PBS — you'll pay a maximum of $7.70 per script instead of the general rate of $31.60. Once you hit 52 scripts in a calendar year, you get the rest free through the PBS Safety Net.

You'll also receive bulk-billed GP visits from most doctors, significant discounts on council rates (typically 25-50% depending on your local council), reduced water rates, free or discounted public transport in most states, reduced motor vehicle registration, and energy concessions that vary by state but typically save $200-$600 per year.

State and territory governments add their own concessions on top of the federal ones. In total, the PCC can be worth $2,000 to $4,000 per year depending on where you live and what services you use. That's on top of your pension payment itself.

Planning to keep working part-time? The Work Bonus allows Age Pension recipients to earn up to $300 per fortnight from employment income before it counts under the income test. This is on top of the $204 per fortnight income free area — so effectively, you can earn $504 per fortnight ($13,104 per year) from work without any reduction to your pension.

Any unused Work Bonus accumulates in a Work Bonus income bank, up to a maximum of $11,800. This means if you haven't been working, you'll have a buffer that allows you to earn more in fortnights where you do work — handy for seasonal or casual employment.

The Work Bonus only applies to employment income (wages and salary from a job). It doesn't apply to investment income, rental income, or self-employment income from a business you own. If you're doing consulting or freelance work, whether the Work Bonus applies depends on the specific arrangements — if you're genuinely employed by the client, it counts; if you're operating through your own ABN as a sole trader, it generally doesn't.

This makes the Age Pension incredibly flexible for people who want to ease into retirement gradually rather than stopping work overnight. Combined with tax-free pension income and the PCC concessions, many retirees find they're financially comfortable on a combination of part pension, part-time work, and super drawdown.