The short answer is yes, many people can keep getting their Age Pension if they move overseas.
The detail matters. In some cases it can make a significant difference to your income.
That’s why it’s important to do your research well before you take off. The last thing anyone wants is to move to another country, only to end up with less support than expected.
More than 263,000 people left Australia for long-term or permanent stays overseas in 2024–25, according to Australian Bureau Statistics migration data.
If you are considering joining them, read on.
The first thing to know: payments and support can change straight away
If you move overseas, some parts of your social security payments and concessions don’t come with you.
From the time you leave:
- your Energy Supplement stops
- your concession cards cancel
- your Pension Supplement reduces to the basic rate.
And from 20 September 2026, the Pension Supplement will stop from the day you leave Australia to live overseas, instead of reducing to the basic rate. You can find out more about this change from the Department Social Services.
Another important consideration is medical costs.
While some countries offer limited public care under Reciprocal Health Care Agreements, these typically cover emergency hospital treatment only – not long‑term or complex care like cancer treatment. Once you move beyond the basics, many retirees need to either pay privately or come back to Australia.
If you also receive Carer Allowance, it will cancel when you, or the person you care for, move overseas.
How much you can get
Beyond those upfront changes, one thing has a bigger impact than anything else: how long you’ve lived in Australia during your working life.
This is called your Australian Working Life Residence – basically, the time you lived in Australia as an Australian resident, between age 16 and Age Pension age.
Your Australian Working Life Residence is going to affect how much pension you get after 26 weeks overseas.
For the first 26 weeks, your base rate of Age Pension usually stays the same (assuming you still meet the rules). But after that, things can change.
If you’ve lived in Australia for 35 years or more, your rate generally stays the same.
If you’ve lived here for less than 35 years, your payment may be reduced to a proportional rate.
For example, if you have 20 years of Australian Working Life Residence, you may get 20/35ths of the normal rate after 26 weeks overseas.
The rules are different if you move to New Zealand long-term. In that case, we use Working Age Residence instead. You need to have lived in Australia, between age 20 and Age Pension age, for 45 years or more for your rate of pension to stay the same. If you have less than 45 years, your rate may reduce straight away.
If you live or travel outside Australia long term, you’ll get your payment every 4 weeks.
Other things that can affect your pension
It’s also important to remember that your income and assets can still affect your payment while you’re living overseas.
Things that may impact your payment include:
- your foreign pension being counted as income;
- selling your home or buying property overseas;
- Special rules for those covered by international social security agreements or who recently returned to Australia before claiming.
Australia has agreements with a number of countries to share responsibility for social security coverage.
So, it’s important to do your research and be aware of how this may impact your payment before you move.
Before you pack your bags and leave
Retiring overseas can be exciting and for many people it’s a great lifestyle choice. But it’s important to understand the financial trade-offs before you make the move.
Our Financial Information Service can help you work through how your decisions may affect your retirement income.
You can also check your situation and report travel through your Centrelink online account through myGov, using the ‘Travelling outside of Australia’ service, or by calling us or visiting a service centre.
Retiring overseas doesn’t just affect your Age Pension. There can also be impacts on your super and your tax. It’s also worth speaking with a financial adviser and your accountant before making any big decisions.
So before you book that one-way ticket, take the time to understand how the rules apply to you as it could make a real difference to your retirement income.
Originally published by Yahoo Finance on 19 July 2026.