Australia, the agreement country, or a third country can change the claim path and portability analysis.
Current agreement country · Asia
Australia +
India
This page separates three things that are easy to mix up: what Australia's agreement may cover, which Australian payments may need testing, and how India's own welfare system is structured. It is decision support, not an entitlement decision.
Decision path
What changes the answer?
The same country can produce different outcomes depending on the payment, where you live, Australian residence, foreign insurance or contribution periods, ordinary means tests, portability and the wording of the country agreement.
Record Australian residence and the foreign country's contribution or insurance periods separately.
Agreement coverage is payment-specific. Do not assume every Australian or foreign benefit is included.
Some agreements allow Australian residence and foreign insurance/contribution periods to help satisfy minimum qualification periods.
Portability rules can affect whether payment continues overseas and how long it can continue.
Some agreements also coordinate superannuation or equivalent contributions for seconded workers.
Income, assets, partner status, caring circumstances and other ordinary payment rules may still apply.
Use current DSS, Services Australia and the agreement text for a decision. ISSA is strongest for comparative system structure.
Australian side
Australian payments to test under the agreement
Services Australia says international agreements may cover these Australian payment categories. Whether a particular payment is covered with India depends on that country agreement and the claimant's circumstances.
Often central to agreement cases involving residence in Australia and insurance or contribution periods overseas.
Some agreements can affect qualification or portability. Medical and other DSP rules still apply.
May be relevant under some agreements, but the care relationship and normal payment rules still need to be tested.
Listed in the Australian agreement framework, with actual coverage depending on the applicable agreement.
A less common payment that can appear in agreement coverage. Compass does not yet maintain a dedicated payment page, so verify it directly with Services Australia.
India side · ISSA
Payments and benefit families in India
These come from ISSA's country-profile layer. When Compass has an ingested named-benefit profile, the cards use the benefit or programme name. Otherwise they show the welfare branch recorded by ISSA. A benefit existing in India does not mean the Australia–India agreement covers it.
Old age, disability & survivors
Benefit family recorded by ISSARetirement, invalidity/disability and survivor protection.
Health & long-term care
Benefit family recorded by ISSAPublic or social-insurance health and long-term-care arrangements.
Sickness cash benefits
Benefit family recorded by ISSAIncome replacement or statutory sickness benefits where the ISSA table records a branch.
Maternity
Benefit family recorded by ISSACash or social-insurance maternity protection.
Work injury
Benefit family recorded by ISSAEmployment-injury or workers' compensation social-security arrangements.
Unemployment
Benefit family recorded by ISSAUnemployment insurance or assistance where a statutory branch is recorded.
System map
How India's welfare system is structured
The ISSA branch map describes the country's wider statutory welfare system. It does not mean every branch is covered by Australia's bilateral agreement. Use the current agreement text and Services Australia guidance to determine coverage.
Retirement, invalidity/disability and survivor protection.
Public or social-insurance health and long-term-care arrangements.
Income replacement or statutory sickness benefits where the ISSA table records a branch.
Cash or social-insurance maternity protection.
Employment-injury or workers' compensation social-security arrangements.
Unemployment insurance or assistance where a statutory branch is recorded.
Family, child or dependant benefits where a statutory branch is recorded.
Verify before deciding
Use the current authority for the actual claim.
DSS describes the agreements as bilateral treaties that can help close gaps by allowing claims across borders and, where the agreement permits, combining Australian residence with foreign contribution or insurance periods.
Current country/status authority
DSS — international social security agreements
Australian Government · Department of Social Services
Current agreement countries, implementation/negotiation status and agreement policy overview
core_ss_global_sources.au_international_agreements
Open source ↗
Operational agreement guidance
Services Australia — international social security agreements
Services Australia
Claims pathways, qualification support, how agreements help and operational guidance
core_ss_global_sources.au_services_agreements
Open source ↗
Operational country directory
Services Australia — agreement countries
Services Australia
Country directory and regional agreement pages
core_ss_global_sources.au_services_agreement_countries
Open source ↗
Australian payment categories
Services Australia — payments covered by agreements
Services Australia
Australian payments and foreign pension categories that agreements may cover
core_ss_global_sources.au_services_agreement_payments
Open source ↗
Decision-maker guidance
Social Security Guide — what agreements are
Australian Government · Department of Social Services
How scheduled agreements modify social security law and the shared-responsibility model
core_ss_global_sources.au_social_security_guide_agreements
Open source ↗
Controlling legislation
Social Security (International Agreements) Act 1999
Federal Register of Legislation
Current Act and scheduled agreement texts
core_ss_global_sources.au_international_agreements_act
Open source ↗
AWLR calculation guidance
DSS Social Security Guide — Australian working life residence
Australian Government · Department of Social Services
Australian working life residence (AWLR), proportional agreement pension rates and the 420-month / 35-year residence factor
core_ss_global_sources.au_awlr_guide
Open source ↗
Seconded-worker superannuation guidance
ATO — super for employees working overseas: certificate of coverage
Australian Taxation Office
Certificate of coverage for temporarily posted employees and avoidance of duplicate compulsory superannuation or equivalent contributions
core_ss_global_sources.au_ato_certificate_coverage
Open source ↗
Foreign welfare-system structure
ISSA Country Profile — India
International Social Security Association
Country programme structure, qualifying conditions, financing and benefit design
core_ss_issa.country.india
Open source ↗
Compare another country
Return to the agreement-country directory.
Choose another agreement country and compare its payments, welfare-system branches and the questions that affect an Australian claim.