@David *******

us young’uns are screwed. I notice a scary pattern with the retirement age increasing by 6 months every 2 years. I’m 55, could mean I never reach the moving goalpost! 😓😓

@Brenton *****

that’s so unfair! You have my sympathy! Yes, I recently discovered the 32.5% “gotcha”, which means I will probably have to retire on a 3:3:3:3 basis (alternating 3 months in AU:TH), being a tourist in Thailand on 60-day+visa-on-entry(2 allowed per year) and tax-resident in AU, only because I dont have enough super/assets and will be dependent on age pension. In fact it works out ok as I can get good travel insurance instead of the crap thai health insurance for o-visa holders. Main drawback is I will have to live in airbnbs in TH or pay rent in TH while in AU. It seems the most tax effective way that allows me to keep au benefits/health and half my time hedonistic thai lifestyle 😎

@Andrew ******

it’s actually not that complicated if you read the statements on Centrelink website.

First re. Age pension, need to be in Australia when apply and for 2 years before pension age. Full age pension requires you to have been resident 35 years (see Australian Working Life Residence)

/a/340

It is pro-rated if <35 years (and no, you only need to have been resident, not working and no holidays dont reduce your time).

Second, Rent Assistance (up to about $184/fnite) requires that you are paying rent and stops when your associated payment stops, in most cases this would be the Age Pension (AP). AP can be paid in full for first 26 weeks overseas but then you lose some of the supplementary payments (electricity etc) after that but still get AP overseas (provided you met the portability condition - 2-year thing). So as long as you still qualify for AP and are tax resident in AU (ie. in AU >=26wks/yr), you get full AP and full Rent Assistance (RA).

Thirdly, Pensioner Concession Card…this is valid as long as you get AP and is independent of RA.

Finally, it sucks if you are on Disability Pension (DP),which pays same as AP, since DP stops after 4 weeks away, which triggers RA and Pensioner Card to stop too. Sort of makes sense since they expect you to be miserable and unable to go anywhere if you are disabled lol. So, clear as mud eh?! For sure though it isn’t open to the whims of a Centrelink employee and you can lodge objection if you think they stiffed you. My tip is, get across and stay across the rules while we still have all our marbles because understanding all this when 70+ is so much harder!

@Us ****

best comment! The mental imagery it created for me was a delight. In fact it would make for an awesome movie, a la “The Hangover”. 😂😂😂

I just made 36% on $1k invested in Bitcoin over 4 weeks. Quick in and out… profits will fund 6 LT boom-booms yay!