Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

SOCIAL SECURITY ACT 1991 - SECT 93J

No change in couple status during overall qualifying period

  (1)   If:

  (a)   a person was a member of a couple throughout the person's overall qualifying period; or

  (b)   a person was not a member of a couple at any time during the person's overall qualifying period;

the amount of the person's pension bonus is worked out using the following formula (for rounding up, see subsection   (7)):

Change in couple status during overall qualifying period

  (2)   If subsection   (1) does not apply to a person, the amount of the person's pension bonus is worked out using the following formula (for rounding up, see subsection   (7)):

  (3)   For the purposes of this section, a person's annual notional single pension rate is equal to:

  (a)   if the person is not permanently blind--the adjusted percentage of the sum of:

  (i)   the person's maximum basic rate under Table B in point 1064 - B1; and

  (ii)   the amount worked out for the person using the table in subsection   93H(4);

    calculated in each case as at the start day for the age pension and assuming that the person was not a member of a couple at that day; or

  (b)   if the person is permanently blind--the sum of:

  (i)   the person's maximum basic rate under Table B in point 1065 - B1; and

  (ii)   the amount worked out for the person using the table in subsection   93H(4);

    calculated in each case as at the start day for the age pension and assuming that the person was not a member of a couple at that day.

  (4)   For the purposes of this section, a person's annual notional partnered pension rate is equal to:

  (a)   if the person is not permanently blind--the adjusted percentage of the sum of:

  (i)   the person's maximum basic rate under Table B in point 1064 - B1; and

  (ii)   the amount worked out for the person using the table in subsection   93H(4);

    calculated in each case as at the start day for the age pension and assuming that the person was a member of a couple at that day; or

  (b)   if the person is permanently blind--the sum of:

  (i)   the person's maximum basic rate under Table B in point 1065 - B1; and

  (ii)   the amount worked out for the person using the table in subsection   93H(4);

    calculated in each case as at the start day for the age pension and assuming that the person was a member of a couple at that day.

  (5)   For the purposes of this section, a person's adjusted percentage is the percentage worked out using the following formula (for rounding up, see subsection   (8)):

where:

"maximum basic rate" is the sum of the person's maximum basic rate worked out using Module B of Pension Rate Calculator A in section   1064 and the amount worked out for the person using the table in subsection   93H(4).

  (6)   For the purposes of this section:

  (a)   the number of single years during the overall qualifying period is the number of years during the overall qualifying period when the person was not a member of a couple; and

  (b)   the number of partnered years during the overall qualifying period is the number of years during the overall qualifying period when the person was a member of a couple.

Rounding up

  (7)   An amount calculated under subsection   (1) or (2) is to be rounded to the nearest 10 cents (with 5 cents being rounded up).

  (8)   A percentage worked out under subsection   (5) is to be calculated to 3 decimal places. However, if a percentage worked out under subsection   (5) would, if it were calculated to 4 decimal places, end in a digit that is greater than 4, the percentage is to be increased by 0.001.