Born In 1960s: When Can I Retire In Australia
If you are an Australian born in the 1960s, and wondering when you can retire, then you have come to the right place.
Everything here is groovy my little flower child.
Your afro is long-gone and youve replaced your bell-bottoms with cargos and crocs but now its time to cash in on all of your hard work over the years.
Grab some munchies and settle in, so I can tell you all about when you can retire.
Ive even included a retirement age calculator to make easy for you.
You can calculate exactly what age you can get some Age Pension and access your super. It will blow your mind.
This will help you to figure out what is the best age to retire in Australia.
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Keep in mind that superannuation rules are always subject to change, but these are the superannuation rules as of the date of this article.
While there are different interpretations of the word retirement, I have used the following for the purposes of retirement:
Born In 1: When Can I Retire
If you were born in 1965, you can retire when it is affordable to do so.
For most people, retirement becomes affordable when they can access their superannuation. Retirement income can also be supplemented if you become eligible for the Centrelink Age Pension.
Therefore, if you were born in 1965, it is important to know the age you can withdraw your super and the age you become eligible for social security payments.
Problem No : The Aime Calculation
The reason those born in 1960 will likely see smaller Social Security checks is because of the average wage index . The government calculates this every year by dividing the total wages U.S. workers earned during the year by the number of W-2s that went out for that year.
The Social Security Administration uses the AWI in a couple of ways when figuring out your Social Security benefit, including the calculation of your average indexed monthly earnings . This is your average monthly earnings over your 35 highest-earning years, adjusted for inflation. The government determines your AIME by dividing your AWI from the year you turned 60 by the AWI from each year you earned income and multiplying this by your earned income for the year to get your annual indexed earnings. Then, it adds up your total indexed earnings from your 35 highest-earning years and divides this by 420 — the number of months in 35 years — to get your AIME. The Social Security Administration then plugs your AIME into the Primary Insurance Amount formula explained below.
Fewer wages divided by a large number of W-2s will result in a lower AWI this year. That means the key indexing factor those born in 1960 use to calculate their AIMEs will likely be lower than it would’ve been if this had been a traditional year.
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What Is The Retirement Age For A Man Born In 1960
66 years and 4 monthsA person born on 31st July 1960 is considered to reach the age of 66 years and 4 months on 30th November 2026. 2. A person born on 31st December 1960 is considered to reach the age of 66 years and 9 months on 30th September 2027. 3.
What is the retirement age for Social Security born in 1960?
Increase in Age for Receiving Full Social Security Benefits
Year of Birth |
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How can I retire at 62 with no savings?
3 Ways to Retire Without Any Savings
Your Estimated Time In Retirement Based On Life Expectancy

Life expectancy is the average number of years that a person of a certain age is expected to live if mortality remains unchanged.
Target retirement age is not calculated for people born after .
The old-age pension is payable both as an earnings-related pension and a national pension.
The old-age pension is the earnings-related pension you have accrued during your working life. The older you are when you retire, the higher your pension will be.
If you were born in 1955 or later, your birth year will not only have its own retirement age but also a computational target retirement age. It is slightly higher than your retirement age. For example, if you were born in 1960, your target retirement age is 65 years and 9 month.
You can earn a pension up to the age when your insurance obligation ends. This upper age limit is five years above your retirement age.
You can continue working after you have reached the age when your insurance obligation ends, but you do not accrue more pension for that work.
The statutory insurance obligation applies to both employees and self-employed persons.
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When Can I Retire If I Was Born In 1965
The retirement age calculator below shows your superannuation preservation age, full retirement age and Age Pension age if you were born in 1965.
It allows you to calculate the age you can collect social security, as well as when and how you can access your super.
Retirement age calculator Australia.
Important Things To Know About Social Security Benefits
Now before we dive into how this may impact Medicare decisions, there are three things to keep in mind.
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Financial Benefits Of Working Longer
Many people want to retire as soon as it is financially feasible to do so, but it’s crucial to consider the earning and investing power you may give up if you stop working full-time and take Social Security at 62. If you leave a job with good pay and benefits, it may be difficult ever to regain that level of compensation if you need or want to return to work later. Of course, not everyone can keep working, but it is something to consider if you are healthy and have the opportunity to stay in the workforce, in either a full-time or part-time capacity.
