Cut in age pension wait times welcome but system is too confusing, says advocates

The reduction in Age Pension processing times by Services Australia marks a “significant improvement” in service delivery for older Australians but more can be done, according to advocates for older people.

Services Australia announced on 4th of November that they reduced the processing times for the Age Pension application by over a month, from 84 days at the beginning of the year to currently 49 days.

Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten said Services Australia has hired an 3000 extra staff to clear the 1.35 million backlog of unprocessed claims across the agency and make it more efficient.

“Thanks to these staff, the agency is now processing claims 60 per cent faster compared to the first three months of 2024,” he said.

“And with the backlog gone, the new staff are now improving the turnaround time for more complex claims.”

While the Council on the Ageing Australia (COTA) said they were pleased with the additional government resourcing, there were still opportunities to improve the Age Pension application process.

COTA Chief Executive Officer Patricia Sparrow said the system itself remains needlessly complex and confusing for many people to navigate successfully.

“Many older Australians consistently tell us they find the application process overwhelming and difficult to understand,” Ms Sparrow said.

“Processing speed is a welcome improvement, but making the pension application process simple and accessible is equally crucial for older Australians.”

Ms Sparrow added that COTA strongly encouraged anyone approaching pension age to lodge their claim 12 weeks before their 67th birthday to receive the pension as soon as they eligible.

Meanwhile, assistance is at hand and Centrelink will now book appointments either in person or on the phone.

On the Centrelink website, customers can either book a 15 minute phone appointment or a 30 minute face-to-face meeting.

Simply Google “Centrelink appointments”

If you haven’t booked an appointment, you could physically take the information into a Centrelink office instead, or be a bit smart about when you call them.

If visiting your local office, try to avoid the busy days of Monday or Thursday if possible and avoid lunch-time, when many staff are on a break.

If calling to provide an update, there are ways to speed up the process.

After uploading the documentation via my.gov.au, make a call when the call centre wait-times are likely to be less.

That’s avoiding the times and days above and also, knowing how the system operates.

Callers who join the queue before 5:00pm are not normally kicked-off and will be answered so calling towards the end of the day might reduce your wait time.

Read more here for money related questions.