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After leaving Australia

Your pension after leaving Australia

AUD 18.9bn across 7.3m lost/ATO-held accounts (30 Jun 2025, avg ~A$2,590), claimable forever with no time limit, but earning only CPI; and the myGov wall (SMS 2FA to dead Australian numbers) locks departed expats out of the very reunification system.

Start a $99 Country Pension Identification Report

Full refund if we find nothing material.

Verified country facts

Every line below is drawn from the verified country dossier. We never fabricate facts; candidate items are gated out of customer-facing copy.

Time-critical dates

  • Temp-resident sweep: 6 months post-departure/visa-expiry → super swept to the ATO (DASP itself has no deadline)
  • Inactive low-balance: 16 months → ILBA sweep + insurance auto-cancel
  • Proof-of-life (80+ overseas): 2-year cycle (13-week window → suspension → cancellation)
  • Pre-age claim: Age Pension claimable up to 13 weeks before age; no backdating
  • Published form for searching lost super: The ATO publishes a Searching for lost super form in its forms and instructions list.Official source, checked 16 September 2026

How records are reached

Personal-record access wall: myGov / TFN, HIGH for departed expats (SMS 2FA to a dead Australian number)

The state runs the reunification register (ATO Lost Super), but it is myGov-walled; no employer→fund mapping exists

Cross-border

AU↔NZ trans-Tasman; AU↔UK (terminated-agreement, highest-misinformation corridor); IE, ZA.

Primary sources: ato.gov.au (lost super / DASP) · servicesaustralia.gov.au (Age Pension)

Everything above is drawn from the verified Australia dossier. The Australia country page sets out what we identify, what it costs and who it is for.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still claim my Australia pension if I live abroad?

Workarounds exist for departed expats locked out of myGov, but they are slow, paper-based or phone-based, and there is no official pre-departure checklist (a confirmed gap)

What happens to a Australia pension if I do nothing?

Lost super is claimable forever but CPI-eroded at the ATO; the Age Pension is the single most expensive do-nothing, no backdating, every unclaimed fortnight permanently gone, and non-agreement-country expats who never return may be permanently unable to lodge.

Do you give financial advice on what to do with a Australia pension?

No. We identify the scheme and access route. We do not advise on transfer, consolidation, drawdown, or taxation, those decisions belong with a regulated adviser in your country of residence.

What if you find nothing?

Full refund. Our report is a fixed $99 fee; if it delivers nothing material, you pay nothing.

See also