Free, and nothing changes on this page. Your estimate now, then three short follow-ups over the next week, and we stop. Unsubscribe in one click.
Everything is unlocked. Change one figure and run it again as often as you like. Nothing is deducted, nothing counts down, and none of it expires.
Saved all your life? Over the line, every $1,000 you own costs $78 a year of pension.
You worked, you saved, you paid off the house. Now two tests decide your Age Pension, and nobody mentions the number that matters most. Once your assets pass the free area (the amount you can own before the pension starts to fall), every $1,000 you own takes $78 a year off your pension. That is 7.8% a year. To make up for it, your savings would have to earn more than that after fees and tax.
A licensed adviser charges $3,500 to $5,000 to work it out, and it takes weeks. This takes about three minutes. For free, you see your pension under both tests and which one is cutting it. The full report then works out every legal way to make your assets count for less, and puts them in order.
A rough guide only. It treats everything you own as savings. The full check sorts what you own the way the rules do and runs both tests. The full report then works out what each option is worth.
Sound familiar?
The rules are public, but they are spread all over the place. There are two tests, four different asset limits, and three dates a year when the figures change. Your savings are assumed to earn a set rate, whatever they really earn. Services Australia tells you how much you get. Nobody has to tell you how they got there.
The letter gives your pension to the cent, but none of the maths behind it. So you cannot see which test set that number: the assets test or the income test. And without that, you cannot tell whether anything you do would change it.
Deeming is the rate the rules assume your savings earn, whatever they really earn. Deprivation is money you gave away that still counts as yours. The free area is how much you can own before the pension starts to fall. All three cost real dollars, and none of them is explained the way people talk.
He is half right. Giving money away inside the limits does raise the pension. But it takes about 12.8 years for the extra pension to add up to the money you gave away. If you live that long, you come out ahead. If not, you are behind. Nobody at the barbecue works out which.
Above the free area, every $1,000 you own costs $78 a year of pension. To make that back, your savings would need to earn 7.8% a year after fees and tax. It is not a penalty. It is how the pension is phased out as your assets grow. But it does mean your money has to work much harder than most people realise.
You type in what you have. We apply the published rules and run both tests in full. Then we work out every legal way to make your assets count for less, and put them in order by how much pension each one adds. No appointment, no sales call, no product to buy at the end, and we never ask for your Customer Reference Number or bank details.
In about three minutes you will see your pension under both tests, and how much your assets cost you each year. It is free.
What it really costs
Both couples own their home. Both have exactly the same total wealth. The only difference is how much of it the assets test counts. Neither couple broke a single rule.
Both couples are made up. The figures are not. The free areas, the $3.00 a fortnight reduction and the maximum rates are published by Services Australia under the Social Security Act 1991, and this calculator applies them to whatever you type in. The worked examples run more households through the same calculator, live, every time that page loads.
Your three choices
| Guess What most people do |
Pay an adviser A licensed financial adviser |
Pension Optimiser This calculator |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| What you pay | Nothing now, $15,600 a year if you are $200,000 over |
$3,500 to $5,000 | $19 |
| How long you wait | An afternoon on the Services Australia site | Two to six weeks | About 3 minutes |
| Every option costed | |||
| You see the maths | In a summary, usually |
Key dates
The pension figures are updated on set dates, and the cut-off points (where the pension stops) move with them. If you are close to a limit, you can cross it on one of these days without changing anything. Shares and managed funds are also revalued for you, whether you report anything or not.
You must tell Services Australia about changes to your assets or income within 14 days: money spent, money given away, something bought, something sold. If your pension was worked out on old figures, it is corrected later, and you may have to pay some back. The pension changes by $3.00 a fortnight for every $1,000 over the free area. How the assets test works.
The maximum pension goes up, and every cut-off point moves with it. A sum done on the old rates will be wrong in every line, because everything is worked out from the maximum rate and the free area. These figures are the 20 September 2026 rates. What changes, and when.
The asset and income limits change on 1 July. So do the deeming thresholds (the savings level where the assumed earning rate steps up). You can be under a limit one June and over it the next. These limits are the 1 July 2026 set, and the free area for a homeowner couple is $499,000.
