Transfer to Age Pension 065-03010020

Customers eligible to complete the online transfer to Age Pension can access the online transfer from 13 weeks before reaching Age Pension age. A correspondence nominee (individual or organisation) can submit a Transfer to Aged Pension on behalf of their principal.

The Age Pension transfer will be available via online services or by completing a paper form. If the customer is:

• subscribed to online services, they will be sent an online letter to their myGov Inbox to complete the transfer to Age Pension. The letter will include a hyperlink to the Services Australia website and direct link to their online transfer task
• not subscribed to online letters or Electronic Messaging, they will be sent a letter and a Transfer to Age Pension (SA383) form by mail, with the option to complete the transfer online rather than return the form

A customer’s payment may be suspended or cancelled from the date they turn Age Pension age, if the customer does not submit the Transfer to Age Pension through:

• their online account
• an Assisted Customer Claim (ACC), or
• a completed SA383

If their current payment suspends or cancels, the Transfer to Age Pension task will remain available on the Centrelink online account landing page for up to 13 weeks after the suspension or cancellation date.

Payment should only be restored once the customer has submitted the transfer online via the ACC workflow or lodged a SA383 including required documentation.

Customers in receipt of a current income support payment who do not want to transfer to Age Pension still need to complete the Transfer to Age Pension process. This allows the customer to decline the transfer but asks for their superannuation details which become assessable at Age Pension age.

When a customer is an identified Indigenous customer they may be automatically transferred to Age Pension without the need to complete an online transfer or SA383.

If an income support customer contacts about transferring to Age Pension because they have not received an invitation to transfer and they are within 13 weeks of Age Pension age, offer an online transfer first. Explain the benefits of using an online transfer, including:

• early warnings if claimants may not be eligible, for example, not residentially qualified
• there will be less information to provide, as information from Centrelink records will be pre-populated into the online transfer
• for current income support payment customers, detailed messaging populates within the online transfer process. This outlines the customer's circumstances including the advantages and disadvantages of transferring from their respective payment to help them make an informed decision about whether to transfer to Age Pension or remain on their current payment
• the ability to monitor the progress of a transfer through Centrelink online account or the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app

If customers decline or are unable to use the online transfer, offer to transfer to Age Pension via the Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) process.

If a correspondence nominee enquires about transferring to Age Pension on behalf of a customer, Service Officers can run the ACC workflow. ACC allows for the Verbal Declaration to be made by the customer or their correspondence nominee.

A declaration is required prior to submitting the transfer. When a Service Officer reads the Verbal Declaration to the customer (or correspondence nominee), they must tick the Declaration box on the Review your claim page. This confirms that the Service Officer has read the declaration script and the customer (or correspondence nominee) accepts it. Once the Verbal Declaration is accepted and ACC submitted, a DOC containing this information displays in:

• Process Direct notes
• Customer First super case
• the Customer Claim Summary

Service Officers must not submit the transfer without the customer accepting the Verbal Declaration. Tell the customer about any outstanding documents, or action required to submit the transfer.

Note: remind customers of their notification requirements, including that any money invested in superannuation is assessable as a financial investment from Age Pension age. See Assessing superannuation.

A person qualifies for Age Pension if they:

• have reached Age Pension age, and
• satisfy the residence qualification for Age Pension

Customers who do not satisfy the residence requirements for Age Pension but have:

• lived or worked in an Agreement country may be qualified under an Agreement
• not lived or worked in an Agreement country, will need to be advised of the likely date they will meet the residence requirements so they can test their eligibility again.
  The Periods of Australian Residence (RSPAR) screen can be used to view information about the customer’s Australian Residence. Consider offering the customer an alternative income support payment where eligible. Payment and Service Finder on the Services Australia website can be used to determine any support the customer may be eligible for. The Resources page has a link to the Payment and Service Finder

A datalink with the Department of Home Affairs will automatically populate visa subclass details for most customers from 1 September 1994 to date. Where available, the datalink will also advise citizenship and movement information from 1 September 1994. This information has been available from 8 December 2008 to assist in assessing residence periods.

An Age Pension online claim or Assisted Customer Claim (ACC) will be required for customers receiving ABSTUDY or Farm Household Allowance if they wish to receive Age Pension.

See Claiming and re-claiming Age Pension.

If an Online Task, Assisted Customer Claim (ACC), Transfer to Aged Pension (SA383) form or full Age Pension claim is lodged after becoming qualified for Age Pension and the transfer provisions apply, the date of effect may be backdated up to the later of:

• 13 weeks before the date of the decision to transfer
• the date the person qualified for Age Pension

See Processing transfers to Age Pension for more details.

Under section 12 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999, a customer can be transferred to Age Pension without lodging a claim if they became qualified for Age Pension:

• while receiving another income support payment, or
• immediately after ceasing to receive another income support payment

The customer is taken to have made the claim for Age Pension on the day a decision to transfer is made. This date must not be earlier than:

• 13 weeks before the day on which the decision is made, or
• if the customer became qualified for Age Pension after the day the decision to transfer is made, the day on which they become qualified for Age Pension

The References page contains a link to Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 - section 12, Deemed claim in certain cases.

