The Age Pension is a fortnightly sum paid to Australians aged 67 years or over. It’s one of Australia’s most important safety nets which ensures Australians have a minimum income in retirement if their superannuation isn’t enough.

The catch is that it isn’t available to everyone. Your eligibility depends on your age, income and your assets and the amount you get can vary significantly.

But the question many Australians approaching retirement ask is: What about my superannuation balance? Does that affect my Age Pension eligibility?

Lets break it down, with everything you need to know about your super and the Age Pension.

Age limit and maximum payment

The Age Pension is available only to Australians aged 67 years and older.

It is paid on a fortnightly basis up to a maximum total payment of $1,200.90 per fortnight for singles and $1,810.40 for couples combined. 

These sums include the maximum basic rate, the maximum pension supplement, and the energy supplement.

As I mentioned above, the final amount you’ll receive (if anything) is heavily dependent on Centerlink’s income and asset test. 

And these also include your superannuation.

Yes your superannuation affects your Age Pension eligibility: Here’s how

The income test assesses all of your income, pooled from all sources. That includes anything from superannuation income, investment income, part-time wages, bonuses, or commission payments. It’s applicable regardless of your age. 

According to Services Australia, assessable income includes but is not limited to reportable super contributions and from any funds invested in superannuation if you’ve reached Age Pension age, or any funds that are invested in a super pension fund or income stream, regardless of age. 

The asset test includes everything you own in full, in part, or have an interest in, but excludes the home you live in. Again, this includes your superannuation balance (as an asset). 

To ensure the system is fair, Centrelink assesses you under both tests and applies what it calls the ‘lower rule of two’. This means your potential fortnightly Age Pension is calculated under both tests, and the one that results in the lower payment is the amount you will actually receive.

What are the rules for the Age Pension income test?

In order to receive the full Age Pension, single Australians (as of the 1st of July) can earn a total of $226 per fortnight, while couples can earn up to $396 per fortnight from all pooled sources, including and superannuation income.

But it’s still possible to receive a part pension if you earn over those thresholds. 

From the 1st of July, singles can earn up to $2,627.80 per fortnight. Couples (living together) can earn up to $4,016.80 per fortnight and still qualify for at least a part-Age Pension. 

But, it’s important to note that your income is assessed on a sliding scale.

For a single person, your Age Pension will reduce by 50 cents for each dollar over $226. For couples it will reduce by 25 cents for each dollar over $396.

It means that the more you earn, the lower your Age Pension payment will be, until it reaches zero.

What are the rules for the Age Pension asset test?

In order to receive the full Age Pension, from the 1st of July, single homeowners can own assets (including superannuation) up to a value of $333,000. For non-homeowners, this will be up to $600,000.

But a couple has a different threshold, and it’s not double the amount of one person. From the 1st of July, a couple combined can own up to $499,000 in total if they own a property, or $766,000 if they don’t.

But like the income test, it’s also possible to get a part-payment if you’re over those thresholds.

From the 1st of July, if your assets are less than $733,500 if you’re a single homeowner, and $1,000,500 if you’re a non-homeowner, you are still entitled to some level of payment.

Couples are also entitled to a part-payment so long as their combined assets aren’t more than $1,102,500 for homeowners. Non-homeowners can own assets totalling up to $1,369,500.

The post Does my superannuation affect my Age Pension eligibility? appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor Samantha Menzies has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

Although the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) edged higher in FY 2026, it was a bruising year for a number of former market favourites.

For example, three ASX shares that fell 50% or more during the last financial year are named below. Here’s why they were sold off:

Cochlear Ltd (ASX: COH)

Cochlear shares were hammered in FY 2026, falling around 60% over the 12 months.

The biggest blow arguably came in April, when the hearing implant leader cut its earnings guidance.