Free vs paid
The free check shows where you stand. The full report shows what the rules let you do about it, on your own figures. Every step of the maths is shown, so you can check it.
See a full sample report, free. It is an invented household run all the way through, laid out exactly as a customer sees it, and you can ask the assistant two questions about it.
How it works
If you can read a bank statement, you can use this. Simple mode asks only the questions that matter most and uses the published rates for the rest. Advanced mode adds gifts, the Work Bonus (the part of your wages the income test ignores), any loan on the house, and how many years to look ahead.
Savings and super, any investment property, the car and contents, any income, and whether you own the home you live in. Rounded figures are fine. We never ask for your Customer Reference Number, tax file number or bank details.
Your pension under both tests to the cent, which test is cutting it, how far you are from your free area, what that costs you each year, and every option named and explained. All free.
$19 opens the full report. Every option is worked out on your figures and put in order, so you can see what each is worth before you move a dollar. PDF included, ready to print.
We use the rates and limits Services Australia publishes under it: the 20 September 2026 rates and the 1 July 2026 limits. The dates are shown on every page and every report.
No black box. Every figure in the report comes with the maths that produced it.
We are not licensed to give personal financial advice, and we never tell you which option to pick. We put options in order by how much pension each adds, and say plainly what that leaves out.
If the calculator cannot properly model your situation, or something goes wrong, tell us within 14 days and we will refund you. No forms, no argument.
Included with the report
Every report comes with an assistant that has read your report: your figures and your options. Ask it anything about it and it answers in plain English. It is not a search box or a help page. It knows what your report says.
An example of the kind of answer it gives, on the sample report's figures.
Price
One payment, no expiry, nothing to renew, and we never keep your card details. It opens the whole report, and you can rerun it with new figures as often as you like.
Prices in Australian dollars. Paid securely through PayPal: card or PayPal balance, no account needed. See a sample report before you decide.
Age Pension FAQ
You get the full pension up to the free area. Above that it falls, and it stops completely at the cut-off point. For a homeowner couple those are $499,000 and $1,121,000. For a single homeowner they are $333,000 and $745,567. If you do not own your home both are higher: $766,000 and $1,388,000 for a couple, $600,000 and $1,012,567 for a single person. In between, every $1,000 you own costs $78 a year of pension. The home you live in is never counted.
It takes $3.00 a fortnight off your pension for every $1,000 of assessable assets (the things Services Australia counts) above the free area. That is $78 a year, or 7.8% of that $1,000. The free area is $499,000 for a couple who own their home and $333,000 for a single homeowner. So a couple $200,000 over the line lose $15,600 of pension a year, every year.
Yes, if you want your savings to make up for the pension they cost you. Each $1,000 costs $78 a year, which is 7.8%. Your savings would need to earn that after fees and tax, and few investments do so reliably. But the money is still yours. That is why giving it away pays off more slowly than moving it somewhere the assets test does not count. The report works out both.
Yes, but only up to the gifting limits: $10,000 in a financial year and no more than $30,000 across any five years. Anything over that still counts as your asset for five years from the day you give it, and is still assumed to earn income (deemed) for those five years. A gift inside the limits raises the pension by $78 a year per $1,000, so it takes about 12.8 years for the extra pension to replace the money you gave away.
No. A couple who must live apart because one of them needs residential or nursing care are treated as separated by illness. You are still assessed as a couple, on the couple limits and everything you both own. But each of you is paid the single rate. Together that is up to $64,360 a year instead of $48,516, and the assets cut-off point is higher too. It is not automatic: you have to tell Services Australia why you live apart.
Yes. Rent Assistance is part of the payment the tests reduce, not a separate payment beside it. It is 75 cents for every dollar of rent above $157.80 a fortnight for a single person or $255.80 for a couple, capped at $223.80 and $211.00. It is added to your maximum rate, and the income and assets tests then reduce that whole total. That is why your cut-off point (where the pension stops) is higher if you get it.
No. This is an information service. It applies the published pension rules to the figures you enter and shows the result, with every step of the maths. It puts options in order by how much pension each adds, and does not recommend any of them. It cannot judge whether an option suits you, or what it might cost you in ways a number cannot show.
