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Transfer Your UK Pensions

For immigrants from the UK, it is possible to transfer personal and company retirement pensions to Australia. Though there is a cost attached to it, and there are taxation, Superannuation and Centerlink issues that need to be considered.
Typically, in order to take advantage of the tax concessions available, this has to be done in the first 6 months of residency.
The process can take up to 4 months to complete.

It is also possible to continue making voluntary contributions to your UK state pension, once living in Australia, if you haven’t paid in for enough years.
It is recommended however to make the calculations first, as it is unlikely to be worth it, unless you have only few years missing.
Indeed the conversion and transfer of AU$ into Pounds for the payments will incure a fee from the bank, and the same applies in the other direction when the pension is paid to you.
Currently it goes roughly like this: a voluntary contribution of £380 per year will get you a State pension of £392.73 per month at age 65.
However it needs to be compared to an Australian Superannuation Fund which should return around 8% average per year on the same amount money invested.

Also be aware that the state retirement age, which is set to be 65 for men and women by 2020, will rise to 66 between 2024 and 2026, to 67 between 2034 and 2036 and to 68 between 2044 and 2046…

Useful Resources:
UK Pension schemes FAQ
UK Pension Fund transfer to Australia
Retirment age will rise