When you leave

Any of the following circumstances can affect your payment rate:

• how long you’re away
• your personal situation
• if you get DSP under a social security agreement with another country.

Read more about payments while outside Australia.

If you get a Pension Supplement

Your Pension Supplement reduces to the basic rate and your Energy Supplement stops either:

• when you depart Australia to live in another country
• after 6 weeks, if you leave Australia for a short term.

If you’re payable overseas after 26 weeks

We decide your rate using the length of time you were an Australian resident between 16 and Age Pension age.

You’ll get your full means tested rate of pension if you lived in Australia as an Australian resident either:

• for 35 years between 16 and Age Pension age
• when your inability to work or manifest medical condition happened.

You’ll get your full means tested rate of pension if you lived in Australia as an Australian resident and all of these apply. You:

• lived in Australia for 25 years between 16 and Age Pension age
• were getting DSP outside Australia on 1 July 2014
• haven’t returned and stayed in Australia for 26 weeks since then.

Example of when you get a full means tested rate

You arrived in Australia in June 2005. You have a permanent and severe disability due to an accident in 2012, while an Australian resident.

You get the full means tested rate of DSP.

Example of when you don’t get a full means tested rate

You arrived in Australia in June 2005 but you already had a permanent and severe disability. In June 2016 you left Australia after 11 years as an Australian resident.

You get 11/35ths of your full means tested rate of DSP.

If you go to New Zealand

The social security agreement with New Zealand may affect your DSP rate if you go there.

Your DSP may stop or your rate may change if you travel to New Zealand to live or travel through New Zealand on your way to another country and either of these apply:

• you’ll be outside Australia for more than 12 months
• you’ve been outside Australia for more than 26 weeks.

How much your payment changes depends on the details of the agreement with New Zealand.