| Irish/Australian Social Security Agreement - SW 87 |
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| Written by Administrator | |||
| Thursday, 03 April 2008 04:08 | |||
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Contents1. What is the purpose of the Agreement? 2. What payments are covered by the Agreement? 3. Which country's social welfare laws apply? 4. How will the Agreement affect me? 5. How can I qualify for an Irish payment? 6. How are Irish payments calculated? 7. How can I qualify for an Australian pension under the Agreement? 8. What extra benefits are there for people getting an Australian pension? 9. How are Irish payments paid? 10. Where can I get more information or apply for benefits under the Agreement?
1. What is the purpose of the Agreement?This Agreement aims to protect the social welfare entitlements of workers who move between Ireland and Australia. It does this by allowing workers to use periods of social insurance or residence completed in one country when applying for certain payments in the other country. It also deals with the social insurance of workers who are sent from one country to the other for a short period. 2. What payments are covered by the Agreement?The Agreement co-ordinates the Irish and Australian social security laws on retirement, old age, disability and death payments. The Agreement covers the following Irish payments:
The Agreement covers Australian:
3. Which country's social welfare laws apply?In general, workers are ruled by the laws of the country in which they work. If you go to work in Australia, you will normally be subject to Australian social security law. Similarly, someone coming to work in Ireland from Australia will normally be subject to Irish social welfare law and will pay Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions here. Temporary assignments:If you are sent by an Irish employer to work in Australia temporarily, you will be able to continue paying Irish PRSI contributions for up to 4 years. If your assignment lasts longer than 4 years, the arrangement may be extended with the prior agreement of the two countries. Those sent by Australian employers to work temporarily in Ireland will not have to pay Irish PRSI contributions for up to 4 years, with an option to extend this. If you are being sent to work in Australia temporarily, you or your employer should contact: Department of Social and Family Affairs Telephone: 4. How will the Agreement affect me?Under the terms of the Agreement you may qualify for:
5. How can I qualify for an Irish payment?Under the Agreement, you may use periods of residence in Australia after reaching age 16 to satisfy the PRSI conditions for Irish pensions. However, you must have a minimum number of paid Irish PRSI contributions to be able to do this. 6. How are Irish payments calculated?State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Transition), Invalidity Pension and Widow's or Widower's (Contributory) PensionYour payment is based on the number of years' PRSI contributions compared to the total period of Irish contributions and Australian residence. For example, if you have 5 years' reckonable Irish insurance contributions and 20 years' residence in Australia (total of 25 years), you will get one-fifth (1/5) of the appropriate Irish pension. Guardian's Payment (Contributory) and Bereavement GrantOnce an applicant shows they qualify for one of these payments, whether through Irish contributions alone or by a combination of Irish contributions and Australian residence, they will get the appropriate full amount. 7. How can I qualify for an Australian pension under the Agreement?If you have at least one year of residence in Australia after reaching age 16, you can use periods of Irish PRSI contributions to help you qualify for a pension under Australian legislation. 8. What extra benefits are there for people getting an Australian pension?If you are getting one of the Australian pensions mentioned in Section 2 you may qualify for some or all of the following extra benefits from Ireland while you are living here:
You can get details of these benefits in Section 10 of the SW 4 Guide to Social Welfare Services. Application forms for these extra benefits are available from your post office or your local Social Welfare Office or from: Free Schemes LoCall: 1890 500 000 ext. 48371 - from the Republic of Ireland or Telephone: + 353 71 914 8371 - from Northern Ireland or overseas 9. How are Irish payments paid?If you live in IrelandIf you qualify for an Irish payment under the Agreement, you may be paid in euro by either:
*If you are unable to collect your pension at the post office, you may choose another person aged 16 or over (known as an agent) to collect it for you. Invalidity Pension may be paid by Electronic Fund Transfer for those using the Household Budgeting Service, which is available from An Post. This allows you to collect your payment weekly at your chosen post office when you produce your social services card. If you live outside IrelandYou may have your payment made by Electronic Fund Transfer to an Irish account or an account within a financial institution outside the State. The account must have an 8 digit account number with a 6 digit sort code (not a Roll or Reference number). Payment will be in the currency of the country in which you hold the account. This payment will be made every four weeks. One week will be paid in advance and three weeks will be paid in arrears. 10. Where can I get more information or apply for benefits under the Agreement?If you think you may qualify for a payment under the Irish/Australian Social Security Bilateral Agreement you should contact you local Social Welfare Office in the country in which you reside. For details of payment rates and of reckonable Irish contributions, please consult booklet SW19 'Social Welfare Rates of Payment' which highlights each class of PRSI and the benefits each entitles you to. See also the Department's website at www.welfare.ie In Ireland you can get further information on the Agreement as follows: For State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Transition), Widow's/Widower's Contrubutory Pension, or Guardian's Payments, contact: Department of Social and Family Affairs For Invalidity Pensions, contact: For Bereavement Grant contact: Bereavement Grant Section For more information on Temporary Assignments contact: If phoning from outside Ireland, dial the international access code (usually 00), then country code 353, and then omit the 0 from the area code shown in the above numbers. If you are living in Australia you can contact: Centrelink International Services Claim forms for Australian pensions can be downloaded from the following website: You can get information on social welfare services, or get information leaflets and application forms:
Courtesy of Department of Social and Family Affairs
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