Because most households need the numbers, not an opinion, and a calculator can do the numbers for many people at once. A licensed adviser typically charges from $3,500 for a statement of advice. That includes a personal recommendation, which this service is not licensed to give and does not try to. The report gives you the numbers behind every option, so you can see them for yourself.
No. The home you live in is not counted in the assets test, whatever it is worth, along with up to two hectares of the land it sits on. But owning it does lower your free area (how much else you can own before the pension starts to fall): $499,000 for a homeowner couple against $766,000 for a couple who rent. Money spent on the home stops being counted, which is why repairs and renovations can raise the pension.
You can have up to $226 a fortnight of income as a single person, or $396 combined as a couple, before the income test takes anything. Above that, the pension drops by 50 cents for every extra dollar. It stops completely at about $70,236 a year for a single person and $107,328 for a couple. On top of that, the Work Bonus sets aside $300 a fortnight of wages each before the test starts counting.
The deeming rates are 1.75% on financial assets up to the threshold and 3.75% on anything above it. The threshold is $66,800 for a single person and $110,600 combined for a couple. Deeming means the income test assumes your savings, shares and account-based pensions earn these rates, whatever they really earn. It does not apply to an investment property, a business or your own home.
Pension rates change twice a year, on 20 March and 20 September. The assets test free areas, the income free areas and the deeming thresholds change once a year on 1 July. Because every cut-off point is worked out from the maximum rate, the cut-offs move in March and September too. The $3.00 taper does not move: it has stayed the same since 1 January 2017.
No, not up to the limit. A funeral bond of up to $16,250 a person is not counted in the assets test, and the money inside it is not deemed either. A funeral that is fully paid for in advance is not counted at all, with no limit. It is the smallest of the exemptions, but also the easiest to use.
Being $200,000 over does not cost $15,600 once. It costs that every year, for as long as the money stays where it is. And some moves cannot be undone: a gift, a house sale, or money that still counts for five years after you gave it away. Three minutes to see the maths first is the cheapest step in the whole thing.
No card. No sign up. Your answer appears as soon as you finish.
Free, no card, no sign up. See your pension under both tests the moment you finish.
Most calculators tell you what your pension is. This one prices every legal way to increase it: the exempt home, funeral bonds, a younger partner's super, and gifting inside the limits. It also shows the exact point where each one stops adding a dollar.
This uses the pension rates paid from 20 September 2026.
Your free check
That is how much more the top option leaves you than changing nothing, on your own numbers.
The email you want to log in with. It can be different from your PayPal email.
And you can ask it questions. If you want it, your report comes with an assistant that has read it and explains any figure in plain English. It is given the amounts on your report, never your name or your email, and the conversation stays in your browser.
Your pension under both tests, your assets limit, and what the assets test costs you each year, in one email. It has a link back to your figures, so you do not have to type them again.
Your estimate now, then three short follow-ups over the next week, and we stop. Unsubscribe in one click. We never sell your address.
Before you move a dollar
Once your assets pass the free area, every $1,000 you own costs $78 a year of pension, for as long as you keep it. The full report works out every arrangement the rules allow, puts them in order on your own figures, and shows where each one stops helping. All before you move a dollar.
Yes, it is included, and using it is entirely your choice. It sits behind one button on your report and does nothing until you press it. Nothing in the report is held back if you never open it.
When you do ask it something, what it receives is the figures on your report: amounts and categories. Not your name, not your email address, not your account, and never a Medicare number, tax file number or bank detail. We do not hold those in the first place. The name you can put on the report cover is optional and is not part of what it is given. The conversation stays in your browser tab and is gone when you close it. We record that a question was asked, never what it said.
Section 5 of the privacy policy sets out exactly what does and does not travel, including who processes it.
No. You pay once and the access is yours. There is no subscription and nothing renews. PayPal handles the payment, so we never even see your card number.
No, and it is not licensed to. It applies the published Age Pension rules to the figures you enter. For every legal option it adds up two things: the pension you would get over the years you choose, and what you would still own at the end. Then it puts the options in order, so you can see which one leaves you the most. It never says which one is right for you, because that depends on things no calculator knows.
