Seniors

FaHCSIA assists retirees to make the best use of savings and investment to maintain their standard of living. FaHCSIA helps support the aged with limited means through the provision of income support and provides services for retired people. These services include:

Income support payments:
- Age Pension
- Wife Pension (Age)
- Widow B Pension
Retirement Assistance for Farmers
Future Planning for Sons and Daughters with Severe Disability
Pension Bonus Scheme
Advice and research on retirement policy and means testing issues and service management related to providing services for the retired community
Advice to assist in maximising use of savings and investments, participation in the community and living standards
Age Pension and other income support payments made under International Social Security Agreements.
Provision of funding to the National Information Centre on Retirement Investments (NICRI). NICRI is an independent body funded by a grant from FaHCSIA. Its charter is to provide the public with information on planning and saving for retirement, and on the features of different types of investment. NICRI does not provide investment advice.

What's New

Broadband for Seniors - Call for applications to deliver the $15 million program nationally - Now Open
The Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs, the Hon Jenny Macklin MP is calling for applications from suitably qualified organisations to deliver the Broadband for Seniors program nationally.

Broadband for Seniors is part of a wider Australian Government initiative "Making Ends Meet - Plan for Older Australians, People with Disabilities and Carers".

The Australian Government is committing $15 million for Broadband for Seniors, to be delivered over 2008-09 to 2010-11.

The needs of older Australians wishing to be trained in the use of the internet will be met by the creation of approximately 2,000 seniors internet kiosks.

Applications close Friday 8 August 2008.

More information and application package.

2008 One-Off Bonus Payments For Seniors
The Government announced in the 2008-09 Budget that eligible seniors and pensioners will receive one-off bonus payments by the end of June 2008.

Eligible seniors will receive a $500 lump sum payment. Those eligible for the $500 bonus payment include all income support recipients of Age Pension age (or Veteran Pension age), all recipients of Mature Age Allowance, Widow Allowance, Partner Allowance, Wife Pension, Widow B Pension and eligible Seniors Concession Allowance recipients.

To be eligible for the one-off bonus a customer must have qualified for the relevant payment on 13 May 2008 and not have been absent from Australia for more than 13 weeks on that date.

The one-off bonus payments are not taxable and do not count as income for social security purposes. Where possible, the payments will be paid into bank accounts by 30 June 2008.

Assets Test Changes - Older Rural Homeowners

Since 1 January 2007, Age Pension recipients and Carer Payment recipients of Age Pension age may have the maximum amount of private land that can be exempt from the assets test increased from two hectares to encompass all the land on the same title as their home.

To be eligible for the concession the person must:

be of Age Pension age, qualify and be payable for the Age Pension or a Carer Payment; or qualify and be payable for the Department of Veterans' Affairs Service Pension;
have a long term (20-year) continuous attachment to the land and their principal home, and
satisfy they are making effective use of productive land to generate an income, given their capacity.

More information on Older Rural Homeowners:

Seniors in the Workforce

The Australian Government is exploring opportunities to encourage older Australians to continue participation in the community and workforce for as long as they are willing and able to do so.

Seniors can have substantial earnings and still get an Age Pension. Age Pension rules provide incentives for employment, including part time or casual employment. In addition, the Pension Bonus Scheme provides an incentive for older Australians to defer claiming Age Pension and instead remain in the workforce. The scheme pays a once-only, tax-free lump sum to registered members when they claim and receive Age Pension. More information on the scheme is available from Centrelink.

Seniors wishing to obtain more information on finding mature age employment may wish to visit the Jobwise website maintained by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. Jobwise is a web site dedicated to promoting mature age employment. The web site contains information for employers, mature age job seekers and mature age workers.

Publications

Service Delivery