Dealing with Work and Income
How to apply for a benefit
Overseas pensions
If you’ve lived overseas, you may be entitled to payments from pension schemes from other countries. Receiving, or even just being eligible for, an overseas pension or payment may affect what you are entitled to receive from the Ministry of Social Development.
What do I need to do and what information do I need to provide?
Social Security Act 2018, ss 172-180
Applicants for and recipients of New Zealand benefits (including New Zealand Superannuation and Veteran’s Pension) and their partners must take all reasonable steps to obtain an overseas pension they may be entitled to. You may also be required to attempt to obtain an overseas pension for a dependant who may be entitled to one.
You must provide details of the payment rates of overseas pensions you, your partner, and any dependants receive when you apply for a benefit. If you are already receiving a benefit, the Ministry of Social Development may also request you to provide this information.
If you fail to comply with any of these requirements, the Ministry of Social Development may refuse your application or suspend a benefit you are already receiving.
How will receiving an overseas pension affect my entitlements in New Zealand?
Social Security Act 2018, ss 187-191
If you receive an overseas pension from a scheme, which is:
- run by, or on behalf of another country’s government, and
- provides benefits, pensions, or periodical allowances for the same situations as would be covered by a New Zealand benefit, pension, or allowance,
you will typically have your New Zealand benefit payments reduced by the amount of overseas pension received. However, there are some exceptions to this, including for certain pension schemes for government employees and additional voluntary contributions made to overseas pension schemes.
The rules around overseas pensions and how they may affect your eligibility for New Zealand social security benefits or the amount you can receive are complicated. You can find more information on the Work and Income website and can contact International Services directly to discuss your own situation on 0800 777 227 or at international_services@msd.govt.nz.
Australian superannuation
Many people in New Zealand will have contributed to the Australian superannuation system from time spent living and working in Australia. Despite the similarity in name, Australian superannuation as a retirement savings scheme is more similar to Kiwisaver than NZ Super and amounts received from an Australian superannuation fund will generally not affect the amount of NZ Super you receive. However, if you have a non-qualified partner included in your NZ Super payments, you should check with the Ministry of Social Development about how your NZ Super entitlement may be affected.
If you are now permanently living in New Zealand, you can apply to transfer money you have in the Australian superannuation system to your Kiwisaver account. You can find more information on the Australian Taxation Office website.
It is important to note that, while Australian superannuation will normally not affect the amount of NZ Super you are eligible to receive, it could affect your eligibility for other benefits.
If, when you meet the Australian superannuation conditions of release, you choose to receive your superannuation as an income stream, the payments you receive will be treated as income for income-tested assistance (main benefits, supplementary assistance, and hardship assistance).
Any funds withdrawn from Australian superannuation and available to you, whether through a lump-sum withdrawal or already received as part of an income stream, will be treated as assets for asset-tested assistance (for example, Accommodation Supplement, Temporary Additional Support, and hardship assistance).