Pension Optimiser provides information, not financial product advice. We are not licensed to give personal financial advice and we never tell you which option to pick. We apply the published rules to the figures you enter and show you the result, with all the maths. Your actual pension is set by Services Australia, from the assets and income you have told them about. It changes when those change, and when the rates are updated. Only a licensed financial adviser can give you a personal recommendation.
Your full report opens the moment the payment goes through. Every option is worked out on your own figures and put in order. There is nothing else to buy, ever.
The email you want to log in with. It can be different from your PayPal email.
Age Pension examples
Four households losing pension because of a limit nobody explained to them, and five who are entitled to more than they believed. All nine are made up. The figures are not. Every number on this page is worked out as the page loads, by the same calculator that builds a paying customer's report, on the rates named below. So nothing here can go out of date.
The assets test and the income test are worked out separately and in full. Whichever gives less is what you get. Knowing which test it is matters as much as the figure, because it decides which changes can help you.
The free area is how much you can own before the pension starts to fall. Above it, the pension drops $3.00 a fortnight for every $1,000 you own, for as long as you own it. That is 7.8% a year: what those assets would have to earn, after fees and tax, to make up the lost pension.
Whatever it is worth, and whatever is spent on it. A funeral bond up to $16,250 a person is not counted either, nor is a partner's superannuation while that partner is under 67. Those are the main exceptions.
Everything below is those three facts in real dollars, for nine different households. Worked out on the current schedule.
Your answer turns on four things none of these households shares with you: which side of your free area you are on, which test is holding you down, how much of what you own can be moved, and how many years you measure over. About three minutes, and it costs nothing.
Every legal way to hold the $605,000 the assets test counts, and what each one leaves after 20 years. Same money, same rules. The only difference is where the money is held. They are put in order on one measure: the Age Pension over the 20 years plus what is still owned at the end. This is not a recommendation.
Where they stand today, and what the rest of the report is about.
How the options are compared. The Age Pension over 20 years, plus what is still owned at the end, in today's dollars. We assume savings keep pace with inflation and the earnings are spent. No option is called the best.
The pension is worked out under the assets test and the income test, and the lower of the two is paid. For Gwen and Colin that is the assets test. So moving money out of the count raises their pension, and changing their income would not.
| Test | Limit for full pension | Theirs | Over by | Would pay a fortnight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assets test | $499,000 | $605,000 | $106,000 | $1,548.00 |
| Income test | $10,296 a year | $13,913 a year | $3,617 | $1,796.44 |
The full pension up to $499,000 of assets. Above that, they lose $3.00 a fortnight for every $1,000 (7.8% a year), until the pension stops at $1,121,000. The dot is Gwen and Colin.
What 7.8% means. Each $1,000 over the limit costs $78 a year of pension. To make up for that, the $1,000 would have to earn $78 a year (7.8%) after fees and tax. Very few investments do that reliably.
But the money is still theirs. That is why giving money away pays off more slowly than moving it somewhere that is not counted. A dollar given away takes about 12.8 years of extra pension to win back.
The biggest thing they own, their home, is not counted at all. Here is everything they own, split into what counts and what does not.
| What | Amount | Counted? |
|---|---|---|
| Savings, super and investments | $430,000 | Yes |
| Property and business assets | $120,000 | Yes |
| Car, contents and personal effects | $55,000 | Yes |
| The home they live in | $720,000 | No |
| Total counted | $605,000 | - |
The taller the bar, the more that option leaves: pension received plus what is still owned. The report puts the options in order. It does not recommend one.
Everything above is real maths on a made-up couple. Run your own, and this half opens on your figures.
And you can ask it questions. Every report comes with an assistant that has read your report and explains any figure in plain English. Using it is up to you. It does nothing until you press the button. It sees the amounts on your report, never your name, email or account.
That is somebody else's answer. Yours takes about three minutes, and the first half costs nothing.
The link may have been used already. If you still get emails, contact us and we will stop them.
Free Age Pension guides
Written for the person the rules are about, not the person running them. Every limit is current, every sum is shown, and every claim can be traced back to the Act or to the table Services Australia publishes. Nothing is sold at the end of any of them.
Reading helps. Knowing what the taper is taking from you this year helps more.
