Transferring superannuation to wife

Owen thinks he has found a way to increase his pension, but will it work?

•••

Q. Owen
Just a small question regarding income streams. Are there any ramifications if I cancel my income stream and transfer the money to my wife’s superannuation fund? My wife is 63, therefore the money won’t be an asset and my pension will increase. Do the gifting rules come into play?

A. Gifting between spouses is allowed without having any effect on the way your income or assets are assessed by Centrelink.

Transferring assets out of your own superannuation fund and into your wife’s account is an entirely legitimate strategy to reduce the impact of the assets test.

As your wife is under 65, she does not have to satisfy a work test to have funds contributed to superannuation. As she is under pension age, assets held in superannuation are not counted towards your combined assets test for Centrelink purposes until she is of Age Pension age or starts drawing money from the account. This thereby legitimately reduces the impact of the assets test for Age Pension purposes.

If you enjoy our content, don’t keep it to yourself. Share our free eNews with your friends and encourage them to sign up.

Related articles:
Aged care and the Age Pension
Devalued assets and the pension
Can you earn on the pension?

Disclaimer: All content on YourLifeChoices website is of a general nature and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. It has been prepared with due care but no guarantees are provided for the ongoing accuracy or relevance. Before making a decision based on this information, you should consider its appropriateness in regard to your own circumstances. You should seek professional advice from a financial planner, lawyer or tax agent in relation to any aspects that affect your financial and legal circumstances.

Ben Hocking
Ben Hocking
Ben Hocking is a skilled writer and editor with interests and expertise in politics, government, Centrelink, finance, health, retirement income, superannuation, Wordle and sports.
- Our Partners -

DON'T MISS

- Advertisment -
- Advertisment -