The 6, 12 and 26-week rules: what happens to your Age Pension overseas

What changes, and when?

The pension itself keeps paying. The extras are what change, and Services Australia lists the points in a trip where they do:

Time away	What changes
Up to 6 weeks	In most cases, nothing.
After 6 weeks	The Energy Supplement stops. Your Pensioner Concession Card is cancelled until you are home.
After 12 weeks	The Pension Supplement stops completely.
After 26 weeks	If you were an Australian resident for less than 35 years between age 16 and Age Pension age, you get a lower rate in most cases. With 35 years or more, it usually does not change.

What the card loss means at home, and how it comes back, is in our guide to the Pensioner Concession Card overseas.

This changed on 20 September 2026. The Department of Social Services says the Pension Supplement used to drop to a smaller basic amount after 6 weeks away. Now it is paid in full for up to 12 weeks, then stops. If you planned a trip on the old rules, check it again.

Do I need to tell Services Australia?

Yes, if you’ll be away for more than 6 weeks, and a cruise into international waters counts. Tell them online through myGov, ring the Older Australians line on 132 300, or go into a service centre.

They also need to hear from you if you’re going to live in another country. The same goes if you came back to live here less than 2 years ago, started the pension since then, and are now leaving again. Moving overseas for good works differently: your pension changes from the day you leave, rather than at 6 or 12 weeks.

How do I plan a winter that keeps the Pension Supplement?

The Pension Supplement is paid for up to 12 weeks away. That’s about three months, which covers a good part of an Australian winter (mid June to early September, say). It fits a winter away in a place such as Hua Hin.

1. Pick dates that bring you home inside 12 weeks.
2. Tell Services Australia before you go, because you will be away more than 6 weeks.
3. Plan for the Concession Card being cancelled after 6 weeks. Our guide to taking medicines overseas covers filling scripts before you leave.
4. Check the visa covers your whole stay, because a visa-free stay can be shorter than 12 weeks.
5. Tell your insurer about every pre-existing condition (Smartraveller says you must). Some policies also cap the length of each trip, as our guide to travel insurance for long stays explains.

Renting in Australia? Services Australia says Rent Assistance can keep going for up to 26 weeks away, as long as you’re still paying rent here and still getting your pension.

What if I stay longer than 26 weeks?

The pension keeps paying, minus the Pension Supplement and the Energy Supplement. With under 35 years of Australian working life residence, your rate becomes proportional. Services Australia gives the example of 10 years of residence, which gets you 10/35ths of your usual rate.

Our guide to taking your Age Pension overseas works through the numbers for a year away. If you’re 67 to 74, our page on retiring overseas at 67 to 74 sets out the order of decisions.

What this means for you depends on

• How long you lived in Australia between age 16 and Age Pension age.
• Whether you are going for a trip or moving to live overseas (moving changes things from the day you leave).
• Whether you pay rent in Australia while you are away.
• Whether your partner is also on the pension, and whether they travel with you.

This is general information. For your own rate, talk to Services Australia on 132 300.