Income, work and timing
A licensed financial adviser typically charges $3,500 to $5,000 for a statement of advice on the Age Pension and retirement income, and it takes several weeks. Ongoing advice is charged on top, every year. Here is what you get for that money, and when you may not need it.
People use "advice" for different things that are not the same. Mixing them up costs money both ways. Some people pay for something they did not need. Others avoid paying for something they did need.
| What it gives you | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Your numbers | How the rules work and what they produce on your figures, every option worked out | $19 once, with this calculator |
| An accountant or tax agent | Tax and structure questions, charged by the hour | $200 to $400 an hour |
| A solicitor | Legal documents, such as a granny flat agreement | $1,500 to $3,000 or more |
| Personal financial advice | A written recommendation that somebody is accountable for | $3,500 to $5,000+, then ongoing fees |
For a statement of advice on the Age Pension and retirement income, fees typically start around $3,500 and run to $5,000 or more, depending on how complex your situation is. That is for one document.
Most advisers also offer ongoing advice, charged every year. That commonly costs $3,000 to $5,000 a year. And if the rates change and you want the numbers done again, that is usually another fee.
Advisers must act in your best interests and must tell you what they are paid. Fees are charged to you directly, so you can see them.
An adviser is worth the fee when your situation is complex, or when a lot of money depends on the decision:
If a decision involves six figures and cannot be undone, paying several thousand dollars for somebody who is accountable for the advice is money well spent.
When the question is just maths. If you want to know your pension, which test is reducing it, and what each legal option would be worth, that has a calculated answer. Paying $3,500 or more for the calculation is paying for the wrong thing.
That is what this calculator is built for. It works out every option for $19, once, instead of thousands.
It is an information service. It applies the published Age Pension rules to the figures you enter and shows the result, with every step of the maths. It puts the options in order on one measure: the pension you get over the years you choose, plus what you still own at the end.
It does not tell you which option is right for you. That depends on things it cannot know, and it is not licensed to give personal advice. The report says so, and it lists what its measure cannot see.
All five should have a straight answer before any money changes hands.
If you do see an adviser later, walking in already knowing your pension, your assets limit and which test is reducing it makes the appointment worth more. Free, about three minutes.
Sign in to see your saved reports and your full report access.
It is free. Your reports are saved, so you never have to type your figures in again.
We will email you a link to set a new password. It works once and lasts an hour.
Pick something you will remember.
Get the full report to see what every option costs you, in order.
About us
You worked, saved and paid off a house. Then you reach the part of retirement nobody prepares you for. Your pension depends on two tests, one on what you own and one on what you earn. There are four different asset limits. Your savings are assumed to earn a set rate, whatever they really earn. And above the limit, every $1,000 you own takes $78 a year off your pension. Nobody writes to tell you where the limit is. You find out you are over it when the payment is smaller than you expected. You are told the amount, but never the maths behind it.
None of it is secret. It is in the Social Security Act 1991, the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999, the deeming rate determinations made under them, and the assets and income test tables Services Australia publishes and updates on 20 March, 20 September and 1 July. The hard part is putting your own figures through them. The rules are spread across dozens of pages written for officials, and they change on three different dates a year. Even the cut-off point (the asset level where the pension stops) is not written down as a rule. It is worked out from other numbers.
Pension Optimiser does one thing. It applies those published rules to your figures and shows you the result in full. It works out both tests separately, so you can see which one is cutting your pension. It works out every legal way to make your assets count for less, and puts them in order by how much pension each one adds. It shows the point where each one stops helping. And it shows all the maths, so you can check it yourself or take it to someone who can.
We do not tell you what to do. We are not licensed to. We sell no financial products, take no commissions and make no referrals. Most people need the numbers, not an opinion. A licensed financial adviser charges $3,500 to $5,000 for a statement of advice. Our full report costs $19, once. Here is what advisers charge, and what you get for it, if you decide you want a personal recommendation as well.
Short version: we hold as little as we can, we never ask for the identifiers that matter most, and the calculation runs on your own device. The long version is below, because you are entitled to it.
This policy explains how XTO Pty. Ltd. (we, us, our) collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information, and how you can access, correct or complain about it. We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
It applies to calculatedchoices.com.au and to every email we send you. It does not apply to any third party site we link to.
