Social Security Agreement between Australia and Uruguay – Frequently Asked Questions

About the agreement

When was the Agreement signed?

The Agreement was signed on 26 August 2025.

When will the Agreement start?

The Agreement will start once both countries finish all the legal and administrative steps. This could take 12 months to complete.

We’ll provide an update when the Agreement starts.

What will the Agreement do?

The Agreement will help eligible people who have lived and/or worked in both Australia and Uruguay to get social security payments from either country they may not otherwise be able to access.

• You may be eligible if you’ve lived in Australia as a permanent resident or Australia citizen, or paid insurance contributions into Uruguay’s social security system.
• You could claim a pension from either country, no matter whether you live in Australia or Uruguay when you apply.
• If you live in Uruguay, you won’t need to return to Australia to claim the Australian Age Pension.
• You could combine time spent living in Australia with periods of insurance contributions paid into Uruguay’s social security system to meet the minimum requirements for getting a pension.
  Example: A person must have lived in Australia for 10 years minimum to get the Australian Age Pension. However, under the Agreement, if you have lived in Australia for less than 10 years, you can use time spent contributing to Uruguay’s social security system to help you meet the 10-year rule and qualify for the Australian Age Pension.

The Agreement will also help businesses and workers by stopping double payments of both superannuation contributions in Australia and insurance contributions in Uruguay. If a person is working in one country for a short time, the business/worker will only need to pay superannuation or insurance contributions in their home country, not both. Treasury and the Australian Taxation Office manage the rules on superannuation.

What payments will be covered by the Agreement?

For Australia, the Agreement will cover the Age Pension.

For Uruguay, the Agreement will cover Old-Age, Disability and Survivors benefits.

When can I claim a payment under the Agreement?

You can only make a claim after the Agreement starts. We will provide an update when this happens.
Visit the Services Australia website if you would like to check if you qualify for the Australian Age Pension(Opens external website) under normal rules and without the Agreement. You can also call Services Australia on 13 23 00.

What should I know about Australia’s Age Pension?

• You must meet age and residence rules.
• You usually need to be living in and physically in Australia when you claim, unless you claim under an Agreement like this one.
• The Age Pension is means tested – this means your income and assets can affect how much you get.

Visit the Services Australia website for more information on the Age Pension(Opens external website).

How much Australian Age Pension will I get under the Agreement?

A person’s rate of Age Pension under the Agreement will depend on their personal situation – like whether they are part of a couple, where they live (Australia or Uruguay), how long they lived in Australia between the age of 16 and Age Pension age, how much Uruguayan pension they and/or their partner receive, and any other income or assets they and/or their partner have.

You will only be able to claim the Age Pension under the Agreement and find out how much Age Pension you can receive, once the Agreement starts.

If you live in Uruguay

• Your payment will depend on how long you lived in Australia as an Australian citizen and/or a permanent visa holder between age 16 and Age Pension age.
• If you lived in Australia for less than 45 years during this time, you’ll get a proportional rate.
  Example: If you lived in Australia for 20 years during this time, you’ll get 20/45ths (about 44 per cent) of the means tested rate.
• Any Uruguayan pension you or your partner get, along with any other income/assets you or your partner have, may also affect your rate.

If you live in Australia

• You usually need to have lived in Australia for 10 years, with at least 5 years in a row, to qualify for the Age Pension.
• If you haven’t, the Agreement lets you use time spent contributing to Uruguay’s social security system to help meet this rule.
• If you use the Agreement to meet the 10-year rule, your Age Pension will be reduced by how much Uruguayan pension you (or your partner) get. Any other income/assets you or your partner have may also affect your rate.

Once a person has lived in Australia for 10 years as an Australian citizen and/or permanent visa holder and no longer needs the Agreement to qualify for the Age Pension, your Uruguayan pension will be treated like any other income.

More information

For information on applying for a payment under the normal rules, you can:

• Contact Services Australia’s International Services(Opens external website).
• Visit your local Services Australia Service Centre(Opens external website).
• Check the Services Australia website for information on which countries have agreements with us(Opens external website) (Services Australia’s page will be updated closer to implementation of the Agreement).

For policy questions about the Agreement, email enquiries@dss.gov.au.

Visit the Australian Taxation Office website for information on super for employees working overseas – certificate of coverage(Opens external website).