Increase in the assets test threshold
The assets test threshold is the amount of assets pensioners can hold before their pension starts to reduce under the Centrelink assets test. The table below shows the new thresholds that apply from 1 January 2017.

Assets test thresholds from 1 January 2017

Increase in the ‘taper rate’
The taper rate is the rate at which the age pension starts to reduce when the level of assets increase. From 2017 the taper rate will increase from $1.50 a fortnight to $3 a fortnight. This means the maximum age pension a pensioner can receive will be reduced by $3 per fortnight for every $1,000 of assets they hold above the assets test threshold.

How the changes could affect your age pension
The higher assets test thresholds will generally mean:
• age pension recipients with an asset value ‘around’ the thresholds are likely to see an increase in their age pension entitlement, and
• age pension recipients with assets above the threshold are likely to see a reduction in their age pension – in some cases to zero –as a result of the increased taper rate.

Example
Retired couple Betty and John are both 68 years old and own their home. They have $823,000 in total assets and currently receive a part age pension of $500 per fortnight. If their assets remain unchanged on 1 January 2017, their age pension is estimated to reduce to zero (see Chart 1 and Chart 2).

Chart 1– The effect of a couple homeowner’s age pension as at 1 January 2017 *1

Chart 2 – Projection of future entitlements

Speak to your Leenane Templeton financial planner to find out more about the likely impact of these changes on your entitlements and to explore strategies to help reduce the impact.

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