We do not ask for, and you should never send us, your Medicare number, tax file number, Centrelink Customer Reference Number, tax file number or bank account details, bank account details or card number. The calculator does not need them. If you send one to us anyway we will delete it rather than store it.
We do not collect sensitive information as defined in the Privacy Act - health information, racial or ethnic origin, political or religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or criminal record. Where the calculator asks about care needs it asks about funding categories, never about a medical condition.
Information you give us
Information collected automatically
In your browser, on your device. The figures you type into the calculator are processed locally to produce your result. They are transmitted to us only if you choose to save a scenario to your account. If you never save one, we never receive them.
Two exceptions, and both are things you have to choose to do:
A paid report comes with an optional assistant you can ask questions about your own figures. It is the one part of this site that sends anything to a third party, so it is set out here in full.
It is entirely your choice, and it does nothing until you use it. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you open the assistant and ask a question. If you never open it, this section does not apply to you at all, and the rest of the report works exactly the same.
What is sent when you do ask
What is not sent
What travels is a set of amounts and categories. On its own it does not identify anybody, and we do not send anything alongside it that would.
Who processes it
The request is answered by Google's Gemini API, which processes it outside Australia - see sections 10 and 11. We do not train any model on your figures and we have no arrangement permitting anyone to do so; what Google does with data sent to its API is governed by its own terms, which we do not control.
How long it is kept
Because the assistant is optional, you can have the entire paid report without any of the above ever happening. Nothing in the report is withheld from somebody who never opens it.
We use the following, and nothing else:
You can clear or block these through your browser at any time. Clearing them will sign you out and reset your preferences; the site will otherwise work normally.
We use Google Analytics and Google Ads to measure how people find and use the site and whether our advertising is worth running. Where these are enabled, Google receives your IP address, device and browser information, the pages you viewed, and - when you complete a purchase - the order reference and the amount paid. Google may set its own cookies and may combine this with data it holds from other sources. Google's handling of that data is governed by its own privacy policy, not ours.
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not disclose it to data brokers, advertising networks other than as described above, Services Australia, financial advisers, superannuation funds or product issuers, or anyone who might try to sell you something.
You can opt out of Google Analytics using Google's browser add-on, and you can adjust personalised advertising in your Google account settings.
Payments are processed by PayPal. Your card or account details are entered on PayPal's systems and are never transmitted to, seen by, or stored on our servers. We receive only the transaction reference, the amount, the status and the email address associated with the payment.
Some of these providers store or process data outside Australia, principally in the United States (Google, PayPal) and, depending on our email provider, in other countries. By using the site you acknowledge that we take reasonable steps to ensure overseas recipients handle your information consistently with the APPs, but that we cannot control and are not accountable for how an overseas recipient handles it once disclosed, and that you may not be able to seek redress in that jurisdiction.
The site runs entirely over HTTPS. Passwords are stored as salted PBKDF2 hashes, not as text anyone here can read. Access to the database is restricted to those who need it. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee the security of information transmitted over the internet, but we take reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
If a data breach occurs that is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
If you give us your email address for a free estimate we may follow up about the full report. Every commercial email we send identifies us and carries a functional unsubscribe link, as required by the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). We action unsubscribes immediately. You will still receive transactional email - receipts, access details and password resets - because those are not marketing.
Write to support@calculatedchoices.com.au. We will:
We will respond within 30 days and will not charge you for making a request. We may need to verify your identity first.
If you think we have breached the APPs, write to support@calculatedchoices.com.au with "Privacy complaint" in the subject line. We will acknowledge within 5 business days and respond substantively within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992, or GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001.
The site is intended for people at or approaching Age Pension age, and their families. It is not directed at children and we do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18.
We may update this policy. The effective date at the top changes when we do. Where a change is material we will tell you by email or by notice on the site before it takes effect. Continuing to use the site after that means you accept the updated policy.
Privacy Officer
XTO Pty. Ltd. (ACN [ACN NOT SET])
Level 1, 457 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
support@calculatedchoices.com.au
Plain English, because the whole point is that you understand it. Section 6 is the one that matters most - please read it before you rely on anything here.
