Travel outside Australia

If you leave Australia to live in another country, your payment will stop when you depart. This is unless you qualify for Parenting Payment under a social security agreement.

If you or your child travel for a short term, you’ll get your payment for up to 6 weeks. After 6 weeks your payment will stop.

Your payment will also stop when you depart if all of these apply:

• you or your child travel for more than 6 weeks
• you return to Australia
• you then leave again within 6 weeks.

You may get it for more than 6 weeks if any of the following apply. You’re:

• studying outside Australia as part of a full time Australian course
• attending an Australian Defence Force Reserves training camp
• a widow or widower, and you and your child move to an eligible social security agreement country.

If you’re eligible for more than 6 weeks of payment, your rate will change either:

• after 6 weeks, if your travel is for a short term
• when you depart, if you’re leaving to live in another country.

This means you’ll get your pension at an outside Australia rate.

Defence training

If you’re attending an Australian Defence Force Reserves training camp, you’ll get your payment for the duration of the training.

Evidence we need

You need to give us a written statement from the camp commander or the person in charge. It must show all of the following:

• camp details
• duration of the camp including the start and end dates of the camp
• camp location.