Supporting documents

When claiming Age Pension, we’ll ask you for some supporting documents to support your claim for Age Pension.

Why you need to give us documents

We need supporting documents to confirm information you tell us in your claim. We can’t assess your claim without them. We may also ask you for more details after you submit your claim. We’ll let you know what you need to give us and when you need to do it by.

If you don’t give us these documents, it could delay your claim. If you miss the deadline to give us any extra documents we ask for, we may reject your claim.

Which documents you must give us

You must give us the following details before or when you submit your claim. If you’ve already provided these, you may not need to do so again. Documents that show:

  • your age
  • your bank account details
  • your tax file number
  • your Australian residence status, unless you’re an Australian citizen who was born in Australia
  • if you’re member of a couple
  • your income and assets.

If you claim online, we list the documents you have to provide in the required task list.

If you complete a paper claim, we’ll tell you next to the question what information or document we need.

Before you submit your claim, you may need to give us your identity documents so we can prove your identity. Having them ready will help you finish your claim and not delay the process

Which documents you may need to give us

When you start your claim, we’ll tell you the documents we need. This will depend on the information you tell us.

CircumstancesWhat you may need to provide
Relationships
Australian residence status
  • passports
  • citizenship papers
  • Australian Visa
  • ImmiCard.
Living arrangements
  • rent certificate, we’ll send this to you if you need one
  • current lease or tenancy agreement
  • details of other people sharing accommodation with you
  • real estate asset ownership documents.
Financial

Example of savings and mortgage offset statement

  • term deposit statements showing the current balance
  • superannuation statements for accounts in the accumulation phase showing the number of units held, if applicable, or the dollar amount of the investment

  • superannuation statements for your partner if they’ve reached Age Pension age, showing the number of units held, if applicable, or the dollar amount of the investment
  • current schedule for any income stream products completed by your provider or a completed SA330 form

  • life insurance documents showing the surrender value
  • real estate asset ownership documents for assets fully or partially owned inside and outside Australia
  • rates notices for each property owned

  • mortgage documents confirming the security held for each loan
  • latest statements for any managed investments including number and type of units, if applicable, and APIR code
  • latest shareholder and share dividend statements showing the investment owned, name and number of units or shares owned in the investment

  • latest tax return for any investment properties or latest profit and loss statement with all expenses listed including a breakdown of any amount listed as other expenses.

If you’re unsure what type of investment you have, please contact your financial adviser or the provider of your investment.

You may also need to provide:

  • Business details form and all documents as requested on the form
  • Private Company form and all documents as requested on the form
  • Private Trust form details form and all documents as requested on the form
  • latest balance sheet and profit and loss statement for businesses with all expenses listed, including a breakdown of any amount listed as other expenses
  • Profit and Loss Statement form showing current income if there’s been a change since the latest available profit and loss statement
  • current balance sheet if there’s been a change since the latest available balance sheet
  • income tax returns

  • tax notice of assessment

Identity
Employment
MedicalAn ophthalmologist report if you’re vision impaired.

How to submit your documents

You can upload documents online either by:

You can also give them to us by mail, fax, or by visiting a service centre.

Read more about how to submit your Centrelink documents online.

When we need documents after you submit your claim

If we need more information from you, we’ll contact you. We’ll do this by calling you, sending a letter to your myGov Inbox or a letter in the post.

If we need more documents, we’ll put your claim on hold while we wait to get your information.

You need to provide the documents within 14 days of getting the request. If you don’t, we may reject your claim.

If you’re having trouble providing the information we ask for call us on the Older Australians line.

Contact numbers available on this page.

Centrelink older Australians line

Use this line if you’re an older Australian and need help with your Age Pension or another service.

Monday to Friday 8 am to 5 pm

There are other ways you may want to contact us.

Page last updated: 3 December 2024.
QC 50096