• Proof of age is required if not previously supplied, unless they are an identified Indigenous customer. This will be requested online or on the transfer form. If unable to provide proof of age, their age may be verified by another method
• Documents confirming their identity if the Identity Confirmation status is not showing as Confirmed or the identity on record is not sufficient
• Details of superannuation investments, for example, approved deposit funds, deferred annuities or superannuation funds. These must be recorded for all customers who have these investments. Superannuation is assessable at Age Pension age whether they transfer to Age Pension or not. Note: if the partner is over pension age, the superannuation details of the partner must also be recorded
• Information about their home property to see if they are eligible for the extended land use test curtilage concession if the principal home and adjacent land is on one title or multiple titles and is over 2 hectares
• They may have to meet Comparable Foreign Payment (CFP) requirements if they were born overseas or lived overseas
• They may require a valuation of assessable real estate

Generally, the most appropriate payment for a person who is Age Pension age, is the Age Pension. However, customers that receive certain payments have a choice to transfer to Age Pension or remain on their current payment, as there is no upper age bracket for payments. These include:

• Carer Payment (CP)
• Disability Support Pension (DSP)
• Parenting Payment (single)

Customers current on the above payments that lodge a transfer to Age Pension online will be presented with personalised circumstance data including the advantages and disadvantages of transferring from their respective payment. This is to help them make an informed decision about:

• transferring to Age Pension, or
• remaining on their existing payment

Except for identified Indigenous customers who are excluded from the transfer process, customers must still complete the transfer to Age Pension online, or via Assisted Customer Claim (ACC), or return their Transfer to Age Pension (SA383) form even if they do not wish to transfer to Age Pension.

This is required to get superannuation details that become assessable when they turn Age Pension age, regardless of whether they are transferring to Age Pension.

Customers who do not wish to transfer to Age Pension are not required to provide identity documents.

Superannuation is assessable at Age Pension age whether the customer chooses to transfer to Age Pension. Superannuation details must be provided for customers who are Age Pension age for all superannuation investments, for example approved deposit fund, deferred annuity, or superannuation fund.

If the customer has a partner who is Age Pension age, their superannuation details are also required even if they are not receiving a payment from Services Australia.

Where a customer loses entitlement to their previous income support payment, they may still be able to claim Age Pension by:

• completing the transfer to Age Pension online via Assisted Customer Claim (ACC), or
• using the Transfer to Age Pension (SA383) form

If the customer's income support payment was cancelled within 13 weeks of the person reaching Age Pension Age, Service Officers must determine if an Income and Assets form (SA369) is required. This makes sure Age Pension entitlements are assessed based on the customer's current circumstances. A link to the form is available on the Resources page.

If the customer is already Age Pension age, paid an income support payment and satisfies Age Pension qualification, they may be eligible to transfer to Age Pension if they:

• contact and enquire about transferring from another payment (for example Carer Payment), or
• are Age Pension age and were not initially residentially qualified for Age Pension

They can complete the transfer to Age Pension online or via Assisted Customer Claim (ACC).

For customers unable or unwilling to use the online transfer to lodge a claim for Age Pension. ACC should be used to help the customer to lodge their claim.

Customers may not have contacted but have a Manual Follow-up (MFU) maturing which is visible on the Activity List (AL) screen. Staff must contact the customer and invite them to apply for Age Pension online, through ACC or by issuing a paper claim.

Section 12 of the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 (Deemed claim in certain cases) applies to customers who were granted their current income support payment before or after qualifying for the Age Pension. Under this section of the act, a customer may be transferred to Age Pension without needing to lodge a claim. The References page contains a link to Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 - section 12, Deemed claim in certain cases.

If a customer or their partner has worked or lived outside Australia, they may need to meet the comparable foreign payment requirements.

Customers may ask Centrelink for information about foreign pensions available from other countries.

Notices to customers advising of a possible entitlement to a foreign pension are issued based on information recorded on the Country of Residence (CRES) and Foreign Claim Details (FGD) screens.

For customers who want to transfer and who have not previously been assessed as blind, follow additional steps about assessment of blindness and whether or not their income and assets need to be assessed.

System generated grant and rejection letters for deceased customers:

• are not addressed correctly, and
• contain text that is inappropriate to send to a deceased estate

Staff must:

• inhibit system generated letters
• address grant or rejection letters to:
• the 'Executor of the Estate' (if applicable), or
• to the 'Estate of the Late <customer's name>'

For examples of pension grant letters for a deceased customer, see the Processing transfers to Age Pension.

Ensure that customers who will soon lose or have already lost qualification to their existing payment (for example, JobSeeker Payment) are processed as a priority and at the earliest touch point to avoid placing the customer in financial hardship.

If staff are unable or not skilled to process Transfer to Age Pension, and urgent processing is required, create a Fast Note:

• for online or Assisted Customer Claim (ACC):
• Select Auto Text use Older Australians > Claims > Age Transfer Online Urgent processing request
• for SA383:
• Select Auto Text use Older Australians > Claims > Age Transfer SA383 Urgent processing request

Leave the Fast Note DOC open. This makes sure the transfer is correctly prioritised for allocation.