The compensation benefits of your job could also affect your Social Security. Some companies allow stock awards to continue to vest after retirement date, and even into years to follow. These payouts are considered income, and could cause your Social Security payment to be taxed, or taxed at a higher level than in years after the awards have fully distributed. Delaying Social Security payments until those other income sources have been reported for tax purposes is worth consideration.
But there’s even more to the story. As you approach retirement, you’re often at the upper end of your lifetime earnings trajectoryand of your ability to save more for retirement. In addition, if you can keep working, you can make “catch-up” contributions to a tax-deferred workplace savings plan like a 401 or 403 or a traditional or Roth IRA. Catch-up contributions allow you to set aside larger amounts of money for retirement.
When You Turn 62
That is when you can first claim Social Security benefits, unless you have a health factor that would allow you to receive SS benefits at an earlier age. NOTE: You do not need to be retired to receive SS benefits, but your monthly benefit amount can be reduced if you are making more than $1,580 a month from work. More details on working and collecting Social Security benefits.
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Why Did I Get Two Social Security Checks This Month
MILLIONS of Supplemental Security Income claimants will see two checks this month as the holidays approach. This will apply to the 8million people that are projected to receive SSI in 2022, according to the Social Security Administration. … Further, the more you earn the less your SSI benefit will be.
How Would This Affect Me
Most reform proposals are gradual. One proposal would raise the full retirement age by one month every two years to match Americans rising longevity. Another proposes steeper but still gradual increases to further reduce Social Securitys future costs. However its accomplished, raising Social Securitys full retirement age makes sense because it corresponds with Americans lengthening lifespans and reduces the programs costs to lessen the burden on the next generation.
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Check Your State Pension Age
Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. It may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension.
The State Pension age is under review and may change in the future.
Use this tool to check:
- when youll reach State Pension age
- your Pension Credit qualifying age
- when youll be eligible for free bus travel
Does Working After Full Retirement Age Increase Social Security Benefits

Working after full retirement age could increase your Social Security benefits. Your benefits are based on average wages over your 35 highest-earning years .
Even after you’ve reached full retirement age, and even if you’ve already claimed benefits, the Social Security Administration continues to recalculate your average annual wage to account for new income. If your earnings after FRA are higher than previous years and raise your average wage for your 35 top-earning years, your benefits could rise accordingly.
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When Should You Start Collecting Social Security Benefits
To determine when you should start taking your benefits, its important to understand how much your check is affected by when you claim your benefit. As mentioned before, you can claim your benefit as early as age 62 but reaching full retirement age can secure your full benefit.
So when exactly is the full retirement age for Social Security? That depends on when you were born.
Year of birth | |
---|---|
65 + 2 months for each year past 1937 | |
1943-1954 | |
66 + 2 months for each year past 1954 | |
1960 and later | 67 |
While the full retirement age used to be 65, changes to the program have increased that age. For example, those born in 1955 now have to wait an extra two months beyond age 66 to claim their full benefit. Someone born in 1959, for example, would have to wait until age 66 and 10 months to get the full benefit. Anyone born in 1960 or later, receives their full benefit at 67.
But some retirees choose to wait even longer. You may wait until as late as age 70 to claim your benefit, but then you must take it. Youll receive a bigger check for doing so.
So, what is the upside to delaying your Social Security benefit after age 62? Your check wont get hit by a serious benefit reduction. Heres how much a $1,000 monthly check will become if you claim your benefit as soon as youre eligible at age 62.
Year of birth | If you file at 62, benefit reduced by: | A $1,000 check becomes |
---|---|---|
$700 |
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Being Age Pension age does not guarantee that you can collect social security payments.
Social security payments are generally subject to an assets test and income test, as well as a residency test.
If you have served or been in the Defence Force, you may be eligible for payments from the Department of Veteran Affairs .
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What If I Take Benefits Early
If you choose to take your own Social Security benefit before your full retirement age, be aware that the benefit is permanently reduced by five-ninths of 1% for each month. If you start more than 36 months before your full retirement age, the worker benefit is further reduced by five-twelfths of 1% per month for the rest of retirement.
