Accounts Based Pension vs Age Pension| Canstar

If you roll your superannuation into an account based pension, will it affect your entitlement to an age pension?

Retiring from the workforce brings with it a number of significant decisions that need to be made, not least of which is what to do with your superannuation. You could:

	Leave it where it is and do nothing for a while
	Withdraw some or all of it as a lump sum of money
	Turn all or part of it into an account based pensions

Recent legislative changes means that the maximum sum of money that a retiree can transfer to an account based pension is $1.6 million, as of 1 July 2017. Also, for pre-retirees using transition to retirement strategies, it’s worth noting that from 1 July 2017, the fund earnings of transition to retirement pensions will be taxed up to 15 percent, as opposed to not being taxed at all.

How will an account based pension affect my age pension

If you are eligible for an age pension when you retire, then you will need to discuss with the Department of Human Service just how an account based pension could affect this entitlement. You can speak to a Financial Information Service (FIS) officer from the Department of Human Services for free, who can help you understand how an allocated pension might relate to your situation. Call 132 300 to speak to an FIS officer.

A comprehensive answer for everyone is not possible as each person’s situation is different, but as a general rule, income that you withdraw may be included under the Age Pension Income Test and a lump sum that you withdraw might be counted under the Age Pension Asset Test.