Hi everyone
My Australian husband is almost 61 and I turned 50 a couple of months ago. My husband isn't working at the moment as he lost his job in the mining downturn. He is hoping to return to work in the near future for at least a couple of years as he has neglected to save anything in his superannuation, relying on employer only contributions for the last few years so I think it has only reached around $40k now.

We live in his mortgage free home which is worth around $750k, we don't have any debts, savings or investment properties so whatever we earn is our only income. He is convinced that when he retires he will get an Australian State pension on top of whatever his superannuation generates. I don't think he would get anything if I am still working full time and earning, say $50k a year. I think we would pass the asset test but not sure what the income test levels are if one is retired and the other is working.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/editp...ost&p=10481987
I don't earn a fantastic wage - $50k at the moment + super. Does anyone know if my husband would be entitled to a full or part pension based on the information above and what would that amount to, if he were to retire now at 61 or say a similar scenario when he reaches 65 with similar figures.

Hope you can help. I have looked on the Centrelink website but I didn't find it easy to understand so I emailed them to ask for clarification but they said they couldn't answer individual questions and refer to their website.

We are having serious arguments about money at the moment. He said I am obsessed with worrying about our future but I said our future does look bleak based on our situation at the moment. I found out today that he is gambling a few times a week, just small amounts but equating to around $45 a week. He says that he is sorry he lied but that he is glad it is in the open and doesn't intend to stop. He says he has allocated himself $100 a week, so he spends it on lotto and gambling and that I have to accept that is the way things are. This is not including two cartons of beer a week that he gets through. I think it would be more sensible to save but he said most men would agree with his point of view.

Thanks for your time everyone.

The Aussie Aged pension is not contribution based like the UK one.

It is however, means tested.

You are eligible for it after 10 years as a Citizen or PR. Payment age is 65 but is going up to 65.5 soon.

Means testing could mean that he won't get anything.

I'm not entirely sure on the Superann rules but I think it is only tax free after age 65.

Hope this helps.

Thanks for that. He is Australian through and through so wouldn't get a UK pension but is of the opinion that he has put in all these years, he should get something back but like you say, it isn't contribution based but means tested. But he refuses to accept that he may be wrong!

Thanks again.

Yep, sorry I put the UK bit in then realised my mistake and deleted it BUT not before you saw it.

I'd be speaking to a financial advisor who can crunch the numbers for you. If you are working then it is quite likely that your income will exceed the threshold of the means test. I think a lot of people fail to see that it is a welfare payment not a pension plan.

In my experience, gamblers who are caught out still don't tell you the whole truth and TBH 5200 pa would be better put into a super fund rather than the TAB if, as you say, your super is still very thin (does the government still match some additional super payments? I forget). You will likely find a gambling counselling service near you and as a family member of a gambler you can approach them for advice and strategies to minimise the impact of their gambling upon you and how to protect yourself should the gambling get out of hand.

Thanks for that. He has already said he is sorry he has lied but now it is in the open he has no intention of stopping. He has allocated himself that a week to spend on himself and I will just have to accept it. If I don't like it then I should probably leave, maybe go back to England, or look for someone that is willing to give me the life I want. I don't want luxury, I just want to be able to live without worrying all the time.

I think I will approach a relationship counsellor first. He doesn't want to go to one so I will go on my own first and see if it is worth saving. To cap it off our beloved dog doesn't have long for this world and I can see this being the last nail in the coffin for us when she goes. We had such hopes and dreams for the future and it is very sad to think that gambling, even if it is a relatively small but regular amount, is more important than our marriage.

The amount of superannuation he gets at age 65 I think it will still be in his case is crucial to this equaiton.

Of the top of my head I think you can earn 21K per annum before the government starts to access your pension.... will check this out tomorrow when I have more time. So for a couple that could be 42K.... so he may not lose much based on your income alone... however when it comes to liquid assetts, such as super then it becomes a tricky situation.... from memory I think its' around 800k in liquid assetts.... the house is not included in the assets test.

will get back to you tomorrow on this one.

Re the booze and the gambling....

Plenty of hobbies where you could spend 45 bucks a week.... try owning a fishing boat or even going to the football every week. Boozing.... If he was down the pub that 80 bucks on slabs would be more like 200 bucks behind the counter. Sounds more like a power struggle than a financial one from where I sit.

Good luck and hope you can sort it.

I kind of do agree with his view point for the most part.... but guess what at two slabs per week he's officially an alcoholic..... now thats a real problem and probably the biggest one you've got. Probably mixes with plenty of people that do the same, still doesnt change the fact though.

Thanks Ozzie Eagle. I tried finding out info on income allowed before pension starts reducing and I think a couple can earn an income of just $268 a fortnight for the full pension. After that 50c is taken off the entitlement for every dollar over that amount. I think the maximum pension is around $530 a fortnight for one half of a couple, doubling if both couples quality. A single person I think gets $700+ a fortnight. Not 100% sure I have read the information properly. I am going to make an appointment for us both with a financial adviser and am waiting for an evening appointment for relationship counseling for myself but there is a 2-3 months waiting list for that. Must be a lot of unhappy people out there! Best wishes - Denise

Good luck Denise... I added a Paragraph to my last post re his drinking.... It's probably his biggest problem at two slabs a week.... You'll never get that one through to him though as it's probably been a life long habit and seemingly not done any harm.

Will post more tomorrow off to night shift now, so cant look up any figures for you at this point.

I really feel for you. A husband who gambles money he isn't earning and drinks his way through two cartons of beer a week would be a nightmare for many women.

Look after yourself.

Should he be allocated some self money every week though ? Or isn't he entitled to anything on a future weekly basis ?

If he is, then I dont think it really matters what he spends it on... "At the start of day so to speak".. BTW he is almost certainly bound to be spending more than 45 bucks a week on the gambling, unless he is super disciplined... not many gamblers are though..

Still got to get into these figures.... I do know that blokes at my work have retired with 1,000,000 dollar houses in Nortcote.and Clifton hill that have been in the family for 4 decades or more, over 400k in super and still managed to get the pension.... Definitely a pension card, which is the aim

Not sure how though yet.

Thanks Ozzie. My main concern is not the $45 a week, of course he is entitled to his own money - it is just that he had a gambling problem in the past before i met him and was borrowing money to fund the addiction so now it has started up again I wanted to nip it in the bud. But he doesn't think he has a problem and perhaps he doesn't yet, but the lying doesn't bode well.

Thanks again.

Sympathise with your situation. I'd hate it if my Wife started to play the Pokies excessively.... or indeed get caught out lying.

I'm interested in these pension figures for myself... as I'm circa 8 years off of 65 and trying to work out how to get a Pension card at least..... Wife being two years younger doesnt qualify for the pension until she is 67 as the sliding scale for the retirement qualification means she has to wait 3.5 years after I retire.

I'm planning to sell our family home when we are both retired and just rent for a while.... that should cause some threshold issues unless we do something tricky. So this is a subject I'm very interested in.

Good luck with those difficult issues.