10.11.5.10 Totalising to Qualify for an Australian Benefit - Agreement with Austria
Totalising
Article 11 covers totalisation in order to qualify for an Australian benefit.
- Austrian insurance periods can count as periods as an Australian resident in order to meet minimum residence requirements for Australian benefits under social security law. The Agreement allows non-continuous Austrian insurance periods to be added together and considered continuous as in 10.1.5.20.
- People residing in Austria, or a third country with which Australia has an agreement, must have a minimum of 12 months Australian working life residence (6 months of which is continuous) before they can totalise to qualify for an Australian benefit.
- For people residing in Australia, no minimum period of Australian residence is required. This means that a person who has just arrived in Australia could qualify for means tested Australian benefits by totalising under the Agreement.
Act reference: SS(IntAgree)Act Schedule 10 Austria
Policy reference: SS Guide 10.1.5.20 Minimum Periods Required to Totalise under an Agreement