Living overseas on the Age Pension: what changes and what it covers

What keeps paying overseas, what stops, and how far the pension goes in four places

A man in his early 70s walking home from the market, living overseas on the Age Pension in a lower cost place

Checked 20 October 2026, re-checked monthlyBy the Retirees Abroad teamGeneral information only, how we check

The short answer

The Age Pension keeps paying overseas. After 6 weeks the Energy Supplement stops and the Concession Card is cancelled, and after 12 weeks the Pension Supplement stops (since 20 September 2026). Move for good and you get the base rate: A$29,520.40 a year single or A$44,506.80 for a couple, which is about A$2,460 or A$3,710 a month.

What is different for you

  1. The pension travels, and some extras stop

    After 6 weeks the Energy Supplement stops and the Pensioner Concession Card is cancelled. After 12 weeks the Pension Supplement stops completely, a change from 20 September 2026.

    Read: The 6, 12 and 26-week rules

  2. Moving for good means the base rate

    From the day you leave to live overseas, you get A$29,520.40 a year single or A$44,506.80 for a couple both eligible (from 20 September 2026). Rent Assistance stops too.

    Read: Moving overseas for good

  3. Fewer than 35 years here can cut your rate

    After 26 weeks away, your rate can be reduced if you lived in Australia less than 35 years between age 16 and pension age. With 20 years, you'd get 20/35ths.

    Read: Taking your pension overseas

  4. You claim from Australia

    You generally need to be living in Australia, and physically here, on the day you claim. Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines are not social security agreement countries.

    Read: Claim before you leave

  5. Visas test your money too

    Thailand's retirement visa needs a bank balance of 800,000 baht (about A$35,650) or an income of 65,000 baht a month (about A$2,900). The Philippines' SRRV Classic needs a US$15,000 deposit (about A$21,680) if you have a qualifying pension.

    Read: Thailand retirement visa

The order of decisions for you

Plain paper notes under a stone beside a potted palm, knowing your overseas number when living on the Age Pension
Your overseas number is the one to plan with.

People do live overseas on the Age Pension. Services Australia figures, released by the Department of Social Services under freedom of information, show 1,734 Age Pension recipients located in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam at 31 December 2025, and 730 of them were in Thailand. Those in Thailand were paid about A$969 a fortnight on average, below the single maximum. The count only includes people away more than 26 weeks or paid under an agreement, so winter visitors aren’t in it.

  1. Decide between trips and a move. On a trip you keep your rate up to the 6 and 12-week points. If you move, things change from the day you leave, and Rent Assistance stops too. Our guide to living overseas on the Age Pension has the numbers.
  2. Check your residence years. If you lived in Australia less than 35 years between 16 and pension age, a long stay can cut your rate after 26 weeks.
  3. Know your overseas number. If you move, plan with the base rate, which is lower than what you get at home. Our guide to moving overseas for good explains what changes the day you leave.
  4. Check the visa’s money test. For a long stay, the visa may ask for a bank deposit or a monthly income that the pension alone won’t meet. Our guide to Thailand’s retirement visa is one example.
  5. Put health cover in the budget. Medicare never pays for treatment overseas. Smartraveller says international health insurance can be costly, and you’ll only know the real cost once you have a quote.
  6. Think about your home. If you own it, it stays exempt for the first 12 months of a temporary absence. After that it counts as an asset.
  7. Shortlist places where the base rate covers a month. These fit (our estimates):
    • Chiang Mai: about A$1,950 a month for one and A$2,790 for a couple.
    • Penang: about A$1,750 for one and A$2,540 for a couple, with 90 days on arrival.
    • Da Nang: about A$1,810 for one and A$2,470 for a couple, on an eVisa of up to 90 days.
    • The Philippines: the SRRV Classic has a lower deposit (US$15,000, about A$21,700) for people with a qualifying pension.

A worked example

A man in his early 70s on a balcony checking his budget for living overseas on the Age Pension base rate
A move runs on the base rate.
A man in his early 70s looking at photos of Chiang Mai, thinking about moving overseas for good on the Age Pension
In this example, Chiang Mai is the place he is weighing.

