Australia vs UK vs US vs NZ: Who Really Has the Best Pension?

Before tax, a single pensioner in New Zealand gets about $5,000 a year less than a single pensioner on our full rate. But NZ Super never asks what's in her bank account. Here's how Australia's Age Pension compares with the UK State Pension, US Social Security and NZ Super - what each one pays, who qualifies, the rule that freezes a UK pension for anyone living here, and what happens to one retiree with $400,000, then $900,000, in all four countries. Free download: The Australian Retirement Readiness Checklist – 48 things to check before you stop working: https://aussiewealthwithemma.com.au Subscribe to get all the latest videos and information: https://www.youtube.com/@aussiewealthwithemma?sub_confirmation=1 TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Who really has the best pension? 1:05 Four different kinds of pension 1:38 Australia's Age Pension and the means test 2:42 The UK State Pension 3:46 The frozen UK pension 4:54 US Social Security 6:10 New Zealand Super 7:35 All four on one card 7:56 One retiree, four countries 9:21 So which is best? WHAT'S IN THIS ONE (rates as at October 2026; all figures single, before tax) - Australia: the full Age Pension is $1,237.70 a fortnight for a single person from 20 September 2026 (about $32,180 a year) and $1,866 for a couple combined - from 67, adjusted every March and September - The means test: a single homeowner keeps the full rate under the assets test up to $333,000 (the home generally isn't counted) and the pension stops at $745,750 - but if your assets are mostly savings, the income test (deeming 1.75% on the first $66,800, 3.75% above) usually cuts in first, from about $192,320 - UK: the full new State Pension is £241.30 a week (about A$23,800 a year), usually needs 35 qualifying years of National Insurance (none with fewer than 10), has no couple rate and no means test, and rises each April under the triple lock - for people living in the UK - The frozen UK pension: live in Australia and your UK State Pension stays at the rate you first got (or the rate when you left, if you were already getting it). Someone who reached pension age in late 2010 is still on £97.65 a week of basic State Pension; the same record in the UK pays £184.90 in 2026-27. Australia ended its agreement with the UK on 1 March 2001 because the UK wouldn't index pensions paid here - US: Social Security is based on your highest 35 years of earnings - the average retired worker got US$2,087.52 a month in August 2026 (about A$35,800 a year); claiming at 62 cuts it by about 30%, waiting to 70 adds about 24% (full retirement age 67 for anyone born 1960 or later); no assets test - New Zealand: NZ Super from 65 with residency, no income or assets test, taxed as income; NZ$1,294.74 a fortnight before tax for a single person living alone (about A$27,100 a year); a state pension from another country - including ours - is deducted dollar for dollar; using Australian years under the agreement, you wait until 67 - The screenshot table: all four countries side by side - pension age, what a single person gets before tax, and whether there's a means test THE EXAMPLES ARE ILLUSTRATIVE: Margaret is 67, single, lives alone and owns her home, with $400,000 of assessable assets (mostly savings and super) and a full record in whichever country she's in. Her Australian part pension is the assets-test rate ($1,036.70 a fortnight); her UK figure is the full new State Pension, her NZ figure the single living-alone rate, and her US figure the average retired-worker benefit (August 2026) - all before tax. Conversions use RBA rates on 14 October 2026 and will move with the exchange rate; they don't compare what the money buys in each country. NZ also pays a Winter Energy Payment (NZ$20.46 a week for a single person, May to October). US figures are 2026 figures, before the 2027 cost-of-living increase. Related videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvlqlIO7cQM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IJrAzxPxHw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHdfbRpC-PY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhfDS6pyibc GENERAL ADVICE DISCLAIMER This video is general information only. It does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs, and it is not personal financial advice. Pension rules in the UK, the US and New Zealand are set by those governments - check your own entitlement with them and with Services Australia, or speak with a licensed financial adviser before acting. A note on how this is made: Every script starts with real research and is checked against current ATO and Services Australia figures - that part isn't automated. AI tools produce the narration and visuals. I write, verify, and stand behind every word. Thanks for being here. #AussieWealth #Superannuation #RetirementAustralia #AgePension #UKStatePension #FrozenPension #NZSuper #SocialSecurity