For example, let’s assume you stop working at age 62. If your full retirement age is 67 and you elect to start benefits at age 62, the reduced benefit calculation is based on 60 months. So, the reduction for the first 36 months is 20% and then another 10% for the remaining 24 months. Overall, your benefits would be permanently reduced by 30%.
Can I Retire At 60 Years Old
Asked by: Miss Amie O’Conner
60 may not be too early to retire, but it is too early for Social Security. The good news is that retiring at 60 is much easier than retiring at 55, as penalty-free withdrawals from IRAs begin at age 59 1/2. … This might mean taping retirement accounts to delay Social Security longer.
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Why Change It Now
While Social Security is not in immediate financial distress, the long-term trend shows that the programs costs will outpace its revenues. Without changes, Social Securitys accumulated trust fund will be depleted in less than two decades, at which point benefits will have to be cut, taxes raised, or some combination.
Spouses And Social Security
You can claim Social Security benefits based on your spouse’s work record. If claiming spousal benefits provides more, claiming before your FRA on a spouse’s record means you’ll lose even more than claiming on your own recordthe benefit reduction for a spouse is 35% while the reduction for claiming your own benefit is 30%. For instance, if you’re the spouse of Colleen in the above example and you are the same age, you’d be eligible for only $650 a month at age 6235% less than the $1000 a month you would get at your FRA of 67.
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Your decision to take benefits early could outlive you. If you were to die before your spouse, they would be eligible to receive your monthly amount as a survivor benefitif it’s higher than their own amount. But if you take your benefits early, say at age 62 versus waiting until age 70, your spouse’s survivor Social Security benefit could be 30% less for the remainder of their lifetime.
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Before You Make Your Decision
There are advantages and disadvantages to taking your benefit before your full retirement age. The advantage is that you collect benefits for a longer period of time. The disadvantage is your benefit will be reduced. Each person’s situation is different. It is important to remember:
- If you delay your benefits until after full retirement age, you will be eligible for delayed retirement credits that would increase your monthly benefit.
- That there are other things to consider when making the decision about when to begin receiving your retirement benefits.
Do Survivor Benefits Increase After Full Retirement Age

If you are the surviving spouse who is claiming benefits based on your deceased partner’s work record, there is no benefit to waiting until after FRA to claim your benefits. You do not earn delayed retirement credits, so your benefit will not increase.
However, if you are the higher-earning spouse, delaying your claim for benefits until after FRA can result in your widow receiving more monthly income, as your widowed partner will receive the higher of the two monthly benefits you were each receiving.
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Bridge To Medicare At Age 65
Remember that while you are eligible for reduced Social Security benefits at 62, you won’t be eligible for Medicare until age 65, so you will probably have to pay for private health insurance in the meantime. That can eat up a large chunk of your Social Security payments.
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What About Taxes On Social Security
Social Security benefits may be taxable, depending on your “combined income.” Your combined income is equal to your adjusted gross income , plus non-taxable interest payments , plus half of your Social Security benefit.
As your combined income increases above a certain threshold , more of your benefit is subject to income taxâup to a maximum of 85%. For help, talk with a CPA or tax professional.
In any case, if you’re still working, you may want to postpone Social Security either until you reach your full retirement age or until your earned income is less than the annual limit. In no situation should you postpone benefits past age 70.
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Medicare Enrollment Can Be Impacted By Social Security Benefits
Depending on your situation, you with either need to enroll in Medicare at age 65 or you may be able to delay. If you continue to work past age 65 and have creditable employer coverage , you can likely delay enrolling in Medicare until you lose that employer coverage. In most cases, people turning 65 will need to get Medicare during their 7-month Initial Enrollment Period to avoid financial penalties for enrolling late. Your IEP begins 3 months before the month of your 65th birthday and ends 3 months after.
Social Security benefits fit in the Medicare enrollment journey in one special way. If you are receiving either Social Security benefits for retirement or for disability, or Railroad Retirement Board benefits, you will be automatically enrolled in Medicare Part A and Part B when you first become eligible.