By using calculatedchoices.com.au (the site) or buying a pass you agree to these terms. If you do not agree, do not use the site. In these terms we, us and our mean XTO Pty. Ltd.; you means the person using the site or, where you use it on behalf of another person or an entity, both you and that person or entity.
You must be at least 18 and legally able to enter a contract. The site is intended for use in Australia and applies Australian law and the published Age Pension rates, thresholds and deeming rules only. If you use it from outside Australia you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for local compliance.
Pension Optimiser is an information and calculation service. It applies the published Age Pension rates, thresholds and deeming rules to figures you supply and reports what those rules produce, showing its workings and naming the fee schedule used.
It is not financial product advice, personal advice, legal advice, tax advice, accounting advice or personal financial advice about your retirement income, and it is not a recommendation to acquire, dispose of or deal in any financial product.
You should obtain independent, licensed advice before acting. Any decision you make is yours.
We take considerable care to keep the rates current and the formulas right, and every report prints the schedule it was built on. Even so:
Always confirm before you act.
You acknowledge and agree that you are solely responsible for evaluating the output, for verifying it against official sources, for obtaining independent professional advice, and for every decision you make or do not make. We are not your adviser and no fiduciary or advisory relationship arises from your use of the site.
You are responsible for keeping your password confidential and for everything done under your account. Tell us immediately at support@calculatedchoices.com.au if you suspect unauthorised use. We may suspend or close an account we reasonably believe is being used in breach of these terms.
A report you export as a PDF or otherwise save remains yours to keep and to show to family, an adviser or Services Australia. That licence is personal and non‑commercial. It does not permit republication, resale, or use as part of a product or service you provide to others.
Our promise: if the calculator cannot properly model your circumstances, or something has gone wrong, write to us within 14 days of purchase and we will refund the pass. No form and no argument. We would rather refund you than have you rely on a number that does not fit.
This is a voluntary commercial guarantee offered in addition to, and it does not limit, your rights under the Australian Consumer Law. Refunds are made to the original payment method within five business days of us accepting the request.
You must not:
All content, code, calculation methodology, report design, text and branding on the site is owned by us or licensed to us and is protected by copyright and other laws. Legislated rates and government data are not owned by anyone; our expression, arrangement and implementation of them is. Nothing in these terms transfers ownership to you.
We aim to keep the site available but do not guarantee it will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error free. We may modify, suspend or discontinue any part of it, and may perform maintenance, at any time. If we permanently discontinue the service while your pass is running, we will refund the unused portion.
The site relies on third party services including PayPal, Google and our hosting and email providers, and links to third party sites and government resources. We are not responsible for those services or sites, their availability, their content or their terms.
Our goods and services come with guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law. For major failures with the service, you are entitled to cancel your service contract with us and to a refund for the unused portion, or to compensation for its reduced value. You are also entitled to be compensated for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. If the failure does not amount to a major failure, you are entitled to have problems with the service rectified in a reasonable time and, if this is not done, to cancel your contract and obtain a refund for the unused portion of the contract.
Nothing in these terms excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy conferred by the Australian Consumer Law or any other law which cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified. If any part of these terms would do so, that part does not apply.
Subject always to section 15, and to the maximum extent permitted by law:
You agree that this allocation of risk is reasonable given the price of the service and that the service is information rather than advice.
Our liability is reduced to the extent your loss is caused or contributed to by you, including by entering incorrect figures, by failing to verify output against official sources, or by failing to obtain independent advice.
To the maximum extent permitted by law, you indemnify us against any claim, loss, liability, cost or expense (including reasonable legal costs) arising from your breach of these terms, your misuse of the site, or your provision of the site's output to a third party who relies on it. This does not apply to the extent the claim arises from our own breach, negligence or wilful misconduct.
You may stop using the site at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access immediately if you breach these terms. Sections 4, 5, 6, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19 and 20 survive termination.
Our Privacy Policy forms part of these terms and explains how we handle personal information.
These terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. You and we submit to the non‑exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales and the courts entitled to hear appeals from them.
XTO Pty. Ltd. (ACN [ACN NOT SET])
Level 1, 457 Elizabeth Street, Surry Hills NSW 2010
support@calculatedchoices.com.au