On the day you claim you must be all of the following:
- living in Australia
- physically in Australia
- an Australian resident.
There are exceptions if you are claiming under a Social Security Agreement.
How long you need to have been a resident
To get Age Pension you generally need to have been an Australian resident for at least 10 years in total. For at least 5 of these years, there must be no break in your residence.
We may need more information to establish your Australian residence history. If we do, we’ll ask you to complete the Residence in Australia and other countries form.
How else you may meet the rules
Some people can get Age Pension if they've been an Australian resident for less than 10 years.
Refugee or former refugee
If you’re a refugee or former refugee you are exempt from the 10 year rule.
If you’re a woman whose partner has died
If you’re a woman whose partner has died, you may be eligible for Age Pension. To get this, both of the following must apply to you:
- you must be an Australian resident for the 2 years before you claim
- both of you must have been Australian residents when your partner died.
Lived or worked overseas
If you’ve lived or worked in an agreement country you may be able to get Age Pension. Read about which countries have agreements with us.