If you are close to Age Pension age, do not put it off until the very last minute. There are a number of documents that you need to have. These supporting documents will allow you to prove that what you are stating is true. You can only apply for it thirteen weeks before reaching the required age (66 years and 6 months). Besides, for those who already receive a government payment, Services Australia will let them know if they can get Age Pension. You might need to do a transfer though.
The personal details you need to send them are your age, a bank account number to make the payments, a TFL, income and assets, and whether you are in a couple or not. Your residence status is also important if you were not born in Australia. Once gathered all these pieces of information, you will need to link your Mygov to your Centrelink account. In order to avoid fraud, Services Australia will verify that everything is true. You will have to confirm your identity to get the Age Pension.
Step number three is when you have to make your Age Pension claim. Once you have signed in to your myGov account, you need to click on Centrelink. After that, go to the ‘Menu’ and look for ‘Payments and Claims’. Then, once you are on claims you need to start one. Finally, go on to ‘Older Australians’ and you have to find get started to answer all the questions needed. Couples can do it there too and claim it for both of them. Once you have filled in all the details you may want to see the status of your claim. But first, you must have got a receipt and a link to see the progress. They will send you either an email or a letter telling you the final outcome.
What can someone do if they do not have internet access to claim their Age Pension?
Do not worry if you or any of your relatives or friends do not have the foggiest idea of how to sort everything online.
Printing and then completing the form would be one alternative. Do not forget that there are two things to print and fill in, the Claim and the Income and Assets information. If you are reluctant to print it, you can always call them. There is the Older Australians line in order to help you and make things easier. However, if you are one of those who prefer face-to-face conversations, you need to arrange an appointment and pay them a visit. They will tell you which is the closest service centre. Moreover, for those living abroad, you might need to apply for an International social security agreement to get the Age Pension.