An example, not a real person.

Ken is 71 and single. He rents in Melbourne, gets the maximum single rate of the Age Pension plus Rent Assistance, and is thinking about moving to Chiang Mai for good.

Per month
His Age Pension now, single maximum (A$1,237.70 a fortnight), before Rent Assistance about A$2,680
His Age Pension if he moves overseas for good (A$29,520.40 a year) about A$2,460
A month in Chiang Mai for one, rent included (our estimate) about A$1,950

Rates from Services Australia (20 September 2026). How we worked out our estimate: Numbeo’s living costs for one person (without rent), plus a one-bedroom city-centre rent, plus 30% for eating out, local trips and extras. For a couple we multiply living costs by 1.8. We converted at the Reserve Bank of Australia’s average exchange rate for the 12 months to September 2026 (A$1 = 22.44 baht, for example). Health insurance isn’t included. Numbeo’s Chiang Mai page was last updated 15 October 2026.

What Ken found:

  • The base rate covers the estimate, with about A$510 a month left for insurance, flights and surprises.
  • Rent Assistance stops the day he leaves, and he gives up his lease.
  • The visa is the hard part. Thailand’s retirement visa needs a bank balance of 800,000 baht (about A$35,650 at the RBA’s 12-month average rate) or an income of 65,000 baht a month. At that rate his base pension of about A$2,460 a month comes to about 55,200 baht, which is short of the income test.
  • He hadn’t counted on health cover at 71. He gets quotes before deciding.
  • Coming back would mean finding a new rental in Melbourne.

What to ask a professional

A woman in her late 60s at a visa counter asking about the money test for living overseas on the Age Pension
Visa money tests vary from place to place.
  • Licensed financial adviser: “If I move overseas, what will my pension be, and what happens if I come back?”
  • Registered tax agent: “If I become a foreign resident for tax, how is my Age Pension treated?”
  • Insurance broker: “What would health cover cost at my age in this country, and will it cover a flight home?”
  • The country’s embassy or a licensed visa agent there: “Can I meet the visa’s money test with my pension, and how is it converted?”

Book a free planning session on Zoom. Once we know your situation, we can tell you which of these people to start with.

Places that can suit

  • Chiang MaiCooler evenings, temples, mountains nearby and a slower pace.
  • PenangAn island city with a heritage old town and street food, where English is widely spoken.
  • Da NangA long city beach, with the old town of Hoi An about 30 km away.
  • PhilippinesEnglish is an official language. Day-to-day costs are lower, and the retirement visa starts at age 50.

Stories from people like you

Guides for you

  • Living on the pension overseasLiving overseas on the Age Pension: what it pays a month from 20 September 2026, set against our cost estimates for Penang, Da Nang, Chiang Mai and more.
  • Taking your pension overseasYes, the Age Pension can be paid overseas, even if you move. What stops at 6, 12 and 26 weeks, and the rates from 20 September 2026. Checked October 2026.
  • Concession Card overseasPensioner Concession Card overseas: it stays current for 6 weeks of travel, then it is cancelled. What that means, and how it comes back. Checked October 2026.
  • The 6, 12 and 26-week rulesWhat happens to your Age Pension at 6, 12 and 26 weeks overseas, updated for the Pension Supplement change of 20 September 2026. Checked October 2026.
  • Moving overseas for goodMoving overseas permanently on the Age Pension: from the day you leave it is base rate only, A$29,520.40 a year single. What stops, and the 2-year rule.
  • Pension and Medicare when you returnReturning to Australia after living overseas: what happens to your Age Pension and concession card, the 2-year rule, and the 5-year rule for Medicare.

Sources

General information only, not financial, tax, legal, migration or insurance advice. Rules change: check the official source before you act, and talk to a licensed professional about your own situation.

Questions about your own situation?

Every situation is different. Tell us about yours, and we will help you plan your time overseas on a free Zoom call.

No pressure and no card details. You decide what comes next.