On the day you claim you must be all of the following:
- living in Australia
- physically in Australia
- an Australian resident.
You are an Australian resident if you are living long-term in Australia and are either:
- an Australian citizen
- a permanent visa holder
- a protected Special Category visa (SCV) holder from New Zealand.
To keep getting your payment, you must be living in Australia as an Australian resident.
There are some exceptions, including if you are claiming under a Social Security Agreement.
How long you need to have been a resident
To get DSP 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 DSP 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.
Unable to work
The 10 year rule doesn’t apply if while you were an Australian resident you became either:
- unable to work
- permanently blind.
The 10 year rule may not apply if all of the following apply:
- you were born overseas and not an Australian resident when you became unable to work or became permanently blind
- you were the dependent child of an Australian resident when you became unable to work or became permanently blind
- you continued to be the dependent child of an Australian resident when you became an Australian resident.
Lived or worked overseas
If you’ve lived or worked in an agreement country you may be able to get Disability Support Pension. Find out which countries have agreements with us.
Recently returned to Australia to live
If you return to Australia to live after residing overseas, there is no waiting period to claim DSP. You must still meet all qualification rules to be eligible for payment. If granted, your payment may stop if you travel outside Australia within 2 years of returning to live.