British pension and applying for an Australian pension

Q. Rewa
Can you please advise how a part British pension is treated when you apply for an Australian pension. As an Australian I worked in the UK for 14 years and now at the age of 61 have an entitlement to approximately $100 a week part UK pension. I understand about it being subject to tax but not how it is assessed by Centrelink when applying for an Australian age pension - as income?

A. Provided by Hank Jongen, General Manager, Centrelink
When working out your Australian pension entitlement, any income that you receive from any source - including overseas income - is taken into consideration. This means that your British pension may affect how much Australian pension you receive.

If you have lived or worked outside Australia, and you are claiming or receiving Age Pension, you may also be asked to apply for a pension from that country and advise us of the outcome. Your partner may also be required to claim a foreign pension if they have lived or worked outside Australia, even if they are not claiming a payment from us themselves. Centrelink can help you claim any foreign pension. If you are receiving a foreign pension, this may affect the amount of Age Pension you receive. We use a commercial exchange rate to work this out.

The Centrelink website contains information about claiming an overseas pension, including links to information on claiming UK pensions, paying voluntary contributions or on other matters relating to United Kingdom social security. To find out the current rate of pension and the current pension income test you can contact Centrelink on 13 2300.