The Age Pension preparation checklist: everything to do before you claim

Preparing for the Age Pension is mostly a paperwork exercise — and the people who claim smoothly are simply the ones who gathered everything before they lodged. Work through this checklist in order: confirm you qualify, get your digital access sorted, gather every document, then do a final check before you submit.

Do you actually qualify yet?

Before gathering a single document, confirm you pass all three gates — you need all of them, not just one:

• Age — 67. The Age Pension age is fixed at 67 for everyone born on or after 1 January 1957.
• Residency — 10 years. You must be an Australian resident with at least 10 years lived in Australia, including a continuous period of at least 5 years.
• Means tests — both. You must pass both the income test and the assets test; whichever produces the lower payment is the one that applies.

When should you start?

Give yourself roughly four months. You can lodge the claim up to 13 weeks before your 67th birthday, and your payment is backdated to the day you submit — so there is no advantage in leaving it late, and a real cost if documents hold you up.

• Four months out: start collecting statements and valuations — many must be dated within 30 days of lodging.
• Thirteen weeks out: the lodgement window opens — submit online through myGov.
• After lodging: once you are receiving the pension, report any change of income or assets within 14 days.

Have you set up digital access?

The fastest way to claim is online. Sort this out well before the lodgement window opens:

• Create or confirm your myGov account and verify your identity.
• Link your Centrelink online account to myGov — you’ll need a Customer Reference Number (CRN).
• If you have a partner, make sure both Centrelink records show your relationship as a couple before you start.
• Gather your partner’s details — their income, assets and super are assessed even if only you are claiming.

Which documents do you need to gather?

Tick these off as you collect them. The items marked often asked for again are the biggest cause of delays — get those first.

Identity and residency

• Proof of age — birth certificate or passport.
• Proof of identity — driver’s licence or government photo ID.
• Your Customer Reference Number (CRN).
• If born overseas: current passport, visa or ImmiCard, and citizenship certificate if naturalised.

Relationship status

• Marriage certificate, or divorce/separation certificate if applicable.
• (Often asked for again) Proof of cohabitation for de facto couples — a mortgage or rental contract or utility bills showing a shared address.
• Your partner’s personal details and Tax File Number.

Bank accounts and income

• (Often asked for again) Statements for every bank account — savings, transaction, offset, joint and term deposits — no older than 30 days.
• Your Tax File Number and latest ATO Notice of Assessment.
• The BSB and account number of the account you want your pension paid into.
• Recent payslips or an employment separation certificate if you have just stopped work.
• A profit-and-loss statement if you are self-employed, and documentation of any overseas income, foreign pensions or overseas assets.

Superannuation

• Recent member statements for every superannuation fund (accumulation accounts) — dated within the last 30 days where possible.
• (Often asked for again) A Centrelink/DVA Schedule for each account-based pension — this is a specific document, not a normal statement, and you must request it from your fund.
• (Often asked for again) An SMSF Centrelink Schedule for each SMSF pension account — ask your accountant to complete one.
• Defined-benefit pension statements, and your partner’s super statements (assessed once you reach pension age).

Investments and property

• Share certificates or current holding statements, plus managed-fund and dividend statements, term-deposit statements and current cryptocurrency valuations.
• (Often asked for again) A life-insurance surrender-value document — Centrelink counts the surrender value, not the sum insured.
• Home-ownership evidence (title, rates notice or mortgage statement) — your principal home is exempt from the assets test.
• For investment properties: current valuations, loan statements and rental income or lease agreements. If you rent, a copy of your tenancy agreement.
• Motor vehicles, caravans, boats and trailers — their current second-hand (resale) value. Unlike your home, these are assessable assets.
• Funeral bonds or prepaid funeral plans — the investment certificate or policy. You still declare them even though they are usually exempt within the funeral-bond limit.
• Household contents and personal effects — an estimate at second-hand resale value, not replacement cost.
• Records of any gifts or assets you have disposed of in the past five years — amounts above $10,000 in a year or $30,000 over five years still count for five years.

Final checks before you lodge

• Declare everything — Centrelink data-matches with the ATO, and undisclosed income or assets can mean repaying overpaid pension.
• Value household contents at second-hand resale price, not replacement cost.
• Submit your online claim within 13 weeks of starting it, or it expires and you lose your start date.
• Upload your supporting documents as a separate step — the claim is not complete until Centrelink has them.

If you would like a hand mapping your own situation to these steps, Services Australia runs a free Financial Information Service (call 132 300), and a licensed adviser can help you understand how your finances affect your entitlement before you lodge.