29+ Years advising Australians
6,000+ Clients across the country
$3.8B Funds under advice
8 Offices nationally
— Why it needs its own plan
Overseas assets add
a layer, not a barrier.
Once you live in Australia, two things change for an overseas pension. Australia taxes your worldwide income, so a foreign pension generally becomes reportable here, and the tax break it enjoyed at home usually does not carry across. A Canadian TFSA, a US Roth IRA and a UK pension are each treated differently once you are an Australian resident, and the differences are easy to get wrong.
This is where AGS is built for the job. Our accountants handle the Australian tax and reporting side, including the double tax agreements, the foreign-income rules and how accounts like a 401(k), RRSP or IRA are treated here. Our financial planners factor the overseas money into your wider retirement income plan alongside your Australian super, the Age Pension and your personal investments. Because it all happens in one place, your tax position and your retirement plan are built to fit together.
We are not a specialist overseas-pension transfer firm, and we will tell you plainly when a decision, such as moving a UK defined benefit pension, needs advice from a provider regulated in that country. Our role is to give you the clear Australian picture, coordinate the tax, help you make informed decisions, and build one cohesive plan around whatever you hold, wherever it sits.
— What we help with
From five systems
to one income plan.
Working out what you hold
A government pension, an old employer scheme, or a personal account are taxed and accessed very differently. We help you take stock, confirm whether a scheme is defined benefit or defined contribution, and track down the ones people forget.
Australian tax on foreign pensions
Australia taxes worldwide income. We work through how your UK, US, Canadian or NZ pension is taxed and reported here, including the double tax agreement, the foreign-income offset, and the foreign-trust treatment of 401(k), RRSP and IRA accounts.
Can you transfer it, and should you
A UK pension can move only to a QROPS, which in practice means an SMSF, and KiwiSaver can move to Australian super. Most US and Canadian accounts cannot transfer at all. We explain the tax and the trade-offs, and flag where a transfer decision needs country-specific specialist advice.
Currency and exchange-rate risk
An income paid in pounds, dollars or NZD moves in Australian-dollar terms every year. We build currency risk into the plan through timing, diversifying your income sources, and knowing how much certainty you actually need.
Age Pension and means-testing
Overseas pensions and account balances count towards the Age Pension income and assets tests. We factor your foreign income and assets into your Centrelink position so there are no surprises later.
One integrated retirement plan
Government pensions, Australian super, overseas pensions and personal investments become a single income plan, coordinated with your tax, your estate and your beneficiary nominations across every account you hold.
— Who this is for
Is this
you?
- You have a UK, US, Canadian or New Zealand pension and now live in Australia
- You worked overseas earlier in your career and still hold a scheme there
- You are unsure how a 401(k), RRSP, IRA, SIPP or KiwiSaver account is taxed in Australia
- You are approaching retirement and want your overseas money in the same plan as your super
- You hold a UK defined benefit pension and are weighing whether to keep or move it
- You want your accountant and your financial planner working from the same page, not separately
Bring your overseas pension into one plan.
Book a free initial discussion. We'll give you the clear Australian picture and show you how your overseas pension fits your retirement, with no decisions required on the day.