Retirement affordability requires a full understanding of your entitlements and changes to the rules. Here’s the latest government update to help clarify these for you.
New look Human Services website
Anyone who is familiar with using Humanservices.gov.au will have noticed that it has a new look. This means that ?nding the information and pages you used to visit may take a little longer than usual; however, there is one change that you may ?nd useful. The online payment and service finder enables you to input a few simple details, from which you will be given an indication of payments and services that you may be eligible for, as well as an estimate of the rate at which such payments may be made.
Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey – key dates
Most Australians who are going to vote in the same-sex marriage survey will have already returned their postal votes, so what happens from this point forward? When will we know the result? For those who are interested, here are the remaining key dates:
• Tuesday 7 November – survey closes
• Wednesday 15 November – results will be published on ABS website.
Age Pension paper claim forms still available
Despite the push to have customers make claims and update details online, for those without computer access, paper claim forms are still available. And if you need some assistance to complete your claim form, you can receive this over the phone or at a Centrelink Service Centre. Should you need to update your details, you can actually do this in writing, over the phone or online.
Reinstatement of Pensioner Concession Cards
Pensioners who lost their Age Pension entitlement and Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) as a direct result of the asset threshold rebalancing that took place on 1 January 2017, should soon receive a reinstated PCC in the post. The cards will be issued on 9 October and should take about 14 days to reach recipients. Concessions associated with the PCC will not be backdated.
Indexation for part Age Pension thresholds
If you’ve previously just missed out on a part Age Pension due to your income or assets being too high, then the indexation of thresholds may mean that you now qualify. Details of the new thresholds can be accessed by clicking the links below:
And if you don’t qualify for an Age Pension due to your assets, but consider your income to be limited, then you may be eligible for a Commonwealth Seniors Health Card, with indexed thresholds applicable from 20 September 2017.
