This page provides information about payment arrangements for pensioners living outside Australia on a permanent basis.

Methods of payment overseas

If you are absent from Australia long-term or permanently, your DVA payments may be made every four weeks into your bank account in your country of residence.

The account you nominate must be:

• in your name, or it may be a joint account with another person
• capable of receiving payments from overseas by direct deposit or international wire; and
• in your local currency (or US dollars where specified on the form for your country).

Payments are converted from Australian Dollars to the local currency (or US Dollars) before being transmitted to your account. Your payments may vary due to exchange rate fluctuations and you may incur fees levied by your bank on deposits.

Note: You may elect to maintain an account in Australia for your DVA payments. It is your responsibility to arrange access to your money. Payments into an Australian bank account are deposited every second Thursday.

When is a payment made to an overseas account

DVA payments to an overseas account are paid every four weeks. Each four-weekly deposit is the total of the amounts you are entitled to for the previous two fortnights.

A payment schedule for the calendar year is shown at the end of this page. It outlines the expected date of receipt in overseas accounts.

If you are an income support pensioner, changes to your personal, residential and financial circumstances may mean that the amounts payable to you are reviewed. We may then make an appropriate adjustment to your pension (up or down) in a later instalment.

Checking for payment

DVA cannot guarantee the date that the payment will appear in your account as there may be processing delays by your bank. You should allow up to 10 days after the expected date of receipt for your bank to complete delayed transactions. If there is no obvious reason for the non-receipt of the payment and 10 days have passed since the expected date of receipt, you should contact DVA.

Note: If DVA is required to ‘trace’ a bank payment, a delay in payment of up to 8 weeks may occur. This delay is beyond the control of DVA.

Can my payment be split and paid into more than one overseas account?

DVA is unable to split payments and pay amounts to more than one overseas account for an individual. However, each member of a couple may elect to have their payments go to a different overseas account.

What exchange rate is used?

The exchange rate used to work out how much your payment from Australia is in your local currency (or US dollars) is set by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), or their agent bank prior to your payment being sent overseas. No deductions are made by DVA or the RBA to deposit your payment or for currency conversion. However, the four-weekly amount you receive will vary due to exchange rate fluctuations.

Will there be any bank fees?

Any fees levied by your bank on deposits must be paid by you. It is a good idea to check local banking arrangements and find the bank which gives you the best deal regarding bank fees and clearance times on transactions.

How do I change where my pension is paid?

If you want to nominate, or change your overseas payment account, you need to complete the International Bank Account Details form for your country of residence. If the change is for yourself and your partner, you will each need to complete a form. These forms are available from the DVA Forms website.

Your completed form should be stamped by your bank and then returned to:

GPO Box 9998
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 4001.

Providing Details of your Payment Account

It is important that you carefully check the details of your payment account when you advise the Department. Clients should be aware that financial institutions only match account numbers and do not match account names. A mistake in the account number may mean your pension is paid into the account of another customer at your financial institution, or a delay in receiving your payment.

What happens after I lodge my form?

We will send you a letter to confirm your details and the date when your DVA payment will be deposited to your overseas account for the first time. Do not close your old account until you are sure that your payment is being credited into the new account

What if I need help with the form?

If you need help filling out your form, you can contact DVA for assistance. Alternatively, ex‑service organisations such as London Legacy, may be able to help you.

You also need to check with your financial institution that the account you wish to nominate is capable of receiving payments from overseas by direct deposit or international wire.

London Legacy

Phone: +44 (0) 207 420 876

londonlegacy67 [at] aol.com (email): londonlegacy67 [at] aol.com

website: www.londonlegacy.org.

What if my account details changes?

You need to complete a new form to update your account details, or to nominate a different account. It is important that you tell us of changes in your account details. If you do not advise us, it may prevent payments from reaching you.

If your payment is returned to us for any reason, we will try to find out why as soon as possible. If we are unable to identify where your payment should be sent, we may suspend payment until you contact us.

What if I return to Australia?

If you return to Australia long-term or permanently, you can phone or visit a DVA office to update your details, including any changes to your payment arrangements. If you are notifying a change in writing, please specify if the change in payment arrangements is for yourself, your partner, or for both of you.

Try to give us at least one week's notice and do not close the old account until you have confirmed that the deposit is being paid into the new account.

If you are visiting Australia temporarily, you will need to arrange access to your payments from your overseas account.

2018/2019 payment schedule

The payment schedule below shows the fortnightly pension paydays in Australia and the four-weekly payday for payment to overseas account. It outlines the expected date of receipt overseas and the period that each payment covers.