Can you keep your Age Pension when you move to Bali?
Your Age Pension overseas may continue when you move to Bali, but your payment can change before and after 26 weeks away. Before setting your Sanur retirement budget, ask Centrelink to check your entitlement, residence history and expected payment.
Portability means whether your payment can continue outside Australia, and under what conditions. Services Australia’s overseas travel rules explain that Age Pension can generally continue overseas, although individual circumstances affect eligibility and rates.
For Australians checking Age Pension portability Indonesia rules, the key question is not simply whether payments continue. It is how much you will receive at each stage.
One exception needs checking early: if you returned to live in Australia and then started receiving Age Pension, leaving within two years can stop your payment, subject to exceptions. Tell Centrelink if this describes you rather than relying on someone else’s experience.
What changes before you reach 26 weeks?
Your current fortnightly total may include supplements that do not continue unchanged overseas. Services Australia explains the payment changes, including different treatment for a temporary trip and a permanent move.
| Payment component | Temporary absence | Leaving to live overseas |
|---|---|---|
| Pension Supplement | Usually reduces after six weeks | Reduces from departure |
| Energy Supplement | Usually stops after six weeks | Stops from departure |
The Pension Supplement generally reduces to its basic amount rather than disappearing altogether. Do not assume that a six-week allowance applies when you have told Centrelink you are leaving permanently.
Ask Centrelink for an estimate covering your departure date, six weeks away and 26 weeks away. Use those figures, rather than your current fortnightly payment, when preparing your Bali retirement budget.
Our Bali and Australia cost comparison can help you organise expenses alongside that personalised estimate.
What happens after 26 weeks overseas?
After 26 weeks overseas, your rate generally depends on your Australian working life residence. Services Australia defines this as the time you lived in Australia between age 16 and Age Pension age, not simply the years you held a job.
Under the overseas Age Pension rules, you generally need 35 years of Australian working life residence to keep receiving your usual rate after 26 weeks. With fewer years, your rate will generally be proportional to your residence period.
That does not mean everyone with 35 years receives the maximum pension. Your payment remains subject to the applicable income and assets tests, and special rules can apply to some people.
Ask Centrelink to confirm the residence period recorded for you and explain the calculation. If you are moving as a couple, request an assessment for each person rather than assuming both payments will change in the same way.
What should you tell Centrelink before leaving?
For Centrelink, moving overseas is not just a change of address. Services Australia asks Age Pension recipients to report overseas travel, including whether they are leaving temporarily or to live elsewhere.
Before committing to your move, work through these steps:
- Tell Centrelink your departure date, destination and whether the move is permanent.
- Ask whether any recent return to Australian residence affects your eligibility.
- Check your recorded residence history and request estimates for each payment change.
- Confirm your overseas contact details, payment arrangements and ongoing reporting obligations.
Ask how any changes to your Australian home, income or assets should be reported. Keep a record of Centrelink’s explanation so you can refer to it when planning.
Put this appointment alongside the other preparations in our Australian retirement guide to Bali. Separately, read about Medicare when you retire overseas before arranging your healthcare.
Confirm your payment before planning your move
Build your Sanur budget around Centrelink’s assessment, not another person’s pension amount. Check what changes on departure, after six weeks and after 26 weeks.
Yaran does not give financial advice. Contact Services Australia for advice about your own entitlement. Once your budget is clearer, contact Yaran to discuss practical questions about homes and everyday life in Bali.