FINANCE

At your service

Hank Jongen, General Manager, Services Australia

HELLO everyone,

We all have times we need extra help, and many people may not be aware of the specialist support available from Services Australia.

We have social workers across the country who can help Australians in difficult situations. Our social workers can give you short-term counselling, information, and referrals to support services in your local area.

Call us on your normal payment line if you want to talk to one of our social workers. You don’t have to be a customer to call.

If you live in a regional or rural area, one of our three Mobile Service Centres - Blue Gum, Desert Rose or Golden Wattle – may come to your town or a town near you soon (if you haven’t already had a visit recently of course).

They offer services specific to the needs of regional and rural communities. These service centres on wheels also help with emergency on-theground support during disaster recovery efforts. Look on our website to see where our Mobile Service Centres are going next.

Services Australia also provides specialist phone services.

We have the Centrelink Indigenous Call Centre on 1800 136 380 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customers who need help with our payments and services.

We also have the Centrelink Multilingual Phone Service where you can call us on 131 202 to speak to someone in your language.

Farmers can call the Farmer assistance hotline on 132 316 if they need help with the Farm Household Allowance.

Lastly, we have the Financial Information Service, which provides independent and confidential information and education. Our Financial Information Service Officers can help you make informed decisions about your current and future financial needs.

They help people wanting to save for the future, returning to work, or managing a change in their circumstances like redundancy, compensation, or divorce.

You can find out more about the Financial Information Service on our website, servicesaustralia.gov.au

I strongly encourage anyone facing a big financial decision, like retirement, aged care, or managing a lump sum, to call the Financial Information Service on 132 300. Just say ‘Financial Information Service’ when asked why you’re calling. Like our social workers, you don’t have to be a customer to call.

Until next time, Hank Jongen.

Accessing Super

Damian Gibson, Financial Adviser and Partner, Elevate Wealth

SECOND to the family home, for most Australians, their superannuation is their next biggest asset. As workforce participation slows down or winds up completely, people want to access their superannuation to supplement their income.

As you get to that stage of your life it is helpful to understand the rules around accessing your super. To access your super benefit, you must satisfy a condition of release. Here we will discuss the most common ways superannuation can be accessed.

Between preservation age and 60

Preservation age is the earliest age where you can potentially access your super. In order to access your super, you must not only meet your preservation age (table below) but also retire from any employment arrangements and satisfy the fund trustee that you do not intend to be gainfully employed for ten hours or more in any week in the future.

If you are accessing super benefits between preservation age and 60 there may be tax consequences depending on the withdrawal amount and how it’s withdrawn from the fund.

Date of Birth

Preservation Age

Before 1 July 1960 55 years 1 July 1960 – 30 June 1961 56 years 1 July 1961 – 30 June 1962 57 years 1 July 1962 – 30 June 1963 58 years 1 July 1963 – 30 June 1964 59 years After 30 June 1964 60 years

Meeting preservation age and starting a Transition to Retirement Pension (TTR)

If you have met your preservation age but intend to keep on working, you can access a portion of your super through a TTR which will pay you a regular income.

A TTR can be used to supplement income if you reduce your hours at work or can help you save money on tax while maintaining your current hours. One of many important considerations with a TTR is that you are obligated to withdraw a minimum of four per cent of the balance but no more than 10 per cent each financial year. for) you will generally have full access to your super benefit. You also have the option to go back to work and retain access to your super. In most cases, withdrawals from your super are tax free after the age of 60.

Reaching 65

Once you reach the age of 65, regardless of employment status, the balance of your super becomes unrestricted non-preserved, meaning that the funds are no longer preserved and you have the ability to access your super.

Here we have only discussed aged-based conditions of release. There are other conditions where super can be legally released to a member, such as permanent or temporary incapacity, terminal illness, compassionate grounds, or severe financial hardship.

There are strict rules around accessing your super, and if accessed incorrectly penalties apply. Before accessing your superannuation, it is important to seek advice from a professional adviser regarding your situation.

There are also many things to consider before accessing your super including, tax consequences, impact on Centrelink payments, how it is accessed (income stream vs lump sum) and longevity risk.

Information in this article is of a general nature only and has not been tailored to your personal circumstances. Please seek personal advice prior to acting on this information.