Claiming the Age Pension Online Through myGov: A Walkthrough With Screenshots

You claim the Age Pension online by signing in to myGov, linking your Centrelink account, then opening Make a claim → Older Australians → Age Pension and working through the income, assets and document screens. Most claims take 4 to 8 weeks to process, and you can do the whole thing — including uploading documents — from your phone using the Express Plus Centrelink app.

I have sat beside dozens of clients while they made this exact claim, and the part that trips people up is almost never the eligibility rules — it is the plumbing. Linking Centrelink, verifying identity, knowing which box wants a fortnightly figure versus an annual one. This walkthrough goes screen by screen, in the order myGov actually presents them, so you can have the tabs open and follow along. Every dollar figure below was checked against Services Australia for the rates that apply from 20 March 2026 to 19 September 2026.

Step 1 — Sign in to myGov and link Centrelink

Everything starts at my.gov.au. If you have ever lodged a tax return online, claimed Medicare, or used a Centrelink payment before, you almost certainly already have a myGov account — try signing in before creating a new one, because duplicate accounts cause document mix-ups later.

If you do not have a myGov account yet

Select Create a myGov account. You need a working email address and an Australian mobile number. myGov will email you a code to confirm the address, then text you a code to set up two-factor sign-in. Choose the SMS-code option if you find the myGov app fiddly — both are equally valid.

Linking Centrelink to your myGov account

Once signed in, look for Link a service (sometimes shown as "Services" with a "Link" button) and choose Centrelink. myGov offers two linking paths:

• "I have a linking code" — use this if you have ever dealt with Centrelink. Call Centrelink (older Australians line: 132 300) or visit a service centre to get a one-time linking code, then enter it. This is the fastest route for people already in the system.
• "I don't have a linking code" — use this if you are completely new to Centrelink. myGov will ask you to answer identity questions instead, often using your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN) if you have one, plus details like your bank or recent immunisation/Medicare history to confirm it is you.

If you have never had any Centrelink dealings and have no CRN, the online identity check may not be enough on its own. In that case myGov will tell you to confirm your identity at a service centre or by phone before the link completes. This is the single most common reason a claim stalls before it even starts, so do it first.

Step 2 — Verify your identity online

Even after linking, Centrelink runs a separate identity confirmation for a new payment claim. Under My Details → Confirm your identity (or when prompted inside the claim), you record documents from three groups:

• Commencement of identity — usually an Australian birth certificate, passport, or citizenship/visa document.
• Primary use in the community — typically your driver licence or passport.
• Secondary — Medicare card, bank card, or similar.

You can record the document numbers and details online, but Centrelink may still ask to sight an original. Recording them now lets the claim proceed; bring the originals to a service centre only if Centrelink specifically requests it on your To do list.

Step 3 — Navigate to Make a claim → Older Australians → Age Pension

From the Centrelink homepage select Payments and Claims, then Make a claim. Centrelink groups payments by life event. Choose the Older Australians category, then Get started next to Age Pension.

The system first runs a short eligibility pre-check — your date of birth (you must have reached Age Pension age, which is 67 for everyone born on or after 1 January 1957), residence status, and whether you are claiming as a single person or a member of a couple. If you clear the pre-check, the full claim form opens with a progress bar across the top. You can save and come back — the claim stays open for 13 weeks, so you do not have to finish in one sitting.

Step 4 — The income and assets declaration screens

This is the heart of the claim and where most errors happen. Centrelink assesses you under two tests — income and assets — and pays the lower result. You must declare both even if you think only one will apply.

What goes on the income screens

Enter gross (before-tax) income from employment, plus any rent, foreign pensions, and income from outside super. Financial investments — bank accounts, term deposits, shares, and account-based pensions — are handled differently: you enter the balances, and Centrelink applies deeming to work out an assumed income, rather than you entering the actual interest. Do not double-count: a term deposit is entered once as a financial asset, and deeming generates its income automatically.

What goes on the assets screens

List the current market value of everything you own except your principal home (the home you live in is an exempt asset). That includes other property, vehicles, the contents of your home valued at a realistic second-hand price (not insured-for-new value — most couples put $5,000–$10,000, not $60,000), super, and investments. Whether you own your home changes the thresholds, so the form asks your homeowner status up front.

Figures effective 20 March 2026 – 19 September 2026, indexed twice yearly. Assets reduce the pension by $3 per fortnight for every $1,000 over the full-pension threshold. Income above the free area reduces a single pension by 50 cents per dollar (couples: 25 cents each, per dollar of combined income). Source: Services Australia assets test and income test.

Deeming rates and the deeming-rate thresholds are set separately and can change; confirm the current rates on the Services Australia deeming page before relying on a calculation. The example uses the rates in force in mid-2026 and is illustrative only.

Step 5 — Upload supporting documents (Express Plus app)

At the end of the online form Centrelink generates a list of required documents — proof of identity, bank statements, super statements, and any property or income evidence. You have 14 days from being asked to provide them, so do not submit and walk away.

The cleanest way to send documents is the free Express Plus Centrelink mobile app (App Store / Google Play). After signing in with your myGov details:

1. Open Documents → Upload documents.
2. Tap Add and either take a photo of the document or choose one from your phone.
3. Tag each file to the matching item on your To do list (for example, "Bank statement," "Proof of identity").
4. Review the thumbnails for legibility, then Submit. You get an on-screen receipt confirming what was sent.

You can also upload through the Centrelink online account on a computer under Documents and Appointments → Upload documents. Either way, photograph documents flat, in good light, with all four corners visible — blurry or cropped images are the most common reason Centrelink asks you to re-send.

Step 6 — Track your claim and respond to requests

After you submit, you get a receipt number — write it down. To check progress, sign in to myGov → Centrelink and select Payments and Claims → Claims → View claim status, or open Claims in the Express Plus app. The status moves through stages such as In progress, Submitted, Information requested, and Completed.

If Centrelink needs more from you, an item appears on your To do list and you will usually get a myGov Inbox message or SMS. Respond promptly — unanswered requests are the main cause of claims dragging past 8 weeks or being rejected. Age Pension typically takes 4 to 8 weeks to assess. If granted, your start date can be backdated to the date you lodged (not the date it was approved), so lodging early — even with documents still to follow — protects your entitlement.

Frequently asked questions