Cochlear said trading conditions for cochlear implants in developed markets had been softer than expected since January. Management pointed to hospital capacity constraints, reduced referral activity from the hearing aid channel, weaker consumer sentiment in key markets, and uncertainty from the Middle East conflict.

That was a damaging update because Cochlear has long been viewed as a high-quality healthcare compounder. Investors had been prepared to pay a premium for reliability, market leadership, and long-term growth in hearing implants.

When the company reduced its underlying net profit guidance to between $290 million and $330 million, that premium was quickly reassessed.

CSL Ltd (ASX: CSL)

CSL was another healthcare giant that had a dreadful FY 2026, with its shares crashing around 50%.

The biotechnology company suffered from a painful reset in expectations. In October, CSL downgraded its outlook after weaker US flu vaccination rates hurt its Seqirus vaccines business. It also delayed the planned spin-off of Seqirus, which had been expected to help simplify the company.

The pressure continued in February when the company reported a weak half-year result and announced the sudden exit of chief executive Paul McKenzie.

Then in May, CSL cut its FY 2026 guidance again following a review by interim CEO Gordon Naylor. It pointed to issues including US immunoglobulin inventory normalisation, lower albumin market value in China, slower growth from HEMGENIX, competition in iron products, and additional asset impairments.

CSL also faced tariff uncertainty during the year, although the company later indicated that most of its US product sales were not expected to be subject to the new tariffs.

WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC)

WiseTech Global shares had an even rougher FY 2026, falling around 70% over the period.

The logistics software company continued its growth, but the market became increasingly uncomfortable with governance uncertainty, concerns over its transition to a new pricing and sales model, and questions about potential artificial intelligence disruption.

At the same time, WiseTech was dealing with a more demanding market for expensive technology shares. Investors were unwilling to pay a premium for ASX tech stocks and de-rated them to some of the lowest multiples that have been seen in years.

The post 3 ASX shares down at least 50% in FY26 appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in CSL, Cochlear, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended CSL, Cochlear, and WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended WiseTech Global. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended CSL and Cochlear. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

It was a busy week for Australia’s top brokers. This has led to a number of broker notes being released.

Three broker buy ratings that you might want to know more about are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

Hub24 Ltd (ASX: HUB)

According to a note out of Bell Potter, its analysts have retained their buy rating and $110.00 price target on this investment platform provider’s shares. The broker highlights that despite early weakness, global equity markets recovered and posted outsized returns for the June quarter. In light of this, Bell Potter has upgraded its model to reflect strong positive mark-to-markets. Outside this, the broker believes that a heavy decline since its November peak, despite earnings upgrades and further positive adjustments yet to flow through, has created a buying opportunity for investors. The Hub24 share price ended the week at $81.04.

Northern Star Resources Ltd (ASX: NST)

A note out of Citi reveals that its analysts have retained their buy rating and $29.70 price target on this gold miner’s shares. The broker was pleased with Northern Star’s quarterly update, which revealed gold sales comfortably ahead of expectations during the fourth quarter. It notes that this helped take Northern Star’s gold sales beyond its revised guidance for FY 2026. As a result of this strong performance, Citi continues to see plenty of value in the company’s shares at current levels. The Northern Star share price was fetching $22.16 at Friday’s close.

ResMed Inc. (ASX: RMD)

Analysts at Morgans have retained their buy rating and $41.72 price target on this sleep disorder treatment company’s shares. According to the note, the broker highlights that ResMed’s shares have de-rated to just 16 times forward earnings. This is its lowest valuation in over a decade and comes despite the market continuing to forecast double-digit earnings per share growth. And while there are risks from GLP-1 therapies, an oral OSA therapy, and the potential re-entry of a key competitor next year, Morgans points out that current industry data and its operating performance provide limited evidence of a material deterioration in underlying demand. The ResMed share price ended the week at $30.50.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX shares to buy next week appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

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Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has positions in ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. has positions in and has recommended Hub24 and ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has positions in and has recommended ResMed. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Hub24. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.