What are your client's pension payment options?

For payment frequencies other than fortnightly, payments will be drawn on or around the 15th day of the month, unless you elect otherwise. See How do I change my client’s pension payments below for more information on how to change your client’s pension payment date once the pension has commenced.

You and your client can pick a timeframe that best suits their needs. Pensions can be paid:

  • fortnightly 
  • monthly
  • quarterly
  • half-yearly, or
  • yearly.

Please note, clients must take at least one payment per financial year in line with their minimum pension payment obligations.

Are ad hoc pension payments available?

For more information on making ad hoc pension payments, please refer to Making Adviser Initiated Payments from a pension account.

How can I make a payment to a different account than the primary nominated account?

You need to update the nominated account using the Change of Account details form to change the destination of a pension payment for your client.

Only one nominated account can be selected to receive pension payments for each pension account.

What if a payment missed the pension run due to insufficient cash?

If a payment is missed because of insufficient cash, you don’t need to wait until the next period or request the payment again.

To receive the pension, simply sell down investments in your client’s account until there is enough cash to make the payment. We’ll automatically make the payment to your client’s chosen account once there is enough cash.

Please note that if the account doesn’t have enough cash to meet the annual minimum pension requirements, we may need to sell down the assets on your behalf to ensure the minimum is met. Please refer to the relevant PDS for more information.

How do I change my client’s pension payments?

  1. Log in to Adviser Online
  2. Hover over Clients and click Accounts on the menu
  3. Select your client’s Wrap account
  4. Select Account details and go down to Pension details
  5. Select Update recurring pension payments
  6. Update the payment frequency, next payment date, payment amount and/or indexation
  7. Once you’ve made at least one update, select Review
  8. Confirm your updates and select Submit.
    • For advisers with ‘Ultimate’ security preference elected, you will be required to Authenticate the update to your client’s pension payments before the change is authorised.
  9. Your Recurring pension payments update should be complete to view in Request Centre and will update overnight on the Account details screen.

What payment details can I change for my client?

You can amend the following payment details for your client:

  1. Payment frequency
  2. Next payment date
  3. Payment amount
  4. Indexation.

Payment frequency

Pension payments can be paid:

  • fortnightly
  • monthly
  • quarterly
  • half-yearly
  • yearly.

For payment frequencies other than fortnightly, payments will be drawn on or around the 15th day of the month, unless you elect otherwise. See How do I change my client’s pension payments above for more information on how to change your client’s pension payment date once the pension has commenced.

Next payment date

You can amend the next payment date for your clients at any time online. Payments are able to be brought forward or delayed.  You will only be able to move the payment date to a date in the next financial year once your client has met the minimum requirements for the current financial year.

Payment amount

As an adviser, you can amend the pension amount paid to your client to:

  • Per payment
  • Total annual amount
  • Minimum amount
  • Maximum amount (TTR accounts only).

Any changes to pension payments should be made online before the start of the month for it to be effective for that month. 

Indexation

You’ll be able to adjust indexation to apply at the start of the next financial year. You’ll have the opportunity to make this adjustment before the pension escalation process. You can adjust the indexation to:

  • None
  • Minimum
  • Maximum (applicable for TTR only)
  • CPI
  • Fixed percentage.

When is the pension escalation period?

Pension update restrictions occur during the first week of July. This is known as the pension escalation period. Our Pensions team uses this time to calculate the minimum pension requirements for each pension account going into the new financial year.

You can find more information about the pension escalation period and other EOFY activities, in our EOFY Hub.

What are the pension escalation period restrictions?

Because the accounts are being changed, we put restrictions in place to prevent certain actions from happening that could affect pension accounts. The following restrictions occur during pension escalation:

  • No ad hoc pension payments
  • No lump sum payments from a pension account
  • No product switch applications to a pension
  • No closing of a pension account. This is to avoid missing minimum legal requirements.
  • No Pension Updates to commence.

Any requests made during this period will still be accepted. However, we won’t process them until after the escalation period.

What are the new pension amount and indexation options?

Your client’s pension amount for the new financial year will depend on the new calculated minimum amount and the escalation indexation.

For Transition to Retirement pensions (TTRs), this will also be dependent on the TTR maximum drawdown amount for the account.

The escalation indexation process occurs in the first week of July each year and during this time payments cannot be amended online. The indexation options available are:

  • None – No change to the current per payment amount. 
  • Minimum – Client will receive the new minimum annual payment amount. Learn more about minimum pension payments.
  • Maximum – Transition to retirement clients will receive the new maximum annual payment amount.
  • CPI – Per payment amount will increase by the average of the last 2 quarters of consumer price index figures from the ATO.
  • Fixed % – Per payment amount will increase by a fixed percentage that is selected.

If the indexed per payment amount results in the projected annual total being below the minimum annual payment amount, your client’s pension payments will be increased to the minimum required amount. 

For transition to retirement pensions, if the indexed per payment amount will result in the projected annual total being above the maximum annual payment amount, your client’s pension payments will be reduced to the maximum allowed amount. 

How can I vary my client’s TAP account payments?

You can update your client’s regular Term Allocated Pension (TAP) account pension payments by emailing us a written request.

If you wish to take an ad hoc payment from a client’s TAP account, you can complete the Macquarie Super and Pension Withdrawal/Rollover form. However, the maximum amount that can be taken is limited to 110% of (or 10% higher than) the total annual payment amount of the TAP.

Chat to us on Adviser Online

Chat in real-time with an adviser consultant Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm Sydney time (excluding public holidays).

Resolve a complaint

Everyone at Macquarie is commited to providing our clients with the highest standard of products and services available. If you have feedback we would like you to tell us about it. 

Talk to us today

To speak to a specialist complete this form